29/07/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me, Karin Giannone.

The charity Save the Children says a maternity hospital

The airstrikes happened in a rebel-held district of Idlib

At least two people are reported dead.

The staff of the hospital contacted us and they confirmed the town where

the hospital is based has been hit by seven air strikes.

Florida confirms its first cases of infection from the Zika virus -

Hillary Clinton gets down to work as the race

And six months on since the death of David Bowie musicians are taking to

the stage to honour his work. In Syria, the charity

Save the Children says a maternity hospital they support has been

bombed in a rebel-held Two people are reported to have died

- and a number of patients A doctor with Save the Children has

told the BBC the hospital Meanwhile, the United Nations'

Syrian envoy has backed Russian proposals for humanitarian corridors

to be set up to allow civilians in the besieged city

of Aleppo to leave. A battle ground between the Syrian

regime and rebel groups. Footage filmed by the Syrian

government in Aleppo shows its forces trying to take

control of the city. Russia has been

an ally in this fight. Now it says it wants to give

people their way out of rebel Leaflets were dropped showing

the map of corridors. TRANSLATION: I'm not

sure I will go out. The government's directions of

surrender our humiliating as it is. If they are already humiliating us,

how about when we actually arrived Russia has said it also plans

to allow rebel fighters to leave. Two days ago the Syrian government

said all supply lines to rebel Around a quarter of a million

civilians lived there. Hospitals have been bombed

and the UN has warned that food The UN wants to be

involved in Russia's plan. Our suggestion is to Russia,

to actually leave the corridors being established at

their initiative to us. The UN and the humanitarian

partners, as you know, The UN has also asked

for a ceasefire to give people For four years, Aleppo has seen

bloodshed and violence. Whether or not people choose

to leave the city if they are given a way out will depend on how

the plan works. Just as important is how quickly

it can be carried out because for hundreds of thousands

of people in rebel held areas of Aleppo, each day

is a struggle to survive. Dr Abdulkarim Ekzayez is a doctor

with Save the Children, who has worked at the maternity

hospital in Idlib province and been in contact with staff

there following the bombing. Four hours ago the staff of the

hospital contacted us and confirmed that the town where the hospital is

based has been hit by seven air strikes. Three of these hit the

surrounding areas of the hospital, one of them hit the entrance killing

at least two people and one of them injured someone and left them in a

serious condition. We don't have information about the number of

injuries but the hospital staff are talking about at least ten injured

people. Medical staff went to the ground floor so all of them are safe

except for one midwife. She was doing a delivery at that point and

she got injured in the S trike. The hospital itself was affected badly

because some equipment has been damaged by the strike, including

generators running the electricity. In Syria now there is no stable

electricity, and also some equipment such as integrators will newborns

has been damaged. Florida has confirmed its first

cases of the Zika infection - that were most likely contracted

from LOCAL mosquitos. that were most likely contracted

from local mosquitos. The state governor has said two

sites were responsible for four cases, but that no one had been

admitted to hospital. The Florida cases raise the chance

that US mosquitoes can So far, cases outside

of Latin America and the Caribbean have been spread

by travel to that region - Let's go to Jane O'Brien

who is in Washington for us. How much concern is there? There is

concern that it isn't entirely unexpected. People have been warning

for several months that the possibility of locally born Zika

transmitting in the United States is very high. There have been 1600

cases in the United States alone, most of them from people travelling

to infected areas and coming back. As you mention, this is the first

time that it has come from a mosquito itself. It is in a small

area, about two kilometres squared, and the mosquito which transmits

this virus can only travel a small area. That is where they are

concentrating on in that area of Miami at the moment. I've been

listening to a call from the Centre for disease control and they said

they are very impressed by the measures being taken in Florida and

those measures include getting rid of any stagnant water where

mosquitoes may be born, also spraying any kind of areas where

mosquitoes are prevalent and also ensuring and telling local women

especially to cover up during the night when those mosquitoes biting.

Of course, Florida is a huge tourist destination, what reassurances can

be given on and what sort of advice? To put it into perspective, if you

look at Puerto Rico which is not on the mainland, they have had 4600

locally infected people from mosquitoes. This is four people in

Florida. Certainly the Centre for disease control and others are

saying that they are impressed by the measures so far. They are not

moving any women or pregnant women out that two mile square area in

Miami. They are getting the help they need. Money is being filtered

to Florida for test kits and also for mosquito eradication. Thank you

very much. Hillary Clinton has made

history, formally accepting the Democratic Party's nomination

for the US Presidential election. In her speech to the party

convention in Philadelphia she promised to make the US

a country that worked for everyone - and urged Americans to oppose

what she called Donald Trump's mean Our North America Editor Jon Sopel

was there. Ladies and gentlemen,

our next president, Hillary Clinton! She's spent a quarter of a century

in public life, but no speech has First, though, the

historic formalities. It is with humility, determination,

and boundless confidence in America's promise that

I accept your nomination for President

of the United States! They cheered themselves hoarse -

some cried, as Hillary Clinton sought to reintroduce herself

to the American public. It was personal, but she set

out detailed policies, too - some influenced by

Bernie Sanders' insurgent campaign. Bernie Sanders and I will work

together to make college tuition free for the middle class,

and debt-free for all. I just don't want you to be shot

by someone who shouldn't And she promised to

raise the minimum wage. If you believe the minimum wage

should be a living wage, and no-one working full-time should

have to raise their children But she also had a wider point

to make about temperament and experience - why she was fit

to be commander-in-chief, Imagine him in the Oval Office,

facing a real crisis. A man you can bait with a tweet

is not a man we can trust This has been an optimistic

and upbeat vision of America presented by Hillary Clinton

as the fireworks go off, a sharp contrast to the bleak

and dark picture painted Politics is normally

conducted in shades of grey, but the difference between

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

is black and white. Wow, history in the making,

it's the chance of a lifetime to be We're excited for the first woman

President. If conventions and razzmatazz won

elections, the Democrats would be home and dry,

but with Donald Trump in the fight, they don't - this race

has a long way to go. Jon Sopel, BBC News,

Philadelphia. Now a look at some of

the days other news. There have been protests

in India after a couple from the lowest caste,

Dalit community, were hacked to death - allegedly after a row

over a debt of twenty-two cents. They say an upper-caste grocer

killed the pair after they asked for more time to pay

for some biscuits. Why are schools in

Kenya being torched? It's the question many people

are struggling to understand as two Kenya has been dealing with a wave

of arson attacks that have seen more than one

hundred schools razed, Emmanuel Igunza has been to central

Kenya one of the worst affected Scenes like this have become

an almost daily occurrence in Kenya. School after school going up

in flames at an unprecedented rate. On Friday morning, two more

schools were torched. This is the latest school in central

Kenya to suffer the arson attacks. Even new buildings reduced to shell

and a stark reminder of the events This is the second dormitory to be

burnt down in the school The fire is believed to have started

at around that corner The fire raged on and firefighters

quickly came in and together with the students desperately tried

to save their belongings, but as you can see around,

there isn't much left. All personal belongings and bedding

have been destroyed. We have tracked down one

of the students who was in He asked us to hide his identity,

fearful of being connected to those He is angry and uncertain

about his final examinations The burning of schools started

in western Kenya and spread quickly So far, more than 100 schools

have been affected. Her daughter was supposed

to sit her final exams this year, but is now home after the school

was closed following a failed TRANSLATION: I feel really bad

because even looking for school The reasons for the attacks

remain very unclear. Teachers blame the government,

the government blames exam cheats. The teachers union have threatened

to go on a national strike if the government doesn't close

all schools immediately But the government has

rejected the calls. There is no school that is going

to be closed down. Learning must continue,

all children must be in school, we will deal with the criminals

and crooks that are working on undermining the reforms

that we have put in place and trying The burning of schools is not

a new phenomena in the country, but the sheer scale and frequency

of the attacks has now raised fears and concerns about the uncertain

future now facing The European Union has warned Turkey

that its treatment of coup suspects could affect its bid

for EU membership. Tens of thousands of people had been

detained, dismissed or suspended, accused by being followers of the

alleged mastermind. What is the basis of his movement? And how

widespread is it? They have called it

"rooting out the virus". A wave of arrests over the past

fortnight against the alleged coup Tens of thousands suspended

or detained, schools, media outlets and

companies closed down. All are accused of supporting

Fethullah Gulen, the exiled cleric who the government says

masterminded the coup. With his schools in 140 countries,

he has spread his influence over decades, his followers working

across Turkey's institutions. They say he is a peaceful scholar,

critics call it a dangerous cult. TRANSLATION: The structure aims

to surround the state They are not armed militants,

but cloak themselves as doctors, Right-wing governments have used

them against the secular military. They got their biggest power

within Erdogan's rule. The Erdogan-Gulen

alliance was strong. When hundreds of military officers

were tried a few years ago on false evidence, Gulen supporters

were thought to be behind it. This former naval captain spent 33

months in prison and believes it If they couldn't manage to get it

off us during these trials, this couldn't happen

by his followers because... The Gulen schools were

among Turkey's best, The government says replacing

education will remove But journalists, diplomats,

even airline staff have been detained or dismissed,

prompting accusations that all opponents are being grouped

together and rounded up. Over 130 media outlets

will now be closed. Many other journalists facing arrest

warrants have already fled. We tracked down one who says

the Gulen movement never aimed How could you plot a coup

through media outlets? I would not accept this

conspiracy theory in Turkey. They have every right to be in every

institution of Turkish government. It's two weeks since a coup that

united Turks against it. The aftermath has shaken

every part of society. It could take

a generation to recover. Pope Francis has walked in silence

around Auschwitz-Birkenau, as a mark of respect to the more

than one million people, mostly Jews, who were killed

at the Nazi death camp. Our correspondent

Tom Burridge reports. To a place which exposes

the inadequacy of words. Where more than one million

mainly Jewish people were Pope Francis spoke with some

of the few who survived that horror. And a moment to reflect,

at the wall where Nazi firing Then, a prayer in a cell,

where a Catholic priest volunteered Before they were led to their death,

human beings were locked Silence was the response

of the Catholic Church when Nazi Germany demonised Jewish

people, and then attempted Another visit by a Pope reminds us

about the evil perpetrated But questions remain

for the Catholic Church, about what it knew at the time

of the Nazi death camps and the systematic

programme of genocide. A psalm sung by a priest

from a Polish village, Tom Burridge, BBC

News, in Auschwitz. George Butler has provided

poignant snapshots of life in war torn areas such

as Afghanistan and Syria. George walked from Turkey

across the border into Syria where he drew the aftermath of civil

war as well as capturing and recording the stories amongst

the refugees through his art. I didn't really know there was such

a thing as reportage illustration. It was only when I went

to Afghanistan when I was at university that I realised there

was a difference between what I was seeing as someone who sat

there and drew for two hours, I think there was a difference

in process that means the So, sitting in a place

with your own two feet and having a big board and drawing

the things that happen in front of you, so you're picking up

on sound on the way people react to you and it is

often too hot they have to draw quite quickly and that gives

an immediacy in ink that you don't otherwise get, so it

is about composition, about trust and people can see

what you're doing and they feel involved and they are not

intimidated by a camera. I would never be able

to go to the front of Aleppo and sit and draw

with bullets flying around. This process doesn't really lend

itself to that, so it very often, as it was

in the northern Syria, a kind of experience that happens

more often to the population that are moving from town

to town, trying to avoid the Rather than experiencing the front

line which is carried out Even doing this back

at home, I think I begin to So this guy, particularly friendly,

wanted to help and spoke English and was a teacher, so I guess that is

the value of having been there, rather than doing it

from a transcript or first-hand account

of These are memories and

an experience that I had. I remember feeling particularly

uncomfortable to be drawing in a place where there was obviously

so much anxiety and sadness. This little boy had lost his mother,

brother and his right leg in a shelling two days before

and his father was now sitting at the head

If for every time you turn the page, you

get a photograph, you do become immune, immune to it.

To turn the page and see a drawing that

someone has sat down, it is handmade, you kind of value that,

you can kind of understand that someone was there and has done it.

I think there was an emotional engagement when I did it, and I hope

there is one when it is looked at, as well.

It's more than six months since the death of David Bowie,

and performers from the worlds of pop, rock and classical music

are taking to the stage to honour his life and work.

The David Bowie Prom at the Royal Albert Hall

in London is both a tribute, and a chance to give some

of his best known songs a new classical twist.

Our Arts Correspondent, David Sillito reports.

The song Fame is more than 40 years old but has never sounded

This is a final rehearsal before tonight's sold out performance

I am a little bit scared about geting through the night,

at a sold out Royal Albert Hall, what their reaction might be and how

# Fame, lets him loose, hard to swallow...

Obviously I've been thinking a lot about Mr Bowie and the legacy

I feel like I'm feasting on really important music.

# Fame, it's not your brain, it's just the flame that burns

Meet Stargaze - this is a tribute to man and music.

And also a chance to give the music a little twist.

Let's Dance, the number one hit from 1983, and many others.

Reworking Life on Mars and Space Oddity, which will have a gospel

choir and a musician who worked and partied with David Bowie

He knew him well but he knew nothing about how ill he was.

It was a shocking sort of event that all presented itself at once.

It still gets you when you think about it.

He was wondering what the next step was going to be, and that was not

And this, the final song from his final album

in which David Bowie sang, "I know something is very wrong."

This prom is sort of a farewell but it is also a celebration

Russia's weightlifting team has been and is from the Rio Olympics over