:00:00. > :00:00.This is BBC World News Today with me Philippa Thomas.
:00:07. > :00:11.Fierce resistance from so-called Islamic State in the battle
:00:12. > :00:18.Government forces with American air support are moving
:00:19. > :00:20.towards the city's suburbs, but they're facing a wave
:00:21. > :00:27.50,000 civilians are trapped in the centre.
:00:28. > :00:30.The first African ruler sentenced in Africa for crimes
:00:31. > :00:32.against humanity, Chad's former president jailed for
:00:33. > :00:38.life for his reign of terror in the 80s.
:00:39. > :00:40.Turkey's President says Muslim families should
:00:41. > :00:48.He says Turkish mothers have a duty to boost the country's population.
:00:49. > :00:50.The multi-coloured wonder of the Great Barrier Reef,
:00:51. > :01:11.and how global warming is turning it pale and sickly.
:01:12. > :01:16.The Iraqi army is facing fierce resistance and counterattacks as it
:01:17. > :01:18.attempts to storm the city of Falluja, to wrestle control
:01:19. > :01:21.of it from the so-called Islamic State group.
:01:22. > :01:24.The city lies a mere 50 kilometres west of the capital Baghdad,
:01:25. > :01:27.and has been in the hands of Islamic State militants
:01:28. > :01:31.An official statement by the government says that forces,
:01:32. > :01:34.including members of the elite counter-terrorism unit,
:01:35. > :01:38.are moving into Falluja on several fronts.
:01:39. > :01:43.Our Middle East correspondent, Jim Muir, reports from Baghdad.
:01:44. > :01:46.This latest phase in the offensive got under way at dawn,
:01:47. > :01:48.exactly a week after the whole campaign to oust so-called
:01:49. > :01:54.Islamic State from Falluja was launched.
:01:55. > :01:56.The renewed assault was preceded by heavy artillery bombardments
:01:57. > :02:01.Jets from the American-led coalition and the Iraqi air force also carried
:02:02. > :02:05.out air strikes in support of the advancing ground forces,
:02:06. > :02:17.So far, the latest phase of attack still seems to be
:02:18. > :02:19.pressing in around Falluja, not penetrating yet into the centre
:02:20. > :02:23.As the battle moves closer to Falluja itself, there is huge
:02:24. > :02:25.concern for civilians trapped there, perhaps best guess
:02:26. > :02:29.They've already been through nine months of siege,
:02:30. > :02:31.a very tight blockade, so they will be drinking filthy
:02:32. > :02:39.water and have very little by way of food and medicine coming in.
:02:40. > :02:41.Some hundreds of families have managed to escape to safety.
:02:42. > :02:44.They're being taken to camps to the south and west of Falluja,
:02:45. > :02:47.where at least they can find shelter and food.
:02:48. > :02:50.TRANSLATION: Thank God we were able to get away from
:02:51. > :02:54.They let us starve and left us thirsty.
:02:55. > :02:58.They took away our men and told us to go home, saying they would
:02:59. > :03:08.return, but they didn't send them back, alive or dead.
:03:09. > :03:18.Baghdad was hit by big explosions. It seemed to be an attempt by IS to
:03:19. > :03:24.strike behind its enemy's lines to distract security forces from the
:03:25. > :03:27.Apple for Falluja. Militia commanders in the field who are
:03:28. > :03:30.taking part in the attack say that once the city itself is tightly
:03:31. > :03:34.surrounded, there could be a pause before the final assault to allow us
:03:35. > :03:36.many civilians as possible to escape.
:03:37. > :03:39.But IS is reported to be stopping them from fleeing,
:03:40. > :03:41.accused of using them as human shields.
:03:42. > :03:49.Let's cross to Baghdad and speak to the BBC's Omar Abdel-Razek.
:03:50. > :03:55.Let's talk about these civilians, they are trapped, and if they can
:03:56. > :04:05.escape, would they be welcome as refugees in Baghdad? I don't think
:04:06. > :04:12.so. The case of a town that was retaken by the popular mobilisation
:04:13. > :04:25.forces and the Iraqi army shows the opposite. Actually, the fate of
:04:26. > :04:29.nearly 15,000 civilians -- 1500 civilians, they were divided.
:04:30. > :04:38.Members of families were separated from women, and the elderly. And the
:04:39. > :04:42.men were subject to interrogation by the army security to establish if
:04:43. > :04:47.they have connections with IS or nod. The other situation is the
:04:48. > :04:54.government considered those families who are coming from areas like that
:04:55. > :05:02.are a security risk for Baghdad. But some Sunni politicians say they are
:05:03. > :05:06.not welcome because Baghdad, the capital, is considered a Shia
:05:07. > :05:14.majority city and Sony are not welcome, even if they are not
:05:15. > :05:18.representing any security risk. From the outside, this looks like a
:05:19. > :05:23.government offensive against the so-called Islamic State, but from
:05:24. > :05:29.where you are standing, there is obviously sectarian tensions coming
:05:30. > :05:44.into this battle as well. Yes, of course. Even if the government talk
:05:45. > :05:49.about the battle, it seems it is a coalition of those who are in power
:05:50. > :05:54.and who are actually under attack from popular protesters in Baghdad
:05:55. > :05:59.just two days before the start of the battle but when you go back to
:06:00. > :06:05.the media, especially on TV channels, you'll find the division
:06:06. > :06:15.is so clear. Some people accuse the government of waging an Iranians led
:06:16. > :06:26.battle to liberate or we take Falluja. We may repeat the scenarios
:06:27. > :06:33.that happened in remand a and Tikrit and other cities. With the promise
:06:34. > :06:38.is coming from the government, there is no guarantee who will implement
:06:39. > :06:44.the promises and how they will be implemented on the ground. What we
:06:45. > :06:52.have seen two days ago, it was clear that the city was retaken by a
:06:53. > :06:58.sectarian faction and not by the army. The slogans on the wall were
:06:59. > :07:07.everywhere, related to supporting Iran. Even some Iranians media
:07:08. > :07:10.outlets confirmed that the leader or commander of the Brigade of the
:07:11. > :07:16.Revolutionary guard, he was leading the battle. The Iraqi government has
:07:17. > :07:18.not denied this. Thank you for giving us some of the bigger and
:07:19. > :07:20.more complex picture from Baghdad. Now a look at some of
:07:21. > :07:22.the days other news. An appeals court in Bahrain has
:07:23. > :07:24.increased the prison sentence of the opposition leader,
:07:25. > :07:27.Sheikh Ali Salman, to nine years Sheikh Salman was convicted
:07:28. > :07:30.last year on charges Sheikh Salman leads the country's
:07:31. > :07:36.main Shia opposition bloc, Al-Wefaq. The group has condemned today's
:07:37. > :07:38.ruling as "unacceptable and provocative," saying it
:07:39. > :07:40.will exacerbate the political crisis Storms and torrential rain have
:07:41. > :07:43.caused severe flooding in southern Germany,
:07:44. > :07:45.leaving four people dead A fire-fighter died trying to rescue
:07:46. > :07:48.a man from a flooded underground crossing,
:07:49. > :07:50.the man he was trying And a girl was killed
:07:51. > :07:54.by a train when she took Two bridges were swept away and mud
:07:55. > :07:59.slides have blocked many roads. More than 100,000 people have signed
:08:00. > :08:01.an online petition in protest at the killing of a gorilla,
:08:02. > :08:05.who was shot after a child entered the animal's enclosure at a zoo
:08:06. > :08:08.in the United States. The four-year-old boy crawled
:08:09. > :08:11.through a barrier and fell He was grabbed and dragged along
:08:12. > :08:16.by the gorilla, called Harambe, before zoo staff decided they had
:08:17. > :08:24.to shoot the animal. And now he's been sentenced to life
:08:25. > :08:29.for crimes against humanity. That's the verdict today
:08:30. > :08:32.for the former president It's the first time an African Union
:08:33. > :08:40.backed court has tried a former African ruler
:08:41. > :08:41.for human rights abuses. This court was sitting in Senegal,
:08:42. > :08:44.and Human Rights Watch says its decision will go down
:08:45. > :08:47.in history as the day when a group of survivors managed to bring
:08:48. > :09:02.a dictator to justice. Minutes after the verdict was
:09:03. > :09:06.pronounced, the victims led out their joy. These are people who
:09:07. > :09:10.spent years in prison, and some of them are still physically damaged by
:09:11. > :09:20.torture. TRANSLATION: I'm very satisfied with the verdict. Life is
:09:21. > :09:26.fine with me. I didn't expect to feels such joy but today I am very
:09:27. > :09:30.happy. For the victims, this verdict is the conclusion of a struggle of
:09:31. > :09:34.20 years to bring Hissene Habre to justice. They feel this is a
:09:35. > :09:39.historical day for the country and for Africa, the day the Chadian
:09:40. > :09:42.people put a dictator in prison. Hissene Habre was imprisoned for
:09:43. > :09:46.life in prison for crimes against humanity. During his time in office,
:09:47. > :09:52.it's estimated 40,000 people were killed. TRANSLATION: When we dug a
:09:53. > :09:59.hole, we would put two bodies inside. Here, two more bodies. On
:10:00. > :10:05.the other side, to more bodies. This man was a prisoner during his rule
:10:06. > :10:10.and this was a mass grave. Every day for two years, he says he buried at
:10:11. > :10:14.least six people. TRANSLATION: I don't know why people were arrested
:10:15. > :10:19.or executed. A lot of people died. What I know is that they accused me
:10:20. > :10:24.of being involved in politics, but this isn't true. I am just a farmer.
:10:25. > :10:29.Thousands of files on the regime's prisoners were found and used in the
:10:30. > :10:33.trial. Among them, 800 death certificates, including one that
:10:34. > :10:39.says the prisoner died while being forced to reveal certain truths. It
:10:40. > :10:46.consists in tying two sticks together around the victim's head,
:10:47. > :10:52.inflicting brain damage. This man was a victim himself. TRANSLATION:
:10:53. > :10:59.When I look at these drawings, it is like I am experiencing the events
:11:00. > :11:05.again. I feed it in my bones. I remember how they climbed on my back
:11:06. > :11:12.and shouted, "Savage, you can just I! " The victims say they will
:11:13. > :11:16.remain scarred for life, but this verdict allows them to move forward.
:11:17. > :11:20.TRANSLATION:, what we have suffered can never happen in Chad again. We
:11:21. > :11:28.want stability, tranquillity and peace. This will make us happy. What
:11:29. > :11:32.happened with Hissene Habre was enough for us. This trial is
:11:33. > :11:35.significant for the victims. It was also a milestone for African
:11:36. > :11:39.justice. International jurisdiction two have been criticised by African
:11:40. > :11:44.leaders and now that a local court has shown it can try another
:11:45. > :11:45.country's president, we may see more cases emerge in other parts of the
:11:46. > :11:48.continent. Turkey's President Recep Erdogan has
:11:49. > :11:50.called on Turkish women He says birth control
:11:51. > :11:54.and family planning go It's not the first time Mr Erdogan
:11:55. > :11:59.has made such comments, a couple of years ago he likened
:12:00. > :12:03.birth control to treason. These most recent comments came
:12:04. > :12:07.during a speech broadcast live TRANSLATION: And I say it clearly
:12:08. > :12:17.that we will increase our prosperity Population planning
:12:18. > :12:35.or birth control... No Muslim family can engage
:12:36. > :12:38.in such a mentality. We will follow the road and advice
:12:39. > :12:44.of my God and the profit. Joining me now from
:12:45. > :12:46.Ankara is Sezin Oney. She's a Turkish political
:12:47. > :12:54.commentator and academic. Why do you think the president has
:12:55. > :13:01.raised this subject again now? Actually, he was talking about the
:13:02. > :13:08.conquest because they were first celebrations of Istanbul's conquest
:13:09. > :13:11.from buys anti-, so there was this historical celebration, and he
:13:12. > :13:19.picked up the conquest issued again today. He was referring there is a
:13:20. > :13:25.sense of being besieged, a sense of attack from the Western world. And
:13:26. > :13:29.also the internal enemies in Turkey. So he said we should multiply. We
:13:30. > :13:34.should multiply our numbers, our descendants. He was referring to his
:13:35. > :13:40.supporters, of course, not just any Turkish person. What has been the
:13:41. > :13:45.reaction amongst the women you know? Of course, the women are intimidated
:13:46. > :13:52.in general. The women who are secular, and those who are not
:13:53. > :13:56.really supporting him or those that are critical about him. And, of
:13:57. > :14:00.course, he is always emphasising the women's place, in his eyes, is,
:14:01. > :14:10.first and foremost, to be a mother. So, that kind of talk, and always
:14:11. > :14:13.belittling of the so-called Western, and in my point to universal,
:14:14. > :14:21.understanding of women's rights, scorn of the universal of women's
:14:22. > :14:26.rights is repeated by Edogan. And he repeated it again with contras --
:14:27. > :14:32.contraception. He is always repeating his messages, every other
:14:33. > :14:36.month or so. But, in theory at least, Turkey is moving closer to
:14:37. > :14:41.the prospect of European Union membership. How do you square that
:14:42. > :14:49.with this kind of rhetoric? Well, he likes to use this populist
:14:50. > :14:55.rhetorical us and them. In this way, Europe is always somehow
:14:56. > :15:02.hypocritical Europe. It is attacking Turkey. It is actually the enemy of
:15:03. > :15:08.Turkey. So, regardless of the relations with the EU, this talk is
:15:09. > :15:19.always there. This is an internal matter. His audience is his
:15:20. > :15:23.supporters in Turkey. It is detrimental for relations in the
:15:24. > :15:31.long run, and he is of course sprinting for the full systemic
:15:32. > :15:35.change towards presidential is. What matters to him is his local
:15:36. > :15:37.supporters at this moment. Thank you for your time.
:15:38. > :15:40.Republican Senators in the US have tabled a bill to send fighters
:15:41. > :15:43.from so-called Islamic State to Guantanamo Bay.
:15:44. > :15:45.It is the latest attempt to stop President Obama fulfilling
:15:46. > :15:48.a campaign pledge he made, more than eight years ago,
:15:49. > :15:55.While many detainees have been released during his time in office,
:15:56. > :15:57.and more are expected to be transferred in the coming days
:15:58. > :16:02.Our North America Correspondent, Aleem Maqbool, reports
:16:03. > :16:11.Keeping this facility open is contrary to our values.
:16:12. > :16:14.It undermines our standing in the world.
:16:15. > :16:18.It is viewed as a stain on our broader record of upholding
:16:19. > :16:22.the highest standards of rule of law.
:16:23. > :16:25.That's what President Obama's been saying for years and in his final
:16:26. > :16:29.months in office the remaining prisoners at the sprawling complex
:16:30. > :16:32.of Guantanamo Bay's detention centre are wondering
:16:33. > :16:38.It is extremely dark in here because we're
:16:39. > :16:40.looking at the prisoner through one-way glass.
:16:41. > :16:44.It is far emptier than even a year ago when we were last here.
:16:45. > :16:47.Many have been released in recent months.
:16:48. > :16:49.Those left behind have been here so long they are used
:16:50. > :16:54.They've devised ways of getting exercise through pacing around
:16:55. > :16:59.And we saw some interacting with the guards.
:17:00. > :17:02.The number of prisoners here now are just a 10th of what there once
:17:03. > :17:06.was and more releases are due in the summer months.
:17:07. > :17:09.But around 2,000 soldiers still operate the place,
:17:10. > :17:15.If you'd been here two years ago when I got here and now,
:17:16. > :17:19.you genuinely wouldn't see any impressionable difference.
:17:20. > :17:22.Did you see any reason why a facility like this couldn't hold
:17:23. > :17:26.the same detainees but on the mainland?
:17:27. > :17:31.Under appropriate security conditions in the United States,
:17:32. > :17:37.these detainees pose no more threat than they do here.
:17:38. > :17:40.Even the name Guantanamo conjures up images of orange jumpsuits
:17:41. > :17:46.and synonymous with issues around torture and force-feeding.
:17:47. > :17:49.What the White House says is that while it is still standing,
:17:50. > :17:52.it remains a powerful recruiting tool for militant groups
:17:53. > :17:58.The officers running it think the prisoners
:17:59. > :18:01.could be housed elsewhere, and it is seen by many as a smear
:18:02. > :18:13.The answer is continued political opposition back in Washington.
:18:14. > :18:16.Guantanamo Bay needs to be kept open not only to detain these unlawful
:18:17. > :18:22.We will tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now pull terrorists
:18:23. > :18:28.The right place to take them is not a federal prison in the Eastern
:18:29. > :18:32.It is to a place where we can conduct an investigation
:18:33. > :18:37.We were only shown detainees in the lowest security
:18:38. > :18:42.There were parts of Guantanamo we weren't shown, which house men
:18:43. > :18:46.deemed so dangerous America never wants them released.
:18:47. > :18:49.But, after all the talk, what happens to them
:18:50. > :18:53.and to the detention centre as a whole, now looks like an issue
:18:54. > :19:08.that will be left to the next president.
:19:09. > :19:10.Here in Britain, it's 24 days to the referendum on EU membership,
:19:11. > :19:13.and the campaign is turning our usual politics Inside Out,
:19:14. > :19:15.leading to the formation of unlikely alliances.
:19:16. > :19:17.On the "Stay in Europe" side today, we saw the Conservative Prime
:19:18. > :19:20.Minister David Cameron campaigning side by side with the New Labour
:19:21. > :19:27.Today Cameron described Khan as a "proud Muslim",
:19:28. > :19:30.a month ago, he accused him of appearing with extremists.
:19:31. > :19:33.Meanwhile one of Mr Cameron's cabinet ministers, Theresa Villiers,
:19:34. > :19:36.has been making headlines for the Vote Leave campaign.
:19:37. > :19:44.Appearing shoulder to shoulder, two men from rival parties who only
:19:45. > :19:49.weeks ago were engaged in a fierce political row.
:19:50. > :19:53.A Conservative prime minister with the Labour Mayor of London.
:19:54. > :20:00.He is the son of a bus driver, I'm the son of a stock broker.
:20:01. > :20:05.The Remain side called this an unprecedented show of cross-party
:20:06. > :20:09.unity for their case to stay in the EU.
:20:10. > :20:12.We can be clear about the things we guarantee if we stay in this
:20:13. > :20:18.If you wake up on June 24th, you know what you get
:20:19. > :20:22.with our campaign and the outcome that we seek.
:20:23. > :20:26.The so-called guarantee card contains five promises the Remain
:20:27. > :20:30.campaign says will continue if Britain stays in the EU.
:20:31. > :20:34.They include trade with other European countries,
:20:35. > :20:39.There was no such cross-party unity a few weeks ago.
:20:40. > :20:42.During the mayoral campaign, the Prime Minister was cheered
:20:43. > :20:45.by Tory MPs as he said Sadiq Khan had shared platforms
:20:46. > :20:51.But now it is Mr Cameron being attacked by some of the MPs
:20:52. > :20:55.Two of his backbenchers suggested he must get a decisive win
:20:56. > :20:59.in the referendum or face a confidence vote.
:21:00. > :21:01.Vote Leave campaigners have dismissed today's pledge card,
:21:02. > :21:04.saying it shows a vote to stay in is a vote for permanent
:21:05. > :21:08.free movement of people from Europe to the UK.
:21:09. > :21:11.High levels of immigration from Europe are depressing wages.
:21:12. > :21:16.That is having a direct impact on household incomes right now,
:21:17. > :21:19.and it's only going to get worse because we will see more economic
:21:20. > :21:25.That means more young people seeking work here because the EU is failing
:21:26. > :21:30.Some of the messages being pushed here today are a clear appeal
:21:31. > :21:34.to Labour voters as the Remain side ramps up its efforts to make sure
:21:35. > :21:38.And today's appearance of a senior Labour figure alongside
:21:39. > :21:41.a Conservative Prime Minister, who is under pressure from some
:21:42. > :21:45.in his own party, shows how this referendum campaign is rewriting
:21:46. > :21:58.In Australia, scientists there are warning more
:21:59. > :22:01.than a third of the coral in parts of the Great Barrier Reef has been
:22:02. > :22:03.destroyed by mass bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures.
:22:04. > :22:05.The scientists from several Australian universities blame
:22:06. > :22:08.climate change for what they say is the most extreme bleaching
:22:09. > :22:19.This is what the Great Barrier Reef is supposed to look like.
:22:20. > :22:24.A vast, underwater, multicoloured wonderland.
:22:25. > :22:27.But this is how much of it looks today.
:22:28. > :22:32.The latest research showing that, in parts, coral bleaching has left
:22:33. > :22:41.It happens when warmer water causes the coral to weaken and lose
:22:42. > :22:45.the colourful algae that provide oxygen and nutrients.
:22:46. > :22:48.It's because of global warming, it's because of the increases in
:22:49. > :22:52.sea surface temperatures, on top of other events.
:22:53. > :22:56.This year was a very, very dry year for the northern part
:22:57. > :22:58.of the Great Barrier Reef, high sunlight.
:22:59. > :23:01.All these factors came together to produce one of the most
:23:02. > :23:05.dramatic coral bleaching events that ever occurred
:23:06. > :23:08.on the Great Barrier Reef, or the most dramatic.
:23:09. > :23:10.Australia is one of the world's largest per capita emitters
:23:11. > :23:15.But the government here denies it's not done enough to protect the reef,
:23:16. > :23:19.and cites the UN's world Heritage Committee.
:23:20. > :23:23.The German chairman of the committee said that our management,
:23:24. > :23:25.that's to say Australia's management, of the Great Barrier
:23:26. > :23:31.Reef was a world-class exemplar of coral reef management.
:23:32. > :23:35.So there is no question that we are doing a good job.
:23:36. > :23:38.A month away from a general election, Australia's politicians
:23:39. > :23:42.are looking to score points, announcing a $400 million plan
:23:43. > :23:48.The opposition Labour Party accuse the government of being in denial
:23:49. > :23:54.Even of censoring a UN report out last week, and pressuring
:23:55. > :23:59.officials to remove references that were critical of Australia.
:24:00. > :24:04.We see the effects of climate change, and we have a government
:24:05. > :24:08.currently in Canberra who, despite Mr Turnbull's protestations,
:24:09. > :24:14.We see a government who managed to censor the UNESCO report
:24:15. > :24:19.This is a government who doesn't want to hear the problem.
:24:20. > :24:22.They just want to stop anyone else talking about the issue.
:24:23. > :24:24.Short-term politics, though, will not save
:24:25. > :24:30.It will take decades to recover from the damage already done.
:24:31. > :24:34.And many environmentalists are now warning that one of the seven
:24:35. > :24:37.natural wonders of the world might not be around for
:24:38. > :24:56.We want to show you incredible pictures of a man flying over the
:24:57. > :25:01.great Wall of China. Here is the American skydiver dropping out of a
:25:02. > :25:06.helicopter wearing a wingsuit, aiming for a target on the grateful.
:25:07. > :25:10.Keep watching. Can he sliced through the targets just a few metres off
:25:11. > :25:14.the ground? He did it, travelling at just under 200 kilometres per hour,
:25:15. > :25:18.he narrowly missed the bullseye but said he was very happy to have made
:25:19. > :25:23.what he described as a super-hard stunt. This is, in fact, the latest
:25:24. > :25:25.in the long line of challenges for the 40-year-old. It had been
:25:26. > :25:29.postponed because of strong winds but he did it in the end.
:25:30. > :25:32.Iraqi government forces are pressing ahead with their campaign
:25:33. > :25:35.to recapture the city of Fallujah, but they're facing stiff resistance
:25:36. > :25:52.Reports of car bombs coming in and counterattacks. The Iraqi military
:25:53. > :25:54.appears to have secured a key district, however.
:25:55. > :26:11.But for now from me and the rest of the team goodbye.
:26:12. > :26:12.Back to work after a long weekend could be hampered by some pretty