17/03/2016 World News Today


17/03/2016

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This is BBC World News Today with me, Chris Rogers.

:00:00.:00:00.

Political turmoil in Brazil as a judge overturns

:00:07.:00:10.

the cabinet appointment of Lula da Silva.

:00:11.:00:13.

It comes just hours after the former president was sworn into the post.

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it's alleged he accepted the role to avoid prosecution for corruption.

:00:17.:00:22.

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, accuses the so-called

:00:23.:00:25.

Islamic State group of committing genocide

:00:26.:00:28.

Daesh is genocidal by self proclamation, by ideology and by

:00:29.:00:45.

actions. What it says, what it believes and what it does.

:00:46.:00:47.

Can the EU and Turkey finally agree a way to tackle

:00:48.:00:50.

We have a special report it on the fight against Boko Haram in

:00:51.:01:00.

Cameroon. And no more killer whales

:01:01.:01:06.

at SeaWorld as the American theme park company announces it's

:01:07.:01:08.

ending its breeding programme. Brazil's former president

:01:09.:01:15.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been suspended from his government job

:01:16.:01:17.

just hours after taking He'd been given the post of chief

:01:18.:01:20.

of staff by the woman who succeeded him as president,

:01:21.:01:24.

his ally Dilma Rousseff. But shortly after he signed

:01:25.:01:29.

the paperwork, than a judge ruled that a federal investigation

:01:30.:01:32.

into government corruption could be In Brazil, cabinet members can

:01:33.:01:34.

only be investigated by the Supreme Court,

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not by federal courts. Lula is under investigation

:01:39.:01:41.

in connection with a corruption Lula's appointment has divided

:01:42.:01:43.

Brazil, and there have been days of protests since news

:01:44.:01:47.

of his appointment broke While the signing ceremony took

:01:48.:01:51.

place, there were noisy demonstrations for and against

:01:52.:01:54.

Lula's outside the presidential Hundreds of people at are here

:01:55.:02:15.

outside demonstrating to show their support for the president and for

:02:16.:02:19.

Lula, defending his reputation. They are chanting, Lula is a fighter.

:02:20.:02:26.

CHANTING. But other groups are protesting

:02:27.:02:30.

against the government. They are calling for the impeachment of

:02:31.:02:33.

President Dilma Rousseff and they very are angry at the appointment of

:02:34.:02:38.

former President Lula to government. They say it is an attempt to shield

:02:39.:02:43.

charges against him. He faces corruption allegations and they see

:02:44.:02:47.

this as a way to grant him special privileges to avoid his being

:02:48.:02:51.

charged by regular tribunal 's. These people have come to Parliament

:02:52.:02:54.

here where President Dilma Rousseff is based, and lots of tension is

:02:55.:03:03.

building up in the streets of Brasilia and other parts of Brazil

:03:04.:03:06.

with this escalating political crisis.

:03:07.:03:08.

Adding to the latest twist in the corruption investigation,

:03:09.:03:10.

a judge made public a taped phone conversation

:03:11.:03:12.

between President Rousseff and Lula, which has been interpreted by some

:03:13.:03:14.

to show that Lula was given the post of chief of staff

:03:15.:03:17.

I had been speaking to Camilla Coster from BBC Brazil about the

:03:18.:04:14.

significance of that phone call between President Rousseff and

:04:15.:04:17.

Lula. Supporters have been saying this call doesn't prove anything,

:04:18.:04:24.

and the government is saying, we were trying to find a new plan for

:04:25.:04:27.

the possibility that he wasn't able to attend the ceremony all was going

:04:28.:04:34.

to be sworn in as chief of staff. Then government critics say this

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conversation shows signs that the President Dilma Rousseff was trying

:04:40.:04:44.

to obstruct investigations against former President Lula Da Silva,

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because once he becomes the chief of staff, he can only be prosecuted, be

:04:50.:04:55.

judged, by the Supreme Court, not by Federal Justice. And obviously an

:04:56.:04:59.

investigation is needed into that taped conversation, no doubt there

:05:00.:05:04.

will be won. But what about the wider investigation into government

:05:05.:05:07.

corruption, that puts the current and former presidents in a very

:05:08.:05:12.

difficult situation. Guess, operation Car wash, as it is called,

:05:13.:05:16.

a major corruption investigation that has been going on for two

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years. They have started investigating a scheme to secure

:05:22.:05:28.

contracts in Brazil's oil state company for Brazil's top

:05:29.:05:33.

construction companies by giving kickbacks and bribes to top

:05:34.:05:38.

government officials. Now, President Dilma Rousseff hasn't been

:05:39.:05:42.

officially accused of corruption in that investigation yet, but

:05:43.:05:45.

President Lula is under investigation in connection to that,

:05:46.:05:51.

so this has been a big destabilising factor in President Dilma Rousseff's

:05:52.:05:55.

government, but we do have to bear in mind that there is a legal side

:05:56.:06:00.

and the political side to this. On the legal side, how the

:06:01.:06:03.

investigation will move on, who will be accused and prosecuted, then you

:06:04.:06:08.

have obviously the political side. The impeachment process that

:06:09.:06:14.

Congress moves to start against President Dilma Rousseff is very

:06:15.:06:16.

much a political process, so all of President Dilma Rousseff is very

:06:17.:06:20.

this as two are very unstable situation at the moment.

:06:21.:06:22.

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has accused co called

:06:23.:06:25.

Daesh is genocidal by self as Americans refer to them -

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Daesh is genocidal by self proclamation, by ideology, and by

:06:39.:06:43.

actions. In what it says, what it believes and what it does. Daesh is

:06:44.:06:50.

also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing,

:06:51.:06:53.

directed at the same groups, and in some cases also against Sunni

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Muslims, Kurds and other minorities. Let's get some reaction to this.

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With me is Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic

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What difference do the words of John Kerry make to the situation that

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millions of Christians are experiencing in the Middle East? I

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think it is a recognition of what a lot of people are going through, and

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as this has proven, it is Christians as much as Muslim communities. I

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returned from Washington last week and there was a lot of rallying. The

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concern was there was going to be genocide declared against Yazidis

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but not Christians, which I think would have caused greater

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persecution because it would see the international community not

:07:42.:07:43.

supporting them as much, but at least this recognises the suffering

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of all, because at the end of the day it is happening in the same

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time, by the same people in the same way. But many governments, in

:07:52.:07:56.

particular the British government, do not acknowledge persecution of

:07:57.:08:00.

Christianity. They do on a case-by-case basis but not of the

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general situation. Could that no change, because it doesn't help

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people seeking asylum, running for their lives in many cases, to other

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countries. What we are seeing happening in Iraq have thrown out

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the rule book. What we have seen us persecution over the past decades

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doesn't come near what we are seeing now, more systematic, ruthless,

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medieval practice that takes us back millennium. The fact that the EU and

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US have declared genocide I hope will be an encouragement for Her

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Majesty's government to do the same. There is a big group of

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parliamentarians working on this at the moment, and we hope that in the

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same way, it is a way of declaring but also reassuring the people there

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that we feel their pain, we understand what they are going

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through. That helps, perhaps, Christians in the Middle East, but

:08:56.:08:58.

what about Christians being persecuted in other parts of the

:08:59.:09:03.

world such as Pakistan, we know there is a problem there. I think

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the recognition of persecution in one place makes it a model you can

:09:08.:09:13.

apply as a measuring point. So if we see the same thing happening in the

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same way, of course if it is declared as persecution on one end

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it must be on the other. It is undeniable that there is

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persecution, and other Christian and a Christian minister I am not just

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advocating for Christians, because I think there is an essential sanctity

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of life issue, and importance and dignity of life that we need to look

:09:33.:09:38.

up for everyone, whether Christians, Muslims or other religions, if we

:09:39.:09:42.

had to look at each person's intrinsic freedom to follow his or

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her faith, we need to look across the board, and therefore, if we do

:09:47.:09:50.

that collaboratively, we are able to hope other people. Bishop Angaelos,

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thank you for giving us your reaction and insight.

:09:56.:09:57.

Fresh efforts to tackle the large numbers of people trying to reach

:09:58.:10:00.

Europe by sea are being debated by EU leaders in Brussels.

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The proposed plan would see migrants arriving in Greece

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But Turkey wants a number of concessions from the EU,

:10:06.:10:08.

including a guarantee that its membership bid

:10:09.:10:10.

The number of migrants waiting at the Greece-Macedonia border has

:10:11.:10:19.

already reached around 15,000, after countries further north

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The German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she's optimistic but cautious

:10:22.:10:25.

Damian Grammaticas joins us now from Brussels.

:10:26.:10:35.

A lot of optimism but what makes this summit different from all the

:10:36.:10:42.

others over the last year? I think what makes it different is the

:10:43.:10:46.

knowledge and the scenes on the ground in Greece at that northern

:10:47.:10:51.

border with Macedonia, where you have 15,000 people camped, unable to

:10:52.:10:55.

move further forward, while more are still arriving on the Greek islands.

:10:56.:11:00.

European leaders know they need some sort of solution, or the situation

:11:01.:11:06.

on the ground in Greece will deteriorate further. There is a bit

:11:07.:11:09.

of optimism and a lot of realism going into the talks now, leaders

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are just sitting down to dinner, where this will be the topic of

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discussion, and the difficulties they have are many. There are legal

:11:19.:11:23.

difficulties about whether this plan will accord with international or

:11:24.:11:26.

human rights law, there have been many criticisms about that because

:11:27.:11:30.

of the idea of taking all the people who arrive in Greece, migrants,

:11:31.:11:39.

refugees, whoever, returning them to Turkey, because EU human rights law

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says they must all be given an individual hearing into their case,

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so there is a legal difficulty, a practical difficulty, Greece doesn't

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have the capacity to hold them to process and return them at the

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minute, and there is a political difficulty which is striking a deal

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with Turkey, giving it concessions such as speeding up these free

:11:57.:12:00.

access to the EU, speeding up those accession talks to the EU. Many

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European countries are anxious about being seen to make concessions to

:12:06.:12:09.

Turkey at a time when there are real concerns about the direction of

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human rights into geeks and press freedoms, and the government of

:12:17.:12:18.

Cyprus. EU with an unresolved conflict with Turpie Turkey, Turkish

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troops on the island, Turkey doesn't recognise the government of Cyprus

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and the want a Mac says that has to change before it can happen, so many

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parts of this equation need to fall into place. Many thanks.

:12:31.:12:39.

The Office of the Attorney General in Switzerland says it's conducting

:12:40.:12:41.

criminal proceedings against the former Fifa Secretary

:12:42.:12:43.

The proceedings for "criminal mismanagement" follow allegations

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made against Mr Valcke in connection with the investigation carried out

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The prosecutors said on Thursday that they've conducted searches

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and interviews, but no arrests have been made.

:12:53.:12:54.

The Kurdish militant group TAK says it carried out a suicide bomb attack

:12:55.:12:57.

in the capital, Ankara, on Sunday which killed 37 people.

:12:58.:13:01.

TAK stands for the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks.

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It claims the bombing, which took place in a busy

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commercial district and transport hub of the city, was in revenge

:13:07.:13:08.

for the government's continued military action in the south east

:13:09.:13:11.

The BBC's Mark Lowen, who's in Istanbul, told us

:13:12.:13:15.

It is basically disavowed its links with the PKK because it disagreed

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with the PKK's attempts that these buyers etc, and it was much more

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hardline -- attempt that ceasefires. It focuses more on civilian areas

:13:39.:13:44.

while PKK attacks have focused more on military and governmental

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targets. You can compare their relationship to the IRA and the Real

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IRA, the latter more militant and more hardline. The government,

:13:53.:13:57.

though, says they are the same organisation and that the PKK has

:13:58.:14:02.

used alter ego is, aliases, to hide behind them and blur accountability

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and protect the inner core of the PKK leadership. It comes down to

:14:07.:14:11.

this attack on Sunday being carried out by Kurdish militants as we know,

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with very devastating consequences. Cameroon has sentenced 89 members

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of the Nigerian Islamist militant They were convicted by a military

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court for their roles in several attacks in the co untry's north,

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which borders Nigeria. The news comes as the Nigerian army

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has been making headway in the fight against the group, leading

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the militants ever closer At least 15,000 people have been

:14:30.:14:31.

killed in the region by the group - which has been affiliated

:14:32.:14:36.

with the so-called The BBC's Maud Jullien has this

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exclusive report from Northern This camp in Cameroon is home to

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nearly 50,000 people who fled violence across the border in

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Nigeria. Naomi is one of them. She was kidnapped by the Islamist group

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Boko Haram days after her baby was born and spent two months in

:15:07.:15:10.

captivity before escaping. She says as long as you pretended to convert

:15:11.:15:17.

to Islam they didn't harm you. TRANSLATION: We stayed and prayed

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with them but we played tricks on them. They would cut your throat if

:15:22.:15:25.

you disobeyed and especially if you are a man, they would cut your

:15:26.:15:29.

throat if they didn't like you, and drink your blood. The militants took

:15:30.:15:35.

Naomi to a cave in the mountain is. On the border between Nigeria and

:15:36.:15:40.

Cameroon. As the threat has become regional, so has the response. Five

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African countries are taking part in the fight against Boko Haram with

:15:45.:15:52.

support from American troops. We are with the rapid interventional

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brigade who have been at the forefront of the fight against Boko

:15:55.:15:59.

Haram. This small village on the border with Nigeria was attacked

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last month. Dozens of Boko Haram insurgents shot into the air and

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looted shops. TRANSLATION: In this war, tactics are changing.

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They are now pushing desperately at and is across the border to

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resupply. Before 2014 they used to carry out huge attacks with vehicles

:16:29.:16:34.

and heavy weapons, and we have no more such attacks. Why have you not

:16:35.:16:39.

yet been able to fully defeat Boko Haram? Because very often they are

:16:40.:16:44.

involved in the population, so you don't know who is Boko Haram. They

:16:45.:16:49.

are people you live with in the daylight, but in the night, they

:16:50.:16:55.

turn into terrorists. And it is here, in the cupboard maze of the

:16:56.:17:00.

market, that it is difficult to tell who is who. Just this summer,

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suicide blasts killed at least 20 people in the region's biggest city.

:17:04.:17:10.

There were two suicide attacks here on the same day. A young girl

:17:11.:17:13.

standing about where I am standing was wearing a large dress and a belt

:17:14.:17:19.

full of explosives that she detonated, killing 17 people. Local

:17:20.:17:23.

policemen investigated the attacks. They say the use of young girls is

:17:24.:17:29.

becoming an alarming trend. TRANSLATION: The little girls were

:17:30.:17:33.

explosive -- where explosives but they don't know what they are

:17:34.:17:37.

carrying. They say they do not know what is in the belts, so there must

:17:38.:17:41.

be someone else next to them detonating the explosives. Boko

:17:42.:17:48.

Haram has been weakened in the last few months but it is a zillion.

:17:49.:17:52.

Eyewitnesses have told the BBC militants are blending in with

:17:53.:17:57.

refugees to cross the board while others are reorganising in huge

:17:58.:18:02.

caves in the mountains. This is a new phase in the war against Boko

:18:03.:18:06.

Haram and African armies will need to doubt. More than before it will

:18:07.:18:10.

be about cross-border collaboration and gaining support from local

:18:11.:18:14.

people. More Julian, BBC News, northern Cameroon.

:18:15.:18:17.

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has strongly denied allegations

:18:18.:18:19.

that his cabinet appointments have been influenced by a wealthy family.

:18:20.:18:22.

He's been facing questions in parliament about his relationship

:18:23.:18:25.

with the Guptas - a story sparked when the country's

:18:26.:18:27.

deputy finance minister, Mcebeesi Jonas claimed members

:18:28.:18:29.

of the Gupta family had offered him his boss's job.

:18:30.:18:31.

Mr Zuma was pressed on the issue by the opposition leader.

:18:32.:18:45.

Mr President, Deputy Minister Mcebeesi Jonas has already confirmed

:18:46.:18:55.

that the Gupta is offered him the position of Finance minister before

:18:56.:19:03.

it was even offered to the Minister. It has become quite clear that power

:19:04.:19:08.

no longer sits at the union building. In fact, worse, it does

:19:09.:19:16.

not even sit at a house, it now sits there.

:19:17.:19:17.

In response, President Zuma rejected suggestions that the Guptas had any

:19:18.:19:20.

influence over government appointments.

:19:21.:19:26.

I am in charge of the government, I am in charge, I point. In terms of

:19:27.:19:34.

the Constitution, there is no minister who is here who was ever

:19:35.:19:41.

appointed by the Gupta s or by anybody else. Ministers here were

:19:42.:19:42.

appointed by me. CHEERING. Order. President Vladimir Putin has warned

:19:43.:19:49.

that Russia could build up its military presence in Syria

:19:50.:19:51.

"within hours" if needed, and urged all sides in the conflict

:19:52.:19:54.

to respect a ceasefire. Most of the Russian forces in Syria

:19:55.:19:56.

left the country earlier this week. A ceremony was held today

:19:57.:20:00.

for returning servicemen. Our correspondent in Moscow,

:20:01.:20:04.

Steve Rosenberg, reports. FANFARE.

:20:05.:20:17.

He had already declared Russia's operation in Syria Mission

:20:18.:20:20.

accomplished. Today bladder may and invited his troops to the Kremlin.

:20:21.:20:26.

St George's all is where Russian Czar 's celebrated their military

:20:27.:20:34.

victories. We have created the conditions for a peace process, the

:20:35.:20:38.

president said. This road to peace was opened by you, the soldiers of

:20:39.:20:47.

Russia, he said. There were words of comfort for the widows of four

:20:48.:20:52.

Russian soldiers killed in Syria, and a pledge that the war against

:20:53.:20:56.

terrorism will continue. Russia isn't pulling out all its troops.

:20:57.:21:03.

And then the medals. Russian soldiers made Russian heroes.

:21:04.:21:12.

APPLAUSE. So why all the pomp? Think of the

:21:13.:21:16.

circumstantial. This is a country which lost an empire, the soviet

:21:17.:21:21.

union, it lost the Cold War. That is why today the Kremlin is seeking new

:21:22.:21:26.

heroes and new victories to send a message that Russia once again is a

:21:27.:21:33.

great power. Two years ago Moscow's annexation of Crimea was condemned

:21:34.:21:37.

by the West, but the Kremlin used it to spark a wave of patriotism across

:21:38.:21:46.

Russia. Now, with Russian pilots returning as heroes, Syria is

:21:47.:21:49.

portrayed as Russia's latest triumph. That is Moscow now too

:21:50.:21:55.

reliant on seeking military success? We have switched from a country of

:21:56.:22:01.

prosperity to a country of war, a country of permanent mobilisation,

:22:02.:22:05.

and the authority needs new targets and new causes for the rally. If

:22:06.:22:11.

Russia is now in a state of permanent mobilisation, you can

:22:12.:22:16.

expect more patriotism at home and possibly more tension with the West.

:22:17.:22:19.

Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, Moscow. In December, women in Saudi Arabia

:22:20.:22:21.

were elected for the first time to municipal councils,

:22:22.:22:24.

a step that was considered a landmark for women's rights

:22:25.:22:27.

in the conservative kingdom. Since their election,

:22:28.:22:30.

some female members of the councils It was an historic moment,

:22:31.:22:33.

the first time Saudi women voted Women making it to local councils

:22:34.:22:43.

was a huge step forward here. However, those who made it into this

:22:44.:22:52.

building here in Jeddah haven't found it as smooth

:22:53.:22:55.

as they were hoping. Rasha Hefzi is a successful

:22:56.:23:03.

businesswoman who makes things But in the local council,

:23:04.:23:05.

where she was recently elected, she was not welcome

:23:06.:23:09.

to sit at the same table Segregation is still deeply rooted

:23:10.:23:11.

in the culture here. But she is not short of

:23:12.:23:19.

determination to bring about change. We've been used to that,

:23:20.:23:25.

with other entities, and it is just about time

:23:26.:23:27.

that it will change. Even when I used to go

:23:28.:23:29.

to the council, I got acceptance from a few members in

:23:30.:23:32.

the council, not all. But step-by-step we used to go

:23:33.:23:39.

and sit with them and they used So I think it is about

:23:40.:23:42.

time for change. 21 women were elected

:23:43.:23:51.

for the municipal councils. Although the councils have little

:23:52.:23:54.

powers, hopes were high that it was a landmark moment

:23:55.:23:57.

in the process towards real change for women in a country

:23:58.:23:59.

where inequalities still an issue. I think the election part

:24:00.:24:07.

was shocking because it shows that when they are given the same chance,

:24:08.:24:10.

they managed to come on equal parts. But in the only country that

:24:11.:24:13.

bans women from driving, the question is - what has

:24:14.:24:18.

really been achieved? TRANSLATION: I think a woman

:24:19.:24:32.

being selected is a good step for our image in the world and it's

:24:33.:24:34.

only windowdressing for the West. I believe the real change

:24:35.:24:38.

will happen when I become Saudi Arabia has a guardianship

:24:39.:24:40.

system, where women need their male relatives' permission

:24:41.:24:50.

for their day-to-day life decisions. Many women are making noises to push

:24:51.:24:54.

the wheel of change, but are still wondering

:24:55.:24:57.

how far it can go. The US theme park company SeaWorld

:24:58.:25:07.

has announced that it will no longer It said the current generation

:25:08.:25:13.

of animals would be the last The company, which has a variety

:25:14.:25:17.

of parks across the United States, has faced intense criticism

:25:18.:25:20.

for keeping orcas in captivity after a documentary highlighted

:25:21.:25:23.

the impact on the animals. SeaWorld said that instead

:25:24.:25:25.

of running theatrical shows it would introduce what it called new,

:25:26.:25:27.

natural encounters with the orcas. A court in Brazil has suspended

:25:28.:25:38.

the appointment of the former President, Luiz Inacio Lula da

:25:39.:25:42.

Silva, as chief of staff The court order in Brasilia came

:25:43.:25:44.

shortly after Lula was sworn Lula's critics accuse him

:25:45.:25:51.

of taking it to try Well, that's all from the programme.

:25:52.:25:54.

Next, the weather. But for now, from me,

:25:55.:25:57.

Chris Rogers, and the rest

:25:58.:26:00.

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