23/06/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me, Philippa Thomas.

The US Supreme Court kills off President Obama's plan to reform

The President had hoped to use his executive powers

to remove the threat of deportation from several million

illegal immigrants who currently live and work

It is heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who made their lives

here, who have raised families here, who hoped for the opportunity

to work, pay taxes, serve in our militarily.

Democrats in the US Congress stage an unprecedented protest

after proposals for gun control are blocked again

An historic moment in Colombia as a ceasefire brings to an end a

50 year conflict between the government and the Farc rebels.

Millions of people across the UK are voting on whether to leave

It's the country's biggest ever referendum.

And summoning up the Glastonbury spirit - the legendary music

festival looks set to live up to its reputation as a weekend

President Obama has suffered a setback in his plan to spare

millions of people living illegally in the US from being deported.

The US Supreme Court has blocked the presidential initiative

with the judges deadlocked four to four.

Mr Obama's plan was strongly opposed by many conservative lawmakers.

But speaking at the White House a short while ago, he said

immigration reform will get done sooner or later,

despite what he described as a "heartbreaking" development.

In the end, it is my firm belief that immigration

We don't have to wall ourselves off from those who may not

look like us right now, or pray like we do,

Because being an American is about something more than that.

What makes us American is our shared commitment to an ideal that

All of us have a chance to make of our lives will we will.

Barbara Plett-Usher is in Washington for us.

First, tell us who is affected? Commonly people? Roughly 4 million

people. These are the illegal immigrants, but they have children

who are US it is in and they would not have had a criminal record. They

have been here at least since 2010, many from much longer. They have

established lives, some of them have worked. But they are living with a

permanent sense of insecurity. What exactly is being blocked?

What would have happened if these illegal immigrants would have been

able to sign up to a programme that would have fared then the threat of

deportation, while the whole issue of their status would finally be

settled. Crucially, they would have been given work permits. That

programme has been stopped. Republicans lawmakers challenge that

saying Obama did not have the authority to do something like that

and he had overstepped his powers. This doesn't mean that these 4

million people will be immediately deported, that is definitely not a

priority and there are lots of other illegal immigrant in the country.

But it does mean they might have the extra security that Mr Obama was

trying to give them. What happens next for President

Obama? The dream of administration reform

is over. This is the end of his attempts to tweak immigration policy

with executive actions. He's been doing that because his attempts to

get a comprehensive overhaul of immigration policy in Congress was

blocked by Republicans. Essentially, it moved to the next administration

which means this will become even more of a hot button issue in the

presidential election. It already is, and voters are presented with

two Stark choices. Donald Trump says he will deport all illegal immigrant

and build a wall lob can border. Hillary Clinton says she will try to

build on Mr Obama's efforts. -- Donald Trump will build a wall

against the Mexican border. Thank you very much.

Democratic Party politicians in Washington are ending

their sit-in protest at the US House of Representatives -

a surprise mass action which went on throughout the night.

They were urging Congress to vote on gun control legislation -

a move that's been strongly resisted by members of the majority

Aleem Maqbool, in Washington, explains why this is

suchan emotive issue - two weeks after the mass shooting

in which a gunman killed forty nine people in a Florida nightclub.

It is one of the most dramatic demonstrations

The house speaker stood little chance of getting order.

It was all started hours earlier, by a man who stood

beside Martin Luther King in America's civil rights

We're calling on the leadership of the house to bring common-sense

gun control legislation to the house floor.

You can help us win this battle, America.

And when the TV cameras were turned off in the Republican-controlled

house, the politicians staging the city and streamed events

They wanted Republicans to agree to hold a vote on gun control,

and said they would not leave until it happened.

Late into the night as TV networks started to broadcast feeds

from the phones of protesting politicians, the chaos continued.

One Republican representative rushed at Democrats,

shouting it was radical Islam and not guns that was the problem -

It's a sad, inappropriate use of time.

They should be reprimanded for breaking the House rules.

Pillows, blankets, pizza and doughnuts were all brought

into the chamber as Democrats settled in for the night.

But as extraordinary as these scenes have been,

the question is how effective will all of this be in helping

and the appalling scourge of gun violence here?

And in the last few minutes, we've heard there will be a vote

in the upper chamber of Congress, the Senate, about a bill proposing

that gun sales be delayed or stopped if the buyers are named

A court in the US city of Baltimore has found a police officer not

guilty of the murder of a young black man whose death sparked days

Freddie Gray died in April last year following severe spinal injuries

sustained while shackled on the floor of the police

van, which was driven by Officer Caesar Goodson.

The judge said there was insufficient evidence

that the officer gave Mr Gray what he called a "rough ride".

The Colombian government and Farc rebels are about to sign a joint

ceasefire in a huge step towards ending 50 years of conflict.

It was agreed after three years of peace talks in Cuba.

The details of the deal are to be made public shortly.

Farc is one of the oldest guerrilla armies in the world.

Will Grant gained rare access to one of the Farc's camps

in eastern Colombia, to meet some of the fighters

The heavily armed guerillas lead us to their camp,

deep in the jungle, before they talk.

Because, despite an impending peace deal, they're still considered

an enemy of the state until they lay down their weapons.

Five decades of civil war pitted the Farc and several other militant

groups against the government, and each other.

Partly inspired by the Cuban Revolution, the Farc say

they represent the rights of the rural.

-- of the Rauball poor. -- rural poor.

More than 220,000 people were killed, and millions more displaced.

The Farc became embroiled in the drugs trade,

financing its relentless war through cocaine.

Meanwhile, billions of American dollars were poured in through

The war took its toll on the country's youngest

Children were killed and forced to kill.

Finally, talks were established on neutral territory, Havana.

And lessons from the Northern Ireland peace process used.

The Farc in the 21st-century is a strange beast.

Most of its original leaders have been killed, and after the Cold War

many ordinary Colombians rejected their radical ideology.

For decades, these guerillas have been primed and ready for war.

But the truth is that preparing for peace.

Many have their doubts about exactly where they fit

Some are worried the guerillas will refuse to give up their guns.

But their leaders are busy briefing the rank and file,

TRANSLATION: They know what they must do.

We have a hierarchy in the Farc and we comply with orders

We know we are about to take a very important step.

Breakfast before dawn, the discipline and rules,

Many are ready to trade the monotony of the camp for new horizons.

Now 27 years old, this man joined the Farc as a teenager and knows

TRANSLATION: I'd like to be a civil engineer.

When they emerged from the jungle, these young people may finally

But some of them fear life outside, and the threat of retribution

from their former enemies once the world's longest

Some news out of China, where state media say extreme weather,

including hailstorms, heavy rain and a tornado,

The storms hit Yancheng city, in eastern China, late on Thursday

Pictures posted by media online showed injured people lying

amid overturned houses and cars, split tree trunks

Police in Germany have shot dead a suspected gunman

The incident happened in the town of Viernheim, south of Frankfurt.

A regional interior minister said the gunman appeared to be

He said the police believed he was holding hostages

in the complex and because of that they shot him dead.

Police have denied earlier reports that a number

It's a very big day for voters here in the United Kingdom.

Polls remain open for the next three hours, until 22:00 BST,

for people to express their view on a single question -

'Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union

or leave the European Union?' More than 46 million people

are eligible to vote - the largest number ever registered

After an intense four monthlong campaign, it's perhaps hardly

surprising that David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, were keen

Even so, Michael Gove, the Justice Secretary,

He's already voted by post, but joined his wife, Sarah,

Many people throughout the United Kingdom have been

casting their ballots since 7am this morning.

The last referendum on EU membership was four decades ago, in 1975.

Many people were voting on this issue for the first time.

In south-east England, some were so determined they didn't

let a little bit of rain put them off.

More than 46 million of us are eligible to vote.

And in a record referendum, every vote counts.

There are no safe, no marginal constituencies.

Your vote matters every bit as much as any political leader's.

The polls are still open until ten o'clock tonight, so you've still got

The question on the ballot paper is clear.

Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union,

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and Ukip's Nigel Farage,

As soon as the polls close tonight, election officials in 382 areas

across the UK and Gibraltar will begin tallying votes.

Then 12 counting centres, such as Falkirk in Scotland,

and Flintshire in Wales, will send their results

to Manchester, where the official outcome will be announced

Although the result may well become clear earlier.

Whichever decision we the voters finally make,

it will have far-reaching consequences.

A reminder, join us from 22:00 GMT here on BBC World News for a special

programme on the referendum on Britain's membership

The BBC's David Dimbleby will be bringing us all the results

Now a look at some of the days other news.

Thousands of demonstrators have marched through the streets of Paris

to protest against controversial changes to French labour laws.

More than 2,000 police kept a close eye on the union-led protest,

with 85 people arrested before the march got underway.

The French Government says its reforms will

help to address high levels of unemployment.

Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has used her first

official visit to Thailand to shine a spotlight on the plight

Ms Suu Ky was greeted by hundreds of cheering Burmese

migrants as she visited a fish processing centre.

The leader, who has promised to improve the lives

of low-paid workers, is set to hold talks with Thailand's

The medical charity, MSF, says nearly 200 people who fled

the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, in north-eastern Nigeria

have died of starvation and dehydration in the past month

The group says a catastrophic humanitarian emergency is taking

place in the city of Bama in Borno state.

Fears over the Zika virus have contributed to a huge increase

in the number of women in Latin America wanting

abortions, according to new research published today.

They say requests to one website that provides advice for pregnant

women in countries where abortions are illegal has doubled

in some countries affected by the Zika outbreak.

Dr Catherine Aiken, from Cambridge University,

worked on the research and joins us now from our Cambridge studio.

Thank you so much for being with us. Which countries are most affected by

this as you look through the evidence?

The countries that we're really seeing the biggest surges in demand

for abortion are those whose governments have issued health

advisories to pregnant women, which are blanket advice to not get

pregnant. Those include Brazil, El Salvador, Venezuela. Countries

across Latin America where people have heard this advice and it has

really created a climate of fear and desperation amongst the population.

You think it's led to panic, women deciding abortion is the only way

forward even though they know it's illegal?

I think it has. The evidence that we have comes from nonprofit,

non-governmental organisations who provide abortions that would be

available to women within the main health care systems in their

countries. But we also think that the tip of the iceberg because in

order to get an abortion via that route, women have to be able to

access the Internet and that information. Thou be an awful lot of

these women who can't do that, and they are likely to be jetting to

even more desperate measures to procure terminations of pregnancy.

-- driven to even more. Tell us about the website. You would

need to have Internet access, but what is it that's being offered?

It is a tele- medicine abortion service where women make contact

with a health professional in a different country, he was able to

assess their health needs and their suitability for a medical abortion.

There may obtain drugs from the website, or from a local source

that's reliable. Then they terminate the pregnancy at home with online

support. It's a very safe way of curing abortion where it's not

available within the regular health care setting. Our fear is that it's

not available to the vast majority of women in the affected region who

may need such services. I suppose the overall problem here

is that we are hearing from the government and experts like

yourself, but we don't get to hear from the women who may find that

they are pregnant and facing this awful dilemma about whether to go

ahead with it or not. Absolutely, that is one of our real

drivers in trying to find a way to do this study. It was to give those

women a voice. The international response to Zika has elements of

vaccination and containment, but without the voice of the women who

are actually experiencing this reality at the moment, we can't

formulate responsible and a reliable health policy.

24 joining us. He's one of the best known

journalists in Russia, Dmitry Kiselyov, who presents

Russian state TV's has given a rare interview

to the BBC. In it, he hits back at his critics -

and levels accusations He's been speaking to our Moscow

correspondent, Steve Rosenberg. He's one of the most

controversial presenters Dmitry Kiselyov anchors a show

called News Of The Week. It's usually bad news about the West

and good news about Russia - Its job is to spread Moscow's

message to the world. Critics call him the Kremlin's

Chief Propagandist. In the words of Mr Kiselyov,

Vladimir Putin works for the good of his country

from morning till night. And he pointed out that Russia

is capable of turning America You said today, which was

interesting, that the era of mutual So, you're saying that

the BBC is not neautal? What about your journalism,

is that neautral? Dmitry Kiselyov is the only Russian

journalist on the EU sanctions list against Moscow, for being

a central figure of Russian He says that an attack on freedom

of speech and it hasn't changed his approach

to reporting the news. The American Presidential hopeful,

Donald Trump, arrives in Scotland on Friday not to meet political

leaders, but to reopen Police and security teams

in Ayrshire are preparing for It comes after more than half

a million people signed an online petition calling for Mr Trump

to be banned from the UK. Our Scotland Correspondent,

Lorna Gordon, is at the Donald Trump likes being

the centre of attention. His visits here have

never been low-key. Is it good to be back

in Scotland again? And while Donald has

always enjoyed publicity, his rhetoric has ramped up

since he launched his Security is already tight

at Turnberry, and hundreds of demonstrators are expected

here tomorrow to protest comments Mr Trump's made about Muslims

and Hispanics during his campaign. Controversial as he is,

many locals welcomed the money he's pumped into this golfing resort

and the hundreds of jobs it brings. I doubt if there is a single

political view that Mr Trump have But he has invested in this

constituency and those Mexican flags are flying

in Scotland in protest But this is unlikely to favoured

politician who's never shied away from confrontation during the race

to reach the White House. There's been torrential rain,

swamps of mud, and hours and hours of traffic -

but nothing stops determined revellers

from getting to Glastonbury. With this massive open air festival

officially kicking off in Somerset on Friday we got the latest

from the BBC's Lizo Mzimbo, There are generally two words

that people associate The former doesn't start

until tomorrow, but there's been plenty of the latter over the past

few days there have been downpours on the site and that did cause a lot

of traffic chaos and congestion for people trying to come

onto the Glastonbury site. People reported being in queues

of traffic for up to 12 hours. But now that they're on,

people seem to be There was still mod,

but the thing about this festival is that people tend to come prepared

for all weather types. People aren't rushing around

in between the stages to see the act And a lot of people do come

for these two days before the festival music kicks off

so they can enjoy the atmosphere. Their stalls, there's also the craft

activities going on. People say that that is part

of what makes this the most popular and successful festival of its kind

anywhere in the world. The music continues Friday,

Saturday and Sunday. The likes of Coldplay, Muse,

and of course the biggest artist in the world right now,

Adele. A court in Los Angeles has

on Thursday ruled that the veteran British rock band Led Zeppelin

were not guilty of plagiarism with their classic song

"Stairway to Heaven". They'd been accused of copying

an instrumental track by a little-known American

band called Spirit. But giving evidence to a court

in Los Angeles, the surviving members of Led Zep said

they couldn't remember having heard the song before

they composed their own. Their lawyer argued the music

is actually a descending chromatic chord progression,

which has been used by musicians But for now from me and the rest

of the team, goodbye. Good evening to you. The second

round of lightning storms and downpours darted a little while ago

across the south and south-east. Here is the satellite picture from

earlier on, this is where the storms originated in northern France.

Crossing the Channel Islands