21/02/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today, broadcasting in the UK

Bomb blasts in the Syrian cities of Homs

and Damascus leave more than 100 people dead.

London mayor Boris Johnson announces he will back the campaign

for Britain to LEAVE the European Union -

pitting him against the Prime Minister David Cameron.

I will be advocating vote leave or whatever the team is called, I

understand there are many of them. And that is basically - because I

want a better deal for the people of this country.

A big win for US Republican Presidential frontrunner

Donald Trump as he secures antoher victory in the South

And meet the cat who lost his Syrian family, only to be reunited

The Syrian capital, Damacus, has been hit by a series

The attacks came just hours after 46 people were killed in a double bomb

A large number of people are said to have been woundedThe target

The violence comes day afrs is ceasefire was supposed to have come

into effect. Two bombs have exploded

and gradually the scale of the destruction

is becoming clear. For some, it's hard

to believe they've survived. Homs is a city that has seen much

violence over the past five years but even by its standards,

this was a huge attack, carried out in the suburb

that is a bastion of support The Islamic State group says

it was behind the bombings. There is now, though,

at least some hope that some of the fighting in

Syria might be halted. The US Secretary of State,

John Kerry, was speaking in Jordan. We have reached a provisional

agreement, in principle, on the terms of a cessation

of hostilities that could begin It is not yet done, and I anticipate

that our presidents, President Obama and President Putin,

may well speak somewhere in the next days or so, in order to

try to complete this task. People all across Syria

will desperately hope that a ceasefire will be worked out

but they may well wonder if agreements reached on paper can

be turned into reality Whether deals done by diplomats

in far away capitals really can silence the guns on Syria's

many battlefields. Meanwhile, President Assad has said

he is ready for a ceasefire, but only if the "terrorists" -

as he called them - Speaking in an interview

with a Spanish paper, he added that Syrian refugees

would be welcomed back and shouldn't Of course they can come. I mean this

is their right to come back, unless somebody who is a terrorist or a

killer. And some of them - and I think a good number of them, is a

government supporter, who didn't leave because they were afraid of

the government, but as I said, because of the standard of living

that has been deteriorating drastically during the last few

years. So, of course they can come back without any action taken by the

government against them. We want people to come back to Syria.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has finally announced

he will back the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.

His decision is a major blow to Prime Minister David Cameron

who has been urging members of his party to back

Britain's continued membership in a referendum in June.

The BBC's political editor Laura Kunnesberg has more.

Breaking the habit of a lifetime, he has for days kept his

Now one of the few politicians in the country known

by only his first name, Boris has made a big decision.

He'll argue against his friend and rival, and it could set

I have a chance actually to do something.

I would like to see a new relationship based more

But, as I say, much less of this supranational element.

That is why I've decided after huge amount of heartache

because I did not want to do anything...

The last thing I wanted was to go against David Cameron

But after a great deal of heartache I don't think there's anything else

Boris, if that is what you have thought all along, why have

you kept your party waiting for such a long time?

Because the truth is that it has been agonisingly difficult.

And I think for many of us, what I said over a couple of years

now is, I would like to be in a reformed EU.

An EU that is based more on free trade, fundamental treaty change.

Anyone would think he might seek attention.

Love him or loathe him, you cannot ignore him.

Boris Johnson has just taken a huge political jump that

It has been more and more likely in recent days that the Mayor

of London would take the plunge.

A dream for those campaigning to leave, a character

who could make the difference.

Despite this last minute, rather frank appeal from the Prime Minister

I will say to Boris what I say to everyone else,

which is that we will be safer, stronger, better off inside the EU.

I think the prospect of linking arms with Nigel Farage

and George Galloway and taking a leap into the dark is the wrong

care about being able to get things done in our world,

then the EU is one of the ways in which we get them done.

But today has been show time for Tory ministers who disagree

European Union, I've said this many times and been quoted,

they spend money that comes from British taxpayers.

Even if relatively polite, the clash of principles is profound.

And Iain Duncan Smith in what he said was his first

interview on Europe in a decade, believes the Prime Minister

Clearly a big moment for many people who have never had a say

on whether they want to stay in the European Union,

it's only in the UK that we play this silly game of pretending

It is a political union that has some market elements attached,

The Prime Minister said details on the benefit plans need to be

worked out, if this emergency brake on limits and child benefit go

forward, much of it would have to be worked out with your department.

The Prime Minister has secured a deal, a deal very much

in principle because a lot of the detail won't be thrashed out

until after the UK decides to stay or leave.

The big issue is not really around welfare,

where they spent ages planning and plotting,

so who is to say it's not beyond the wit of man that those

might already be thinking about that.

So staying in the EU, in your view, makes us more vulnerable

The present status of the open borders we have now,

many of us feel it leaves that door open.

Would you have the power to insist that European countries share

with us their border information so we know what terrorists

You have an illusion of sovereignty, you wouldn't

In a way it is quite simple, you boil it down to,

if you love this country, and I love this country so much,

you want what's best for it and I want to make sure

The campaigns are sketched out now in primary colours

with personalities as well as policies mattering.

But only the end result will tell us if all this attention was really

Well our political correspondent Alex Forsythe is in Westminster.

Perhaps this decision by Boris Johnson isn't exactly a surprise but

explain why it is so significant? No, it is not a huge surprise. There

has been much speculation in recent days about which way he would go. We

thought likely that he would join the leave campaign. The reason this

really matters is because Boris Johnson in the UK is a big figure.

He is one of those rare politicians that cut through beyond Westminster

and reaches out to the voters. Whether that's a good or bad thing.

That's what he does. So those who are wanting the UK to leave the

European Union are thrilled he is on board because he will inject some

energy, some enthusiasm, a bit of charisma into the campaign. And it

is disappointing to David Cameron because he had hoped to persuade

Boris Johnson to back him on the side of the UK remaining in the EU.

There was a meeting in Downing Street about it last week. Even this

morning, the Prime Minister was issuing messages to Boris Johnson

saying we are stronger within the European Union, back us. So, it is a

bit of a blow to the Prime Minister and a bit of a boost to the "leave"

campaign because he is such a familiar character. We saw in

Laura's piece, politicians really talking with their hearts. This

issue is absolutely fundamental to some, isn't it? It is and

particularly within the Conservative Party, this is an issue which really

dominated much of the debate there for many years. The party has

traditionally been quite with divided on Europe and we are seeing

that now coming to play again. There are six Cabinet ministers who said

that they'll campaign to leave the European Union, which is in direct

contradiction to the official Government stance and the stance of

the Prime Minister. So you are seeing people who are sat around the

same kab knelt table taking different sides in this argument

which is why it is such a profound moment politically and the big

challenge for the Conservative Party here is how they can unite once this

debate is finished after the referendum. At the moment they are

being polite, considerate and respectful and they want to keep the

tone of the debate like that but that will be tested as this campaign

gets more and more intense. Four months to go, quite a long time in

the world of politics. This campaign could get ugly, couldn't it? Well,

we are only two days in, really, since the Prime Minister was in

Brussels and negotiated that final deal. It was only yesterday when he

finally announced the date of this referendum, June 23rd and as you say

there are still four months to go but already today, on the first full

day of campaigning, we are seeing key figures lining up to make

arguments against each other and a few earlier on today did become

quite personal. There was one Alan Johnson, the Labour lead for the

Labour "in" campaign, who was saying that some of those in the Cabinet

who were backing out weren't really superstar quality. So, yes, it is

likely that it will become intense. On all sides they'll want to keep

the debate about policy, not personality. They'll want to focus

on the big issues and be seen to run positive campaigns but on something

of such importance that people really do care about at Westminster,

A Hindu priest has been hacked for you:

At least two other people who tried to help him were injured.

Police say three attackers fired shots at a monastery run

The so-called Islamic State group say they carried out the attack.

In India, protestors from a caste group in Haryana state

have partially lifted their blockade of highways.

It's after the state government agreed to table a bill that

would grant them the quotas they've been demanding.

12 people have died in three days of violent riots.

It's severely affected water supplies to neighbouring Delhi,

as water treatment plants have been damaged and a canal blocked.

Australia has announced that a baby born to asylum seekers -

who was being treated for burns in a Brisbane hospital -

will be allowed to remain in the country.

Protesters have been blockading the hospital to prevent the child

The immigration minister said the child and her mother would now

be released into community detention in Australia.

The former Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, has pulled out

of the Republican presidential race, after another win

for Donald Trump, in the South Carolina primary.

Once regarded as the Republican favourite, Mr Bush finished fourth.

For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton won in Nevada, overcoming a strong

The former Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, has pulled out

First, the uneasy anticipation at Trump HQ.

There is nothing easy about running for president.

It's tough, it's nasty, it's mean, it's vicious, it's beautiful.

We're gonna do the wall, and by the way,

who's gonna pay for the wall?

Donald Trump has won South Carolina, following on from his victory

He is clearly established as the frontrunner now.

The question is, how many other Republican candidates have the money

The person who had the biggest war chest and family connections

last night bowed to the inevitable

But the people of Iowa and New Hampshire have spoken,

So tonight, I am suspending my campaign.

Jeb Bush was crushed by Trump in the debates.

And on the stump, he didn't seem one of life's natural campaigners.

...to get back in the business of creating a more peaceful world.

In the Democratic race in Nevada, Hillary Clinton scored

an important win over her socialist rival Bernie Sanders.

After emphatic defeat in New Hampshire, her victory speech

I am so, so thrilled and so grateful to all of my supporters out there.

Some may have doubted us, but we never doubted each other.

Hillary Clinton has renewed momentum,

but Bernie Sanders has money and support, and in this race,

on both Democrat and Republican sides,

Stay with us. Still to come: We'll look at all the main sport,

including the latest football action. Force

And up to 20,000 residents have been left

without water after a large underground pipe collapsed near

The water main burst in the village of Epperstone.

A car drove into the flooded hole but the driver was unhurt.

Severn Trent Water have apologised for the disruption and said repairs

Two boys aged two and three have died in a house fire in Huddersfield

Firefighters were called to the property in the Fartown area

The boys, believed to be brothers, were rescued from a bedroom

inside the home, but later died in hospital.

Investigations are under way into the cause of the blaze but it's

One of Britain's most famous pilots, captain Eric "Winkle" Brown,

He was the Royal Navy's most decorated

pilot and held three Guiness World records.

Including landing more planes on an aircraft carrier -

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has announced that he will campaign

for Britain to leave the European Union.

Police in the US state of Michigan say a gunman has killed at least six

A suspect has been arrested he drove around the town

of Kalamazoo targeting people late on Saturday night.

It was, said police, their worst nightmare.

apparently shooting people at random.

For several hours, the city of Kalamazoo was locked down

as officers tried to find and stop the killer.

We had several shootings here tonight in the city of Kalamazoo.

They all appear to be related. We have multiple people dead.

In summary, it looks like we have somebody just driving around,

finding people and shooting them dead in their tracks.

It started in the early evening, when a woman was shot multiple times

outside an apartment complex and seriously wounded.

For six hours, the shootings continued.

Two men were shot dead outside a car dealership.

Four women were killed in the car park of a Cracker Barrel restaurant.

Police say a 14-year-old girl is seriously injured.

In the early hours of today, it was brought to an end.

45-year-old Jason Dalton of Kalamazoo County was arrested.

He didn't resist and police didn't fire their weapons.

Kalamazoo's police chief described the attacks

as senseless, random acts of violence.

Hundreds of families in Fiji are spending a second night

in emergency shelters after being hit by the most powerful

At least six people died as Cyclone Winston swept

Fiji is no stranger to cyclones, but not like this.

Winston is thought to be among the biggest storms ever recorded

Winds gusting up to 325 kilometres an hour have

The cyclone made landfall on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu around

seven o'clock, just as darkness was falling on Saturday evening,

Emergency services will now focus on trying to reach

There are reports that some rural villages

have been completely destroyed.

Fiji is made up of more than 300 islands, and in coastal communities,

the greatest danger is likely to have come from storm surges.

Flights in and out of the country have been suspended.

Power and communications are down in many parts,

and aid agencies are warning it could take several days to assess

Manchester City were criticised for fielding five debutants

in their heavy defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup.

The match was level at half-time but Chelsea's experience came

through in front of their fans at Stamford Bridge.

Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard were among those on the scoresheet

in the 5-1 win, as City boss Manuel Pellegrini looked ahead

to big fixtures in Europe and the Premier League.

We are forced to do it. Unfortunately we couldn't play

another day. We couldn't have more players fit for this game, so we

knew before the game it was a very difficult challenge to continue in

the FA Cup and not that anyone wanted to put the game on the

current day, we couldn't do anything more.

Crystal Palace are into the last eight for the first time since 1995

after winning 1-nil at Tottenham Hotspur..

Defender Martin Kelly scored the winner with his first

A double from France international Dimitri Payet helped West Ham beat

Championship side Blackburn Rovers by five goals to one at Ewood Park.

Slaven Bilic's side go through to the quarter finals

for only the second time in the last 10 years.

We have pace from the second row with Antonio and Cresswell and other

players, Payet, who can really pass those great balls into the area and

that's why we won today. So it looked easier than we thought but it

is us who made that OK. And the draw for the FA Cup

quarter-finals sees last year's semi-finallists Reading

at home to Crystal Palace. Everton will host Chelsea

in an all-Premier League tie. Arsenal or Hull will face Watford

and the winner of the Monday night game on BBC One - Shrewsbury

against Manchester United will face England's cricket coach

Trevor Bayliss has described his side's 9 wicket defeat

to South Africa in their final Twenty 20 match of the series

as "men against boys." The batting was a disappointment

for England as they lost their last South Africa chased down 172 to win

with four over remaining. AB de Villiers making 71

in just 29 balls. KJ Choi and Jason Kokrak are top

of the leaderboard as they pkay the final nine holes

at the Northern Trust Open PGA They are 14 under par

with Australia's Adam Scott and overnight leader

Bubba Watson a shot behind. After an eagle at the first hole,

world number three Rory McIlroy carded three bogeys

on the front nine. He's currently 5 shots off

the pace at 9 under. World number one Jordan Spieth

missed the cut at this event. Ronnie O'Sullivan won seven

frames in a row to beat Australia's Neil Robertson 9-5

in the final of the Welsh Open The Englishman trailed 5-2 at one

point but fought back in style, A tom cat has had an emotional

reunion with his Iraqi migrant owners, after being separated

from them as they trekked The three-year-old, dazed and

confused but back with its family in Norway, more than 2,000 kilometres

from where he last saw him. This woman and her five children took

their beloved pet with them after they fled Mosul after threats by

so-called Islamic State immigrants. They crossed Turkey to the Ageon

where the cat crossed on a rubber dinghy. Despite being lost, the

family continued their Germany, eventually to central Norway.

TRANSLATION: My daughter came and told me that they lost their cat

when they landed at Lesbos after fleeing Iraq and they have seen on

the internet that someone has taken care of the cat. It was a German

animal charity who picked the cat up and renamed him and posted photos on

social media. TRANSLATION: It's an indescribable moment, a miracle. I

thought he must have died of cold on the island. For one family of

migrants, a positive outcome. One lucky cat.

People in Bolivia are voting in a referendum to decide whether

President Evo Morales should be allowed to run for a fourth

consecutive term in you was a. Mr Morale he is has been in four since

2006. -- Mr Morales. He says he needs another term of office to

implement his programme of reforms. Voters are deciding if he can run

for re-election in 2019. If successful, he could remain in power

until 2025. That's it for now. Thank you for

being with us. Do join us again on World News Today.