11/05/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me Philippa Thomas.

Our top story - one of the bloodiest days in Iraq in years.

Iraq's bloodiest day this year - at least 94 people die

Many people were killed and you can see blood everywhere. They were poor

people who are here to earn their living.

After the UK Prime Minister David Cameron labelled Nigeria

as "fantastically corrupt", the

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari agrees.

Why should I oppose him for telling the truth? I could pretend that

Nigerian is corrupt and there is no corruption in Nigeria.

High heels or high tail it our of here -

the London receptionist sent home from work for apparently refusing

It's the bloodiest day of attacks in Iraq this year.

More than 90 people killed in a series of bomb blasts.

The strikes appear to be orchestrated by the so called

Islamic State, their target: Shia communities across

The first attack happened at a busy market in the Shia stronghold

of Sadr City - at least 63 people died there.

Further car bombings in the northwest

Kadimiya neighborhood and nearby Jamiya followed -

Carnage in Sadr City. Scenes reminiscent of the dark days of Iraq

sectarian war. This mainly Shi'ite district witnessing the worst attack

on the capital in months. It was rush hour. A pick-up truck.

Explosives hidden under fruit and vegetables detonating is the busy

market. So-called Islamic State says that it carried out the attack and

it was aimed at Shi'ite militia men, but many of the victims were women,

some at a nearby beauty salon, preparing for weddings. TRANSLATION:

Many people were killed and you can see blood everywhere. They were poor

people and they were here to earn their living. They were killed in

cold blood. Why did this happen? Can this corrupt Government tell us why?

People have been destroyed because of this Government. The blast

destroyed vehicles and shops. Some were smouldering hours after the

attack. Security has gradually improved in Baghdad, with

large-scale attacks happening only occasionally. Islamic State capable

of striking fear far beyond the territory it controls. In February,

a double suicide bomb killed 70 people, also in Sadr City. But other

neighbourhoods were also caught up in the latest violence, with more

death and injury in Kadimiya. This was the bloodiest day in Baghdad

this year. The attacks come in the midst of a deep political crisis.

The Government crippled by factional divisions and Parliament unable to

meet. While the politicians dither, civilians wonder why the Government

can't do more to protect them. With me is the BBC's Middle East

analyst, Alan Johnston. What do you think the self-styled

Islamic State was trying to achieve here? Well, think back to my tears

to the summer of 2014 and the Islamic State group was rampaging

across Iraq seizing towns and cities and great swathes of territory, but

the picture now is very different. For several months now, on front

lines across the rock to the West, the Islamic State group has been

pushed back by the Iraqi security forces, but it does retain the

capacity to carry out devastating bomb attacks in the heartland of

what it would see as its enemies. It uses these means to undermine

confidence in the Government and the security forces. Remember that

Islamic State always wants to portray itself as the force that

fights for defence of the Shia Muslim community and it will feel

that it benefits all the time from any deepening of the sectarian

divide and of course by targeting a soft target likely market in Sadr

City, that bastions of Shia, they will feel that they are deepening

that divide. So it was to create anger. What can be done to stop it?

The security forces faced the most enormous challenge. Islamic State

seem to have an end list stream of fanatical young men who are ready to

die in an effort of getting these terrible bombs into the most

sensitive parts of the capital. Many people in Islamic State will no

Baghdad very well indeed. It is a huge, sprawling city. Countless ways

in an out and very easy for these people to mingle with the throngs in

the streets, but on a day like this, of course, we know that the security

forces, many members of them will be risking their lives every day on

checkpoints and carrying out searches and so on, but on a day

like this it is easy to believe that they are simply not getting good

enough intelligence, that they have not been able to probably populate

penetrate Islamic State and get the kind of information that might just

prevent these bomb attack is getting through. And meanwhile, civilians,

ordinary people, going about their business, and they are dying. Some

of the things you have been reported on really do bring it on.

Absolutely, we heard a report saying that a bomb had gone very close to a

beauty salon where there were some brides preparing for their weddings

and even, we understand, some of the brooms, perhaps where IT barber shop

nearby, that they too were all among the casualties. As you say, the most

ordinary civilians on the front line in this war in Baghdad. Thank you

very much. In the last couple of hours,

Brazil's Supreme Court has rejected President Dilma Rousseff's last

ditch appeal and right now the Senate is proceeding with its

debate on a full impeachment trial. It's expected that a simple majority

of Senators will vote in favour, which means Brazil's first woman

president will be automatically suspended from office

and from presiding over Dilma Rousseff is accused

of doctoring her government's budget figures - she says she's

the victim of a judicial coup The Senate president has warned

that if they vote to go ahead with the trial,

it will be a long and traumatic process for Brazil,

with no quick results. This debate could go on for hours

and at the heart of it is the accusation that Dilma Rousseff is

accused of doctoring her Government's figures. She says she

is the victim of a political coup by her components.

Joining us from the capital Brasilia is the political

Our correspondent Julia Carneiro is in the capital Brasilia.

Is this book expected to go against? Yes, it is. Senators have been

speaking very openly about how they will vote and they estimate that the

majority will vote in favour of the impeachment of President Dilma

Rousseff, which means if this happens, President Dilma Rousseff

will be suspended for up to six months while she faces trial in the

Senate. She is expected to record a statement to the nation later today

in which she will reinforce this message that she is facing an

attempted coup and that she will fight to return to Government during

this trial to defend herself so that she can finish her mandate of the

two years that I left as she told the BBC in an interview last week.

Her supporters have been out, haven't they, in force, but there

are also many who frankly want to see her go. Yes. The country is very

divided. We have seen mass demonstrations in Brazil over the

past months. Millions of people taking to the streets to call for

the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, but as this moment

approaches and as it becomes more complete, her defenders and

supporters are also taking to the streets. Yesterday, there were lots

of road blockages disrupting traffic and destructing life in many parts

of the country. Here, we are in the main administrator Leo --

administration area. There are demonstrations planned here for

pro-impeachment and also anti-impeachment, so we will see how

this develops. It is not expected that these demonstrations will grow

very big because at this point, even though people might have their

convictions, their beliefs in what is right or wrong, the outcome seems

pretty clear that President Dilma Rousseff will be temporarily

suspended and people are already talking about what comes next. She

will be replaced by her vice president and there is ready lots of

talk about how he will compose his cabinet and how he will try to put

Brazil's economy back on track. Meanwhile, this whole process hasn't

done a lot for the reputation of politicians in general in Brazil.

Not at all. We have a Congress where so many legislators face corruption

allegations and the speakers and Senate... Well, just last week, the

former Speaker of the lower house was suspended for corruption

allegations and he was the person behind the impeachment proceedings

and that was driving this process so there is not that much credibility

unfortunately here towards politicians and President Dilma

Rousseff herself is not facing corruption allegations, the

allegations for her impeachment are based on claims that she resorted to

manoeuvres to mask public spending in her former mandate and her

current mandate, borrowing money from state banks to pay for social

policies, so there is this whole feeling, mood in Brazil about his

big corruption probe that is going on and that has contributed for her

popularity to drop but there are no criminal allegations against her and

she has been portraying herself as a victim of this political drive to

oust. You have a long day ahead of you. Thanks for keeping us up to

date. Now a look at some of

the days other news. The UK has raised the threat level

from dissident Northern Ireland It means an attack on the British

mainland is now considered The threat level in Northern Ireland

has not changed and currently The Italian parliament has given

the government the green light The long-awaited and much-disputed

legislation was hailed by civil rights groups as a landmark

achievement, but it's been criticised by some

conservative politicians Ukrainian border guards have

recovered 17 paintings stolen last November from a museum in Verona -

including some works President Petro Poroshenko

was pictured inspecting the haul. His office said the paintings

were seized in a special operation, while they were about to be

transferred to neighbouring Moldova. The Nigerian President,

Muhammadu Buhari, has told an anti-corruption conference

in London that he won't demand an apology from David Cameron

for describing his country But he has urged Britain to return

billions stolen by corrupt officials One of his Government's main goals

is to fight corruption. He is telling the truth. He was talking

about what he knew and if you look at this Government and what the

Government I am heading has been trying to do, we campaign on three

things, security, economy, and fighting corruption. What has been

uncovered since we came in. What is the skill of corruption in Nigeria?

It is enormous. I think it is high time some action is taken so that we

can turn things around. I think a lot of that money that has been

siphoned off from the public purse from Nigeria has ended up in London

and other European capitals. What are you doing to try to get that

money back? It is still here and in America. We had to produce the

evidence. We had to go through the financial institutions. Through

their shipping lines. It will take time, that we are determined to get

as much of the documentation done. The international meeting that

David Cameron is organising in London this Thursday will bring

together politicians, business people and other groups

as part of efforts to clamp down on bribery, money-laundering

and other forms of wrong After his comments to the Queen,

we asked our Nigeria correspondent The British Prime Minister says

Nigeria is fantastically corrupt. But is he right? Well, Nigeria has

been looted from top to bottom. But it is only the world's 32nd most

corrupt country. Oil rich, it should be well off, but $20 billion in oil

revenue has simply disappeared and from the Army's budget, another $15

billion was stolen, money that was supposed to be spent on arms to

fight Boko Haram. Now, Nigeria's president has declared war on

corruption. He has lodged a tough new anti-corruption campaign. And

dozens of officials are under investigation. Among the assets

recovered, cars, jewellery, houses, and even one of these, and M are eye

scanner, allegedly bought by the official for his Private clinic --

MRI scanner. So can it work? It has to work because we cannot afford to

go back to where we are coming from. I do not think everybody is on

board. Some people profited from the status quo. You can imagine that

those who profited with the starters quote will not be happy with what is

happening right now. Corruption comes at a terrible price. It could

cost Nigeria nearly 40% of its potential growth. And that is

something the country can't afford. A hospital in Jordan is unlike any

in the world. It specialises in racial reconstruction. Our

correspondent reports from a place where people's faces are

reconstructed on a daily basis. -- facial reconstruction. I want to

show you around a really incredible place. This is where the tree people

who have been entered in warrants around the Middle East. People who

have been really horrifically injured. The aim is to rebuild their

bodies and also their lives. So come with me. This play specialises in

reconstructive surgery in plastic surgery and the patient are from all

around the Middle East and all of them have had life changing

injuries. In the operating theatre, and today they are doing seven

operations on Syrians and Iraqis, and the aim is to get this man here

walking properly again. Here on our project...

This is the physiotherapy department, and this is where the

patients spend long, long hours working with the physiotherapists on

getting their bodies fit again. This is where the kids were being

treated here come for education and therapy. This is the paediatric

counsellor. What are you doing here? As we've been hearing,

coverage of the comments has Reports on this channel

are being blacked out. Instead, state media outlets have

dedicated their coverage to the Queen's dress sense

and notable party attendees. This was the moment when the viewers

in China had their BBC News coverage scrambled. Shortage covered when we

started covering another element. This is the section Chinese censors

found ineligible for broadcast. Whitney is our royal correspondent

Sarah Campbell. That was the official cameraman. Yes, the Queen

has a cameraman. What happened was about 18 years ago when 24-hour news

coverage really started to come to the fore, it was decided that rather

than all of the main broadcasters in Britain, which is sky, ITN, and the

BBC, rather than in having the own crews follow the Queen is all of the

time, essentially getting the same pictures, then it made sense for

them to pull together so they all pay for one cameraman and his

footage is the footage that is recorded and sent around the world.

And so the Queen is very used to this and the cameraman is at

many royal events and the Queen is very used to having Peter around. He

does it very discreetly and he is their most of the time. He is at

garden parties and when she goes to open schools, all of these visits

are all recorded and the footage is given to the broadcasters. What

makes this one different is that the Queen said something which has been

construed widely as pretty controversial. And that is what made

it newsworthy because as we know the Queen has been on the tone for 64

years and has rarely been known to say anything controversial and many

people say that is why she has been so successful. It is fascinating,

because you might have assumed that she speaks her mind all the time and

we never get to hear it, but actually she is quite tight-lipped

all of the time and steer is not bland conversation but quite easy

conversation. And you can see why, because here she has made a comment

that she clearly feels quite strongly about. It is fairly

black-and-white that she considered the Chinese officials had been very

rude, her words, and what has happened is that it has created

headlines all across the world. Has it been damaging? Well, from the

palace's perspective, I think it is fair to say that they are not

ecstatic that this is what we are talking about today, these comments,

that at the same time, the instinct is that they are not looking at

changing the system, they're not looking at reviewing it or censoring

this footage in any way, so that gives some sense that they can deal

with it. It might be slightly more of a problem for the British

Government because there has been so much diplomacy behind the scenes to

build up relationships with China. And today, from that perspective,

the Chinese spokesperson was very keen to point out that this was a

very successful visit, the relationship continues to be a

strong one, this golden area of relations continues. The Foreign

Secretary gave a very interesting statement. What is fascinating about

this is it is a bit of an insight into these visits. He said that the

Chinese lizard got a bit stressful on both sides, but this was a

massive occasion back in October of last year, all the pomp and

circumstance, a four-day visit. It was a really big deal for both

countries and this is a little bit of a revealing insight into how the

Queen felt about it, behind the scenes. We are both wearing heels,

but not vertiginous, and this is relevant because this is a story

today. Sent home from work for refusing

to wear high heels. That's a story a lot

of you are reading on the BBC online, and it's all about a British

woman Nicola Thorp who says she was sent home from a

receptionist job because she wanted She's now petitioning

the British Parliament to change the law, so that women aren't

subject to such a requirement. Let's hear first from

Nicola Thorp talking to the BBC She said, I'm sorry. All women who

work here on reception have to wear heels and there was a male

receptionist there and I said he is not wearing heels and she laughed at

me, which is understandable. They said, you have to go home. They said

I could go out and buy a pair of heels and were happy for me to do

that with my own money and I refused. It was a nine-hour shift to

escort clients from the front desk to meeting rooms. I would be on my

feet for nine hours. I said I do not want to do that in high heels and I

am not entirely sure why adding two inches of four inches to my height

makes me more professional or makes me what any professional manner. I

don't think it affects how come across. Well, we asked the firm

involved for a statement, they responded

"The dress code is not a PwC policy."

The company it that provided the job here is actually called Portico.

It says "In line with industry standard practice, we have personal

appearance guidelines across many of our corporate

locations," but now it also says, "We have taken on board the comments

regarding footwear and will be reviewing our guidelines."

You can get in touch with me - Philippa Thomas - and most

of the team on Twitter - I'm @PhilippaBBC.