15/06/2016 World News Today

This is BBC world News today. The headlines: Oscar Pistorius learns

when he is due to be sentenced over the murder of his girlfriend Reeva

Steenkamp. The former Olympian removed his prosthetic limbs at his

sentencing hearing, in an effort to shore his vulnerability to the

court. Donald Trump suggests tighter gun laws for terror suspects in the

wake of the Orlando shootings. Police in Florida say that there's

now no doubt the two-year-old boy snatched by an alligator is dead and

they are searching for his body. And coming up, as police fired tear gas

at a crowd of football fans in Lyon, we have the latest from the Euro

2016 tournament, on and off the field.

Former Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius will be sentenced early

next month over the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The

double amputee known as the Blade Runner faces a minimum of 15 years

in prison for shooting Reeva Steenkamp at his home in 2013. Today

at his sentencing hearing in Pretoria he removed his prosthetic

legs and hobbled on his stumps, as his defence told the court he was of

honourable man. But Terry Neill fired back saying pity will play no

role in the sentence. Karen Allen reports.

The defensive at present would break. In a carefully choreographed

moves, Oscar Pistorius is asked to remove his perfect -- remove his

prosthetic legs. As he shuffles around the court, his stumps

exposed. Gasps from the public gallery. Then tears as Oscar

Pistorius, his head bowed low, is positioned in front of the judge.

For what seems like a gesture of Mercy. Bubba Croft -- the

prosecution remained unmoved. Then came the trump card. Permission for

graphic photographs of the victim after her death to be made public.

It is what her father asked for, in an attempt to deter others. The

athlete fired four shots through a closed door. Oscar Pistorius was

found guilty of manslaughter. A year later, it was converted to murder on

appeal. That carries a minimum sentence of 15 years, and less

compelling circumstances can be shown. The athlete has been her

trade as a trigger-happy villain whose Morse is in doubt. Or other

vulnerable man, anxious and broken. It is up the judge to decide. Now

the world's most famous athlete will learn of his fate on 16 July. The

FBI has appealed for more information about the gunman who

opened fire in a Florida nightclub at the weekend, killing 49 people.

We need your help in getting a clear

peak of what the shirt are and why. There is information on our website,

including photographs and additional information. We want to hear from

any member of the public who has had any connection or involvement with

or any information about the shooting. No matter how big or small

you think that information may be. We want to hear from you. You have

come through for me and I appreciate that. We have received leads and

tips we have been following up on. Regardless of how small it

information may be, I still want to hear about it. The FBI stands ready

to receive your information. Speaking at the same press

conference, our US attorney said it was too early to speculate about

whether any charges would be brought regarding the mass shooting. The

wife of Omar Mateen has been questioned by police. She is

reported to have told officers she tried to talk to her husband out of

the attack. Donald Trump, the presumptive

Republican nominee, says people on Terror watch lists should be

prevented from buying guns in the wake of the Orlando mass shooting.

On Twitter, he said he will meet the National Rifle Association about not

allowing people on the terror watch list or the no-fly list to buy guns.

It is a softening of his position after he told an NRA convention last

month that he would protect the constitutional right to bear arms.

Our correspondent is in or land for us. What did you make of that press

conference that we just heard? Well, I think people have been

speculating, act -- asking lots of questions about how the

investigation is proceeding, whether they have uncovered any new leads.

And speculation about what role did the wife of Omar Mateen play in all

of this. She said she knew that he had a desire for a jihadist

attention, but she didn't know what exactly he might do. All of this

still being explored. The press conference is still going on in time

my. The FBI have asked for more time and patience from everybody, so they

can continue to carry out what they described as a methodical

investigation. Earlier this week, I spoke to the Mayor of Orlando. He

said at some point as part of the process of these things, they would

want to try and recreate the crime scene as it happened. The crime as

it played out. That gives you an idea of the fact that this will take

a lot of time. That is why we didn't learn too much in terms of the

investigation and we were once again asked for patience and to think of

the families. The press conference also talked

about incidents against the Muslim community. It sounds like a

difficult time for Ms Lohan is in Orlando?

-- Muslims. If you think about the initial reaction to the attack,

there was a fork is about whether or not this was an act of terror linked

to IDS. In the days since then, the focus has shifted slightly and has

been more talk about this being a hate crime and an act against the

gay community, against the Hispanic community. A lot of questions raised

by this. Concerns amongst the Muslim community, but also amongst the

Hispanic and gay community. It has been amazing to see at the vigils

and attempt to unite. Tell us more about what we are

hearing from Donald Trump on gun control. He had some interesting

things to say. Perhaps a little bit different to his previous stance?

It is interesting because he has the endorsement of the NRA here in

America. He is coming out and saying he wants to try and push for some

changes to the law. He wants people on the no-fly list to possibly not

have access to guns. The Republican party here are supportive of the

right to bear arms. It will be interesting to see how the rest of

the Republican Party respond to Donald Trump's suggestion. He has

said that he intends to meet with the NRA later this week.

Thank you for your time. Two Russian gay men

after trying to leave a message over the Orlando shooting

The pair were held for three hours after being detained as they tried

to place a handwritten banner reading "Love Wins" at a makeshift

Following their release, they said police accused them

Human rights activists, and Western governments,

have in the past criticised the Russian authorities

over their treatment of the LGBT community.

Police in Florida are continuing to search for the body

of a two-year-old boy, who was snatched by

an alligator at a hotel near Disney World in Orlando.

The child was paddling in a lagoon, when he was dragged into the water.

Parts of Disney World have been sealed off.

All beaches in the resort have been closed.

It follows the dramatic disappearance of a two-year-old

boy as his family were relaxing by a lake here.

The child was in the water, about a foot in the water,

Father hears what is categorised as a splash.

He goes and sees what is happening and he finds that his child

basically is in the mouth of an alligator.

The father goes to try to grab the child but the alligator gets

the child, takes the child off into the water.

Search and Rescue teams have been at work both in the air

Trappers have caught and killed several alligators but have so far

Well, they first said they were optimistic,

but police now are fearing the worst.

On land and almost sea, the referendum clashes

Bob Geldof taking Nigel Farage on the Thames!

Crowds and campaigners shouting the odds, too.

The Chancellor with the man who used to do his job for Labour,

claiming if you voted to leave, a sudden deterioration

in the country's bank balance would mean whopping

You've got a situation today where you've got a Conservative

Chancellor and a Labour Chancellor telling people there will be a big

gap in the public finances, that you would have to raise

taxes and cut spending, and I tell you, there's

only one thing worse than passing a Budget like that,

it's not passing a Budget to solve the situation and sending

But there's been furious backlash from those wanting out.

When you have today even the Leave campaign saying there will be

an economic consequence, people need to know that before

He claims he would have no choice but to deliver such bad news.

Because he would have to fill a ?30 billion hole in the books.

But the chances of George Osborne standing on these steps

It would be almost impossible to get the support.

But the message that Number 11 wants to give is that if the country

votes to leave the EU, we will all pay one way or another.

There are nearly 70 Tories who want out of the EU and they have

One MP told me, smart guy, stupid move.

The Leave campaigners haven't made their views public

This is no longer just about the referendum

You have a Chancellor coming out and irresponsibly trying to scare

I've never seen anything like it in 24 years and he needs

to think again and stop this nonsense at once.

You are saying if he carried on like this, you would have to go?

What is responsible is for a Chancellor to say,

no matter what happens, Britain is good enough

But there could be huge turbulence if we vote to leave.

The Out campaign have talked about five new laws

It's almost like an alternative mini manifesto.

This campaign has gone way beyond the ordinary,

far past the usual insults and intrigue of politics,

and now with a significant chunk of Tory MPs saying

if the country votes out, they would try to oust

George Osborne, it feels like there's a coup in-waiting.

The police even got involved as campaigners weren't just messing

around on the river, but taking each other on.

There's little sign of apathy as this decision approaches.

Every awareness of how much it counts.

Police in Germany say a number of workers have been killed

after scaffolding collapsed on a motorway bridge

which was under construction in the south of the country.

Several people are believed to be buried under rubble.

Let's get more on this from our Berlin correspondent, Jenny Hill.

what more can you tell us? Well, the police have now said that

at least one person has been killed and a number of others endured. Six

of them seriously after this motorway bridge collapsed. It is

perhaps a little difficult to imagine. This bridge was under

construction, brand-new bridge designed to carry a motorway. By

huge construction site. The bridge itself is 20 metres high. Something

like 20 workers were actually on the construction site when a section of

that bridge collapsed, taking with it the scaffolding which was

attached to it, and some of the workers. The picture is emerging

from the scene are quite chaotic. Tangled metal and concrete lying on

the ground. About 150 emergency services workers there. It is not

clear how many if any people are trapped under the rubble. Are very

chaotic scene at the moment. There is some confusion as to how many

people may have died. The police are saying at least one person. The

Bavarian Interior Ministry said at least two. We expect the confusion

to die down over the coming hours. But just know it emergency workers

are combing the site, trying to find anyone still trapped under the

rubble. An alliance of opposition forces

in Syria is on the verge of taking back control of a key city

from the so-called A combined force of Kurdish,

Arab and Turkmen fighters, backed by US air support,

have encircled Men-bij Manbij The town is a crucial staging post

on the group's supply lines between the Turkish border

and its headquarters in Raqqa. Our correspondent Jiyar Gol

and producer Joe Inwood are the only international broadcasters to have

gained access to this area. It is a difficult drive to the front

line at Men-bij Manbij. Isis has retreated but left minds and deadly

truck spying. We have to do drive off-road. Now is silly and

democratic forces have encircled the city. Islamic State is under siege.

Men-bij Manbij is mainly Arab region. Arabs are fighting alongside

the Kurds. We are the gates of Men-bij Manbij.

God willing we will liberate our families from them. Coalition

fighters face a determined enemy, willing to die. This man was just

seconds away from detonating his suicide belt. Western special forces

are also on the court ground here. We caught a glimpse but were told to

stop filming. Coalition air strikes are taking out key Islamic State

targets. And this is what coalition air power can do. Here you can see

this as one of the ISPs and is. Bodies are laid everywhere. But even

behind the front lines, these people are not safe from Islamic State

fighters. We are interviewing when this happens. We are hearing sniper

bullets flying overhead. It seems the fight is intensifying. I can see

the smoke rising from the village. I think something happened in the

village. Although the militants are on the back foot, they are far from

out of the fight. And this makes these men nervous. They think they

are coming under attack from an ISO truck bomb. But a closer look

reveals it is civilians they are firing on. They have been living

under strict ISP control for two and a half years. This group has managed

to flee. TRANSLATION: It is shameful. We have kids and older

people. We gathered them and tried to get away. TRANSLATION: They

killed as. They killed our children. They made us grow beards and told us

what to wear. The woman had to be covered. God help us. The youngest

to escape was one-day-old. Welcome to this world. These people may have

escaped, but tens of thousands remain trapped. With IS digging in,

the coalition may need to fight them street by street. The battle for

Manbij is far from over. The World Anti-Doping Agency says

more than 700 attempts to carry out drug testing in Russia have been

obstructed. This is a damning report two days before a key decision

regarding by the Russian athletes can compete at the Olympics in Rio

de Janeiro. The report says testers had been intimidated by security

services and packages containing samples had been tampered with. And

athlete had provided false information on their whereabouts or

avoided trouble -- avoided drug testers at competitions. More on

this story as we get it. French police have fired tear gas

at England football fans Thousands of extra police had been

drafted in after clashes between Russian, English and French

fans in Marseille. Russia lost 2-1 to

Slovakia in Lille today. England are playing Wales in nearby

Lens on Thursday. The BBC's Danny Savage

is in the centre of Lille. Tear gas was fired nearby. England

fans responded to reports of trouble. They try to get out of the

square and up to other England fans, looking to see what happens. They

have been pushed back into the corner of the square. There being

noisy and boisterous. The feeling I get from talking to some of them is

that some of them are looking for trouble. It doesn't bode well for

the rest of the evening. It is quite tense here in Lille at the moment.

After violence in the stands at the end of the football game

between Russia and England game on Saturday, Uefa said it

would disqualify Russia from Euro 2016 if there

That's not gone down well back in Russia, where many people

believe their country has been unfairly punished.

Steve Rosenberg talked to football fans in Moscow.

I am in a bar in Moscow premiere showing the Russia against Slovakia

match. I want to know what Russian football fans back home think about

the violence which has overshadowed the start of Euro 2016. What did he

think of Uefa ruling their team would be disqualified if Russian

fans were involved in further crowd disturbances in the stadium?

Speaking to people here has got me thinking. I often get the impression

that many Russians feel the whole world is against them. They feel

that America is plotting revolution here or that Nato is planning an

attack the West wants to stop Russia taking part in the Olympics or take

away the 2018 World Cup from Russia. It is a very different picture from

what we see in the West. Many Russians see themselves as the

victims and not the aggressors. Another very lively day across the

United Kingdom. Showers