:00:00. > :00:00.This is BBC World News Today, with me Geeta Guru-Murthy.
:00:07. > :00:13.With one day to go, the International Olympic Committee
:00:14. > :00:18.clears 270 Russian athletes to compete in the Rio Games.
:00:19. > :00:20.The International Olympic Committee says it will confirm the final
:00:21. > :00:26.But IOC president Thomas Bach warned athletes who dope that they will
:00:27. > :00:33.We want to keep the cheaters away from the Olympic Games.
:00:34. > :00:37.The message is clear, there is no place to hide for cheats.
:00:38. > :00:42.I'm Chris Mitchell in Rio, where the opening ceremony
:00:43. > :00:48.is only 24 hours away and excitement is growing.
:00:49. > :00:52.The Olympic flame has almost reached its destination. Next it will be the
:00:53. > :00:56.athletes. As local election results come in,
:00:57. > :00:59.South Africa's ruling party looks set for its worst poll since taking
:01:00. > :01:01.power in 1994. Caring in a conflict zone -
:01:02. > :01:05.as the battle for Syria's largest city rages on,
:01:06. > :01:08.we hear from a doctor on life in one 60% of us here in the UK are hooked
:01:09. > :01:17.on our digital devices, but how do you take a break
:01:18. > :01:31.from the online world? With the opening ceremony
:01:32. > :01:34.only 24 hours away, the International Olympic Committee
:01:35. > :01:37.has been giving more details about which Russian athletes can
:01:38. > :01:41.take part in the Rio Games. According to the head
:01:42. > :01:43.of the Russian Olympic Committee, around 270 athletes
:01:44. > :01:45.have been cleared. Amongst that number
:01:46. > :01:49.are 29 Russian swimmers. The IOC is also letting the Russian
:01:50. > :01:53.women's water polo team compete in Brazil,
:01:54. > :01:56.and its synchronised swimming team. Elsewhere, and 11 Russian boxers
:01:57. > :01:59.have also been cleared, but appeals And all 18 members of the Russian
:02:00. > :02:05.shooting team will be allowed The World Anti-Doping Agency has
:02:06. > :02:09.again criticised Russian competitors Meanwhile, the Olympic torch has
:02:10. > :02:17.made its way to some of Rio's beaches ahead of the opening
:02:18. > :02:20.ceremony on Friday. But demonstrations have continued,
:02:21. > :02:26.with police having to use tear gas. Organisers say more than a million
:02:27. > :02:30.tickets for the Games remain unsold. A short while ago the president
:02:31. > :02:33.of the IOC defended the decision not to impose a blanket ban
:02:34. > :02:36.on Russian athletes. The IOC Executive board has reversed
:02:37. > :02:41.the presumption of innocence for every Russian athlete,
:02:42. > :02:45.and to make him or her bare the collective responsibility
:02:46. > :02:51.for the alleged failures Nevertheless, natural justice does
:02:52. > :02:57.not allow us to deprive a human being even of the right
:02:58. > :03:04.to prove their innocence. And this is why the IOC granted this
:03:05. > :03:08.right to the Russian athletes, and imposed, at the same time,
:03:09. > :03:11.very strict eligibility The IOC itself has taken,
:03:12. > :03:19.after its three-step procedure, the final decision on whether this
:03:20. > :03:28.criteria has been met. The IOC has been guided
:03:29. > :03:31.by the advice of independent experts from the Court of Arbitration
:03:32. > :03:37.for Sport, as you know, Let's speak to our sport
:03:38. > :03:44.correspondent Chris It's just a day before the Games
:03:45. > :03:49.and only now are we learning which Russian athletes can compete
:03:50. > :04:04.and which can't. It could be described as shambolic
:04:05. > :04:10.by those who disagree with the chorus that the IOC took but it was
:04:11. > :04:15.interesting, at this news conference where Thomas Bach was talking he
:04:16. > :04:21.made a very long preamble. He defended what they had done, what he
:04:22. > :04:24.had decided to do. That was not issued a blanket ban, to let
:04:25. > :04:30.individual sporting federations mag up their own mind and come back with
:04:31. > :04:34.a list and get that ratified by the IOC three-man panel. Thomas Bach
:04:35. > :04:38.would say they took the course of justice to ensure that only clean
:04:39. > :04:43.athletes compete, but critics of this will say the Russians were only
:04:44. > :04:45.going to bring a team of 350 odd athletes anyway and it looks as
:04:46. > :04:51.though when we get this final confirmed list they will be taking
:04:52. > :04:56.270. Where is the punishment in that? You have to remember that in
:04:57. > :05:00.the McLaren report, they found evidence of state-sponsored doping.
:05:01. > :05:05.There will be those out there that will continue to say throughout
:05:06. > :05:09.these Games that the IOC took the easy way out. And you are right,
:05:10. > :05:13.less than 24 hours to go before the game kicked off with the opening
:05:14. > :05:20.ceremony and we still don't know. In fact there are still athletes who
:05:21. > :05:25.are having their cases heard in Rio right now. Given the lengthy
:05:26. > :05:30.preparations and this crisis, how are other athletes from competing
:05:31. > :05:35.nations going to feel about the numbers of the Russian team that are
:05:36. > :05:39.still going to take part in this? I have spoken to members of the
:05:40. > :05:43.swimming community that are incredulous that it looks as though
:05:44. > :05:50.the Russians will have a large swimming team. The breaststroke
:05:51. > :05:59.champion having her case heard right now. I think more broadly, the
:06:00. > :06:02.sporting community is incredulous by the whole situation that they find
:06:03. > :06:07.themselves in. It isn't the fact that they will be perhaps performing
:06:08. > :06:11.alongside athletes that have served doping bans or have question marks
:06:12. > :06:16.over them, it is more the fact that there will be definitely other
:06:17. > :06:22.athletes here at the Games who have served bands that aren't Russian
:06:23. > :06:27.that are competing. Look at the swimming for example. A couple of
:06:28. > :06:31.long-distance swimmers from China, Korea, who will be swimming, coming
:06:32. > :06:36.here after doping bans. If they were Russians they wouldn't be allowed. I
:06:37. > :06:39.wouldn't say the athletes I have spoken to are particularly
:06:40. > :06:42.pinpointing the Russians. They are angry about the whole process that
:06:43. > :06:48.this Olympic games has been taken through. I don't know if it is easy
:06:49. > :06:54.to answer this but how much do people there feel that this is all
:06:55. > :06:56.part of a bigger political deal? That wider political considerations
:06:57. > :07:01.with Russia on the international stage part of this, because globally
:07:02. > :07:07.there is an acutely difficult period in many parts, also right for you
:07:08. > :07:14.are, there must be some excitement about the torch coming and the Games
:07:15. > :07:20.kicking off? There is. I saw the torch today go through one of the
:07:21. > :07:25.tourist areas down by the beach and it was very peaceful. There weren't
:07:26. > :07:30.that many people there. A huge security contingent, no protests,
:07:31. > :07:35.all very nice indeed. Everybody enjoying the sunshine after a couple
:07:36. > :07:44.of grey days. There are rumours abound about insider deals and the
:07:45. > :07:48.machinations of the IOC. Russia's relationship and Vladimir Putin's
:07:49. > :07:51.relationship with the IOC. Then you have to factor in who sponsors these
:07:52. > :07:56.individual sports and how much money has been invested in them and you
:07:57. > :08:03.could write a James Bond novel, I am sure. The truth is, stood here right
:08:04. > :08:06.now, I can just tell you there are lots of people out there in the
:08:07. > :08:11.Olympic Park behind me who questioned this whole situation and
:08:12. > :08:15.do often tell you, you have to follow the money. We don't know. All
:08:16. > :08:21.we know is Thomas Bach has sat there today and tried to ensure the world
:08:22. > :08:26.that what he wants is a cleaning Games delivered here in Rio and that
:08:27. > :08:30.everybody is happy. He is certainly feeling the pressure. That news
:08:31. > :08:34.conference to date was packed and he took a long time before he said
:08:35. > :08:36.anything justifying his position. Very good to talk to you. Lots more
:08:37. > :08:38.to come. And you can keep up-to-date with all
:08:39. > :08:41.the latest from the Olympics Simply go to bbc.com/olympics
:08:42. > :08:44.for the latest news, Plus analysis from our
:08:45. > :08:53.correspondents on the ground. South Africa's governing
:08:54. > :08:56.African National Congress appears to be headed for its worst election
:08:57. > :08:59.result since it came With more than 80% of votes counted
:09:00. > :09:05.in local elections, it's leading nationally but has lost
:09:06. > :09:09.support in key cities. The main opposition
:09:10. > :09:11.Democratic Alliance has taken a significant lead in Port
:09:12. > :09:14.Elizabeth. Our correspondent Karen Allen
:09:15. > :09:29.is in Pretoria for us, where she has Just bring us up to date on where
:09:30. > :09:33.the results are at the moment? We have got about 80% of the votes that
:09:34. > :09:38.have been counted. If you the big green map over there on the left of
:09:39. > :09:43.the screen, you see a lot of green. That is the sorry the ANC want
:09:44. > :09:46.people to remember that it is winning 54% nationally. The story
:09:47. > :09:51.the Democratic Alliance once told is the story of all the yellow dots at
:09:52. > :09:55.the bottom. They have taken control of one of three of the key
:09:56. > :10:00.municipalities that the ANC was hoping to keep control of. It
:10:01. > :10:07.includes the city of Port Elizabeth in the Nelson Mandela Bay
:10:08. > :10:11.municipality. In the past couple of hours, the leading mercy Armani, a
:10:12. > :10:15.new black leader for a party that many people once considered a party
:10:16. > :10:20.that was too white, declared victory for that. That'll be a significant
:10:21. > :10:24.blow for the ANC because what it does show is that support cannot be
:10:25. > :10:29.taken for granted right across South Africa, that the ANC is facing
:10:30. > :10:33.opposition, nibbling into its heartland. This may be an indication
:10:34. > :10:39.of the direction of travel in the future when we have general
:10:40. > :10:43.elections in 2019. What are ANC members they are saying about this?
:10:44. > :10:49.Will force internal change with the party? How much this is a reflection
:10:50. > :10:54.of confidence in Jacob Zuma? It depends who you speak to. There are
:10:55. > :10:58.some that will point us to the 54% lead and say the vast majority of
:10:59. > :11:02.voters are still on side with the ANC project. They want to give us
:11:03. > :11:06.more time to be able to complete the work they are doing. We heard a
:11:07. > :11:13.little earlier from the Justice Minister and he made the point that
:11:14. > :11:16.it was now going to galvanise the ANC into accelerating its programme
:11:17. > :11:21.of providing better public services which 22 years, he said is a very
:11:22. > :11:24.short time to be able to make the changes that are required in South
:11:25. > :11:30.Africa. The Democratic Alliance, we have spoken to Missy I am Mane, he
:11:31. > :11:36.said this is a new tip of politics in South Africa, the wind they have
:11:37. > :11:40.had down in the south represents a generational shift but also a shift
:11:41. > :11:43.among a group of black voters that no longer are afraid to stray away
:11:44. > :11:49.from the party of liberation. They want to see delivery of services and
:11:50. > :11:53.corruption being tackled and the worry is about corruption and not
:11:54. > :11:57.only in the municipalities but right at the very top. They say that
:11:58. > :12:02.ultimately that reflects in the victory that they are celebrating
:12:03. > :12:12.tonight. Thank you very much, life as in Pretoria. -- live for us.
:12:13. > :12:14.Now a look at some of the day's other news.
:12:15. > :12:17.A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a US citizen
:12:18. > :12:20.was killed and five others were injured in a knife
:12:21. > :12:23.Police said they believe Wednesday's attack was "spontaneous"
:12:24. > :12:25.and that the victims were "selected at random."
:12:26. > :12:27.The woman who died was thought to be in her 60s.
:12:28. > :12:30.Israel has arrested the head of the World Vision charity in Gaza,
:12:31. > :12:32.charging him with funnelling millions of dollars to the
:12:33. > :12:36.Israel claims that Mohammed Halabi was recruited by the movement
:12:37. > :12:39.World Vision said it had no reason to believe the
:12:40. > :12:44.Officials in Afghanistan say Taliban militants have attacked a group
:12:45. > :12:46.of tourists in the west of the country.
:12:47. > :12:48.Six foreigners are said to have been wounded when their minibus
:12:49. > :12:51.was targeted in western Herat Province in the attack,
:12:52. > :12:57.A Japanese government survey has uncovered the highest levels
:12:58. > :13:06.Welfare officers handled 103,000 cases of abuse last year,
:13:07. > :13:10.Cases involving psychological abuse comprised half the total,
:13:11. > :13:16.with many children witnessing domestic violence in their homes.
:13:17. > :13:20.The city of Aleppo has come to represent the sheer
:13:21. > :13:22.hell of Syria's war, now in its sixth year.
:13:23. > :13:26.Government forces surround the city, and daily life for those
:13:27. > :13:30.The BBC has managed to speak to a doctor running one
:13:31. > :13:37.of the few remaining hospitals in the rebel-held areas.
:13:38. > :13:39.Dr Hamza al-Khatib gives us this account of treating patients
:13:40. > :16:38.So, what's being done to achieve at least a pause in the fighting,
:16:39. > :16:42.The BBC's Yogita Limaye is following developments
:16:43. > :16:59.The head of the UN humanitarian task force in Syria has today said that
:17:00. > :17:03.nowhere is in more urgently needed than in the Morpeth besieged parts
:17:04. > :17:06.of Aleppo. He has said there are continuous and intense discussions
:17:07. > :17:11.between all parties and that the UN hopes will be some progress made in
:17:12. > :17:15.the next two days the organisation is calling for a pulse in fighting
:17:16. > :17:20.and also for two-way humanitarian corridors to open up so that aid can
:17:21. > :17:24.be taken into besieged parts of the city but also people who want to
:17:25. > :17:28.voluntarily leave these areas will have a way out. The UN estimates
:17:29. > :17:31.there are about a quarter of a million people living in these
:17:32. > :17:36.areas. These are in the heat of the city, they are held by rebel groups.
:17:37. > :17:40.These parts have been encircled by forces of the Government and its
:17:41. > :17:44.allies. The UN estimates that supplies will only last for three
:17:45. > :17:47.weeks and according to the information it has, the last batch
:17:48. > :17:51.of supply actually went in at the end of June. Last week the Syrian
:17:52. > :17:56.military had said that all supply lines to these areas had been cut
:17:57. > :18:01.off. While there is a deepening crisis in the east of the city, what
:18:02. > :18:05.the UN has also said is because of the increasing violence, we have
:18:06. > :18:09.seen over the past three days, there have also been lots of people now
:18:10. > :18:14.leaving other parts of Aleppo and moving towards the western side of
:18:15. > :18:19.the city. The UN today also stressed on the increasing number of attacks
:18:20. > :18:23.that we are seeing on medical facilities in the country of Syria,
:18:24. > :18:27.they said they are looking into reports of 44 hospitals, clinics and
:18:28. > :18:30.health posts that have been targeted in the month of July alone.
:18:31. > :18:32.That was the BBC's Yogita Limaye in Beirut.
:18:33. > :18:34.Melania Trump, the wife of the Republican Presidential
:18:35. > :18:36.candidate Donald Trump, has rejected suggestions
:18:37. > :18:39.that she violated visa rules when she first started working
:18:40. > :18:46.Mrs Trump had said that she began working in 1996.
:18:47. > :18:50.But nude photos published at the weekend appear to have been
:18:51. > :18:57.It comes as the Republican candidate appears to be sinking in the polls.
:18:58. > :18:59.Are you addicted to your mobile phone?
:19:00. > :19:03.Do you find yourself using a tablet or phone so much that it's
:19:04. > :19:07.Adults in Britain are now spending an average of 25 hours a week online
:19:08. > :19:12.More than half of them say they're hooked on their devices,
:19:13. > :19:17.as our business correspondent Emma Simpson reports.
:19:18. > :19:22.Nothing beats getting away from it all.
:19:23. > :19:28.But can we really switch off from our phones and devices?
:19:29. > :19:35.If I Google that, we'll be able to look today.
:19:36. > :19:38.I find it totally impossible just to put it away and not
:19:39. > :19:43.I like to keep in touch with everybody and I like to be able
:19:44. > :19:48.to post on my photos to Facebook so my friends can see where we are.
:19:49. > :19:53.I'm usually on Facebook, a bit of Instagram,
:19:54. > :20:02.Sadly, I do have to admit I check my e-mails.
:20:03. > :20:06.I appreciate that my family don't always approve when I do that.
:20:07. > :20:10.I think, in industry today, there is a requirement
:20:11. > :20:21.We are now spending on average 25 hours a week online.
:20:22. > :20:26.But we are also becoming aware of the drawbacks.
:20:27. > :20:30.A third of adults, 15 million people, said they had gone
:20:31. > :20:35.on a digital detox or break to strike a healthy balance.
:20:36. > :20:39.For instance, 16% of us have deliberately gone on holiday
:20:40. > :20:50.Over on pitch 108, the Woodwards from Merseyside left
:20:51. > :20:58.There is a lot going on in the world and different things at that.
:20:59. > :21:01.Two weeks of the year you can chill out and forget about everything.
:21:02. > :21:08.Many parents are making kids take an online break.
:21:09. > :21:10.Nearly two thirds have been digitally grounded.
:21:11. > :21:18.I don't find it something you need everyday.
:21:19. > :21:21.I am more than happy biking up and down.
:21:22. > :21:27.We're better connected than ever before but the challenge from it
:21:28. > :21:30.seems, is to make sure our obsession does not negatively affect our
:21:31. > :21:49.I had a 24 hours the talks this week, it was lovely. -- detox.
:21:50. > :21:50.When the Rio Olympics officially begins tomorrow,
:21:51. > :21:53.there'll be one factor the athletes will have at the back
:21:54. > :21:56.Rain, wind, sunshine - they can all make
:21:57. > :21:59.So what can competitors expect in Brazil?
:22:00. > :22:11.It's the greatest sporting event on earth. Rio 2016, the summer Games in
:22:12. > :22:15.Brazil. But did they know you are actually taking place in real's
:22:16. > :22:19.winter. This is the coolest and driest time in the city, a time of
:22:20. > :22:24.year when he met the is at its lowest. In some time the weather
:22:25. > :22:29.would be significantly different and arguably much harsher. In August
:22:30. > :22:35.daytime temperatures in Rio reach a height of 26 Celsius and rarely fall
:22:36. > :22:39.below 19 Celsius at night. Average monthly rainfall is 50 millimetres,
:22:40. > :22:43.similar to London. But because of the local mountains and the
:22:44. > :22:46.proximity of the sea, weather conditions will vary across the
:22:47. > :22:50.city's Olympic venues. The tennis tournament will be taking place at
:22:51. > :22:56.the Borough Olympic Park on the western side of Rio. With the word
:22:57. > :23:00.humility, the ball tends to suffer more drag, flying fraction of the
:23:01. > :23:06.slower as dry air is heavier than dense air. It could come down to the
:23:07. > :23:11.look of the draw as we saw recently at the open in Troon. Playing
:23:12. > :23:16.conditions could be much more difficult in the afternoon if
:23:17. > :23:19.stronger sea breezes develop. Many of the football matches will be
:23:20. > :23:26.staged in other cities around Brazil. In Salvador, temperature and
:23:27. > :23:29.humidity will be greater than Rio. Playing in higher humility is
:23:30. > :23:33.particularly draining as the foggy has to work harder to keep cool.
:23:34. > :23:38.Heat stress is less of a concern for Rovers. And direction has a much
:23:39. > :23:42.bigger impact on these competitors. A crosswind in particular could
:23:43. > :23:46.Labour team is closest to the wind with choppy conditions for those
:23:47. > :23:50.further across. For archers, the biggest concern is also the wind,
:23:51. > :23:53.strong gusts could see archers missed the target is altogether.
:23:54. > :23:57.Competitors will prepare both mentally and physically for the
:23:58. > :24:02.conditions, choosing a heavier blow if the wind is blowing hard. Sailing
:24:03. > :24:07.is also hugely affected by wind speed and direction. This board
:24:08. > :24:11.should have made at the Athens Olympics in 1896 but bad weather put
:24:12. > :24:16.paid to that. So there sailors need detailed forecasts to plan their
:24:17. > :24:19.tactics, but sea breezes in Guanabara Bay or win for disruption
:24:20. > :24:23.from the nearby mountains could make the conditions. The cycling gets
:24:24. > :24:27.underway with the road races and as we have seen from the recent Tour de
:24:28. > :24:31.France, competitors would prefer light wind and dry conditions. Chris
:24:32. > :24:32.Froome will be hoping to make history and avoid hitting the
:24:33. > :24:35.tarmac. A hidden portrait by
:24:36. > :24:38.the French Impressionist painter Edgar Degas has been
:24:39. > :24:42.revealed by scientists. Here's the original picture,
:24:43. > :24:44.called Portrait of a Woman With a Black Bonnet,
:24:45. > :24:47.painted in the late 1870s. This is the image underneath -
:24:48. > :24:51.a ghostly image of another model Researchers in Australia used x-rays
:24:52. > :24:57.to bring it to life. The woman with auburn hair bears
:24:58. > :25:00.a strong resemblance to a model called Emma Dobigny -
:25:01. > :25:02.who features in several With the opening ceremony
:25:03. > :25:12.only 24 hours away, the International Olympic Committee
:25:13. > :25:17.has been giving more details about which Russian athletes can
:25:18. > :25:20.take part in the Rio Games. According to the head
:25:21. > :25:22.of the Russian Olympic Committee, around 270 athletes
:25:23. > :25:33.have been cleared. We are waiting for confirmation from
:25:34. > :25:34.the IOC. South Africa's governing
:25:35. > :25:36.African National Congress appears to be headed for its worst election
:25:37. > :25:39.result since it came With more than 80% of votes counted
:25:40. > :25:43.in local elections, it's leading nationally but has lost
:25:44. > :25:45.support in key cities. And that's from me,
:25:46. > :25:56.Geeta Guru-Murthy. Get in touch on Twitter. We are back
:25:57. > :26:00.tomorrow. Thanks for watching. Sport coming up.
:26:01. > :26:05.tomorrow. Thanks for watching. Sport coming up.
:26:06. > :26:10.Good evening. It has been a day of sunshine and showers. Some heavy