21/11/2015 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today, broadcasting in the UK and

I'm Christian Fraser in Brussels where armed patrols remain

The city's metro is closed amid fears of a Paris-style attack.

The Belgian government raises its terror alert to the highest

level followed by this warning from the country's Prime Minister.

We are therefore talking about threats from several armed

individuals with weapons and explosives, possibly at several

places at a time. I'm Ben Bland in London -

our other headlines: In Mali, the government declares

a 10-day nationwide state of emergency after Friday's attack

in Bamako which killed 21. After failed appeals for clemency,

Bangladesh executes two opposition leaders for war crimes committed

during the 1971 independence war. Good evening from Brussels,

where security remains tight This city hotspot would be busy on a

Saturday night with people and the terraces would be packed. But not

tonight. Many of them are closed and shattered. The tables and chairs

have been folded away. Everywhere soldiers and police at strategic

places at street corners and particularly in the city centre.

This Irish bar has been closed. None of the sport has been on the

screens. It has been closed all afternoon. Police are driving and

talking to people as well, telling them to keep off the street if they

can. At the end here, you might be able to see the sheds of the

personnel carrier, armed personnel personnel carrier, armed personnel

carrier at the end of the street among the market. All of this is

because the terror alert in Brussels has been raised to its highest level

with concerns about an imminent attack. The Metro system has been

closed until Sunday. Many museums and concert halls have been closed

as well the hunt is still continuing for Salah Abdeslam, the missing

gunmen who crossed into Belgium a week last Saturday. He is the only

remaining gunmen still alive from the Paris attacks. He has been

described of the most wanted man. The Prime Minister says the country

is at risk from an attack similar to the one that took place in Paris,

coordinated explosions. There is a heavy police presence on the

streets. Around the country today, a number of football matches were

postponed by the authorities and the national team, their game with Spain

was postponed as well. Members of the public wants to avoid large

crowded places. Outside Brussels, the terror threat is lower.

The Security Council has passed an unanimous motion against

The resolution - drafted by France - calls upon member states to destroy

And it has been announced President Hollande and David Cameron

The talks will take place in Paris on Monday.

This morning in Brussels soldiers took the place of commuters,

taking care here to use the zebra crossing during their patrol.

The government has closed all metro stations in the capital.

It has deployed forces to counter the immediate threat of an attack.

We have received quite precise information about the threat

A scenario in which several individuals with arms

and explosives could launch an attack, perhaps in several places.

It might be that this man, Salah Abdeslam is involved.

He is one of the Paris attackers and is still on the run.

Police believe he came back to Belgium after the attacks.

His Brussels neighbourhood, Molenbeek, was also home to one

Brussels is usually among the quietest of European capitals.

But this city feels very different right now.

The government has instructed its citizens to follow all official

instructions, and not to spread any rumours.

To this woman's apparent disappointment.

There is so much security, so we feel protected.

This man says, I am not scared, with a laugh.

Brussels continues to receive visitors.

This Eurostar from London arrives on time.

We just want to go and be safe at home.

Even though the police is there, we feel unsafe.

Chris from Ireland is taking his wife

and their four-year-old daughter for a birthday weekend in the city.

Brussels is probably the safest place to be if there is a terror

alert going on, you will have people out there looking out for what is

The Belgian government promises to reassess its security level

Until then, some have decided it is best to stay

This is not sustainable, of course. Already businesses are complaining

about the damage that has been done. And the sheer plays into the

hands of the terrorist. The government is under enormous

pressure, this is not just the political heart of the European

Union, it is also the headquarters of Nato. And we have heard that the

US command has urged its personnel to stay on base here in Brussels if

they can. They are persuading Pentagon staff not to travel to

Brussels. It is my guess that the interior minister has given the

intelligence services 48 hours to eliminate the threat and just to

give you the -- an idea of the pressure that the Prime Minister is

under, he said today he wants to look to know about everybody who

lives in Molenbeek even if it means that the local authority goes on the

job -- goes and bangs on the door of every house.

In England the French national anthem - La Marseillaise - is being

be played before all this weekend's Premier League matches in tribute to

The anthem was played before Watford's game with

Manchester United with both sets of players standing together

Chelsea players also wore black armbands incorporating the French

flag during their game with Norwich City in west London.

Let's talk politics for a second. The resolution agreed last night by

the UN calls on governments to redouble their efforts to tackle

so-called Islamic State. In Britain, the sleazy government is hoping that

that message will encourage MPs to vote with the government to extend

air strikes from Iraq into Syria. The British Foreign Secretary has

been talking today. This is what he had to say.

Last night's UN Security Council resolution shows the unity

of purpose and determination of the international community to take

action against Isil and, as the Prime Minister said, he will go on

making the case for a broad response to the Isil challenge - political,

When we think we have got a consensus across Parliament,

I think, on an issue like this, of national security,

Many people in the House of Commons, I guess, a majority,

clearly believe we have to do what is right for our national security.

To protect our citizens both at home and abroad.

But over the coming days and weeks, we will be talking to people,

listening to people in the House of Commons.

And as the Prime Minister said, he will set out our strategy

Not just military, but political and humanitarian strategy as well.

It is peculiar standing in the middle of a city centre on a

Saturday night in deserted streets. Some people have come out for a look

and obviously they are walking around the streets in a sense of

bemusement at the soldiers and the armoured personnel carriers that

they see. A little earlier I was speaking to a British expat who

lives in Molenbeek. He has been taking pictures and he

blogs for a blog. His name is Andy Townsend. I took a trip down to the

central station and I saw a convoy of eight armoured personnel carriers

and no people. Normally the streets would be packed. Where you -- where

we are now, you would not be able to move. Do you come here used?

we are now, you would not be able to move. Do you come here used Not

here, but into the city centre. This is usually thronged, you can't move.

I am not quite sure how long they can sustain this? I don't think it

can last long, to be honest. The city has just shut down. I went into

the very heart of the city today and there was nobody there. It feels

like Christmas day, doesn't it? With the lights on, but nothing

happening? Yes, the atmosphere is dead. Like a science-fiction film

where everybody has disappeared. Does it frustrates you, because it

frustrates me, it sends a signal to the terrorists that have one. I

couldn't agree more. It was part of the reason that I set out today to

take photos. I was in London at in the 2005 bombings and like most

people I was back on the tube the next day and trying to go about my

ordinary life. I would not be so brave if people were pointing guns

at me, but... Quite. And another reason why you expose is

interesting, you live in Molenbeek? I do. You have heard police raids,

you name it. There has been a lot of police activity, flashing lights and

police on streets. Normally, it is a pleasant place. Not what you would

expect. At the moment, there is a lot of activity and so it is

unsettling. The government has been committed --

communicating with the public on social media. It will review its

position today and whether or not to review the decision in the light of

business starting again on Monday. We'll bring you the news on the

threat level and the raids which are taking place in Belgium. But now we

will hand you back to London. And you can keep up to date with

the situation in Belgium and also You will find up-to-the-minute news,

analysis, and the latest reports Security forces

in Mali say they're hunting at least three suspects, following the attack

on a hotel in the capital, Bamako. A ten-day nationwide state

of emergency has been declared. 21 people were killed,

including six Russian airline crew, three Chinese business executives,

an American health worker More than a 130 guests at the

Radisson Blu hotel were freed when special forces mounted a rescue

operation, killing two gunmen. A militant group linked to Al-Qaeda

has said it carried out the assault. Andrew Lebovich is a visiting fellow

with the European Council on Foreign Relations and an expert

on North Africa and the Sahel. Andrew, this attack. Was there

potentially a link to the attacks in Paris? You think definitely not. I

think it is too early to say anything definitively. Obviously,

the timing gives pause. At the same time, there are reasons to suspect

that it was planned further in advance. The target and the nature

of this kind of attack. And the fact that the hotel was filling with

diplomats ready to hold the sixth meeting of the committee of the

Algiers Accord. I think there is just as much reason to believe that

this was tied to things other than Paris. But it is too early to know

for sure. And for anyone not familiar with those are called, it

was quite a big thing. There was an accord signed and militant groups

might want to disrupt it? Yes, it is entirely possible. This peace deal

was after lengthy and difficult negotiations as a mean trying to

settle the enduring conflict in the north which of course broke out in

2012 and led to the division of the country until the French

intervention in early 2013. So it is possible that militant groups were

intending to disrupt the talks. At the same time, these groups were not

present at the talks and one part of them, so it is a bit too early to

talk about -- to talk about anything then potential reasons. When we talk

about the group that has claimed responsibility, people will be

familiar with the description, an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, but -- but

al-Murabitoun, what do we know about them, what are their agenda? They

are a recent development, MR John of veteran fighters and other jihad

fighters in West Africa. They have been operating in the Sahara and the

sap out for some time for nearly two decades. They are attempting both to

use the space in order to -- to use the base in order to recruit members

and also to implement their own vision of Islamic law in the Sahara,

particularly in Mali. Things have been quite influx since the French

intervention and really since then they have been trying to recalibrate

themselves, to move into different spaces such as Libya and also to

move back into their former strongholds in different parts of

northern Mali. Thank you very much. You are watching BBC World News.

We'll have the latest in the world of sport after an emphatic victory

for Liverpool over Manchester city. Four British tourists are among

seven people who have been killed in The aircraft came down on the

Fox Glacier on the remote west coast Rescue teams say they have managed

to reach the site in bad weather - but it will take time to recover

the bodies. Two Australian tourists

and a local pilot also died. A 15-year-old boy has appeared

in court accused of stabbing two teenagers

at a school in south London. The boy - who can't be named -

is charged with attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm in

the attacks at Kingsdale Foundation He was remanded

in youth custody until next month. Peter Robinson has said Northern

Ireland "is a place transformed" in his last speech as the leader

of the Democratic Unionist Party. He confirmed this week that he will

step down in the coming weeks - Peter Robinson is one

of the founding members of the DUP and his political career has lasted

more than 40 years. I'm Ben Bland.

The latest headlines - Armed police and security patrols

remain on the streets of the Belgian capital Brussels where

the government has raised its The increase

in security follows warnings based on 'quite precise information'

of imminent terrorist threats which caused the authorities to shut

down the city's metro system. The pressure is now firmly on

Rafa Benitez as Real Madrid manager after they suffered a a 4-0 defeat

at home to Barcelona in El Clasico. Two goals from Luis Suarez plus one

each for Andres Iniesta and Neymar have sent Barca six points clear

at the top of La Liga. Jamie Vardy scored in his tenth

consecutive Premier League game - equalling the record set by Ruud Van

Nistlerooy - as Leicester cruised to The win has moved the Foxes to

the top of the table. Leonardo Ulloa and Shinji Okazaki

scored the other goals of the game but it will be Vardy's name

that dominates tomorrow headlines. I missed a couple just before. But

as soon as it went in, it was a wage on the shoulders. I have to get back

of the training ground and go one step further. I have not set myself

many goals, just improve on last year and I have got double at the

minute. My feet firmly on the ground and I will be taking each game as it

comes and hopefully knocking more goals to get Leicester the point

that we need to keep moving. Manchester City's hopes

of returning to the top of the table were cut down to size by a crushing

4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool. Eliaquim Mangala's early own goal

and goals from Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino put

Jurgen Klopp's side in control. sealed a memorable evening

for the Merseysiders. Elsewhere today, Chelsea stopped

a run of three straight defeats with Everton thrashed bottom-side

Aston Villa 4-0. Stoke won away at Southampton while

Bournemouth let a two-goal lead slip Bad day for Arsenal too - Santi

Cazorla missed a late penalty as The top seed Novak Djokovic is on

course to end the season as his most successful and win his fourth ATP

World Tour Finals after a semifinal He won in straight sets 6-3,

6-3 in a match where he didn't face The two have met 46 times

in their careers with the score now at 23 wins apiece,

although seven of the last eight Given the fact that he has been

playing some really good tennis, I think it was a very good performance

from my side. It was a great tie from him, he played very aggressive

and made a lot of winners. Rory McIlroy is on course to be

crowned European number one, He's one shot off the lead after

third round at the season, ending McIlroy shot a terrific 7-under par

on day three, with eight birdies England's Andy Sullivan holds

the outright lead by a shot, although he felt his previous two

rounds were better than today. Bangladesh has executed two

opposition leaders for war crimes committed during the 1971

independence war with Pakistan. They were convicted of genocide

and rape - charges they denied. The men were hanged shortly

after the president rejected Our correspondent is Salman Saeed

and he joins me now What more do we know about these

men? Sorry, we seem to have a problem

with the link to our correspondent. We will try and re-establish that

line a little later. Since the attacks in Paris last

Friday, one book has been selling out in book shops across the city -

Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast. The author's account of living in

Paris in his youth in the 1920s is The BBC's Howard Johnson has been

asking young Parisians to share some of Hemingway's reflections

on their city. The trees and

the branches were bare against But you knew there would

always be the spring... ..as

you knew the river would flow ..and we were young,

and nothing was simple there. We ate well and cheaply

and drank well and cheaply... ..and slept well and warm together

and loved each other. There is never any ending to Paris,

and the memory of each person who We always return to it, no matter

who we were or how it was changed or with what difficulties, or ease,

it could be reached. Paris was always worth it,

and you received return If you are lucky enough to have

lived in Paris as a young man... ..then wherever you go for the rest

of your life it stays with you, Bangladesh has executed two

opposition leaders for war crimes committed during the 1971

independence war with Pakistan. The men were hanged shortly

after the president rejected Our correspondent is Salman Saeed

and he joins me now Salah Abdeslam was one of the

leading figures in a political party. Human Rights Watch says it

has serious concerns that their trials were not fair.

People are missing after a landslide in one mile. Many of the dead is

thought to be scavengers near the dump. The area produces some of the

world's finest jaded but landslide of this kind are not uncommon.

A week on from the Paris attacks, the Belgian capital is the subject

of threats. The terror -- the threat level has been wasted the highest

level and the Metro has been closed. That's all from the programme.

From me and the rest of the team,