08/08/2017 World News Today

Our top stories: Celebrations as South Africa's Jacob Zuma

Kenyans are also voting for a new president -

Counting begins after thousands of people cast their vote.

Athletes at the World Championships are struck by the norovirus -

Botswana's track star is a casualty - he's out of the four

I was ready, I was top of my game to come here. I was ready to make

everything possible. I came here for a medal.

And Hong Kong closes more beaches as a palm oil

Hello and welcome to World News Today.

Well, it's closer than anyone thought, but South African president

Jacob Zuma has survived a vote of no confidence in parliament today.

Mr Zuma would have been removed as president if over two-hundred

MPs voted against him, but only

Celebrating his success, he declared his ANC will win a big

majority in the general elections in 2019.

I've just come to say thank you to all of you.

Those comrades who are in Parliament need

the support from the membership and supporters.

To demonstrate that the ANC is there, is powerful, is big.

Tellers about the reaction there. Yes, those who supported President

Jacob Zuma celebrating, as you have seen, but there are those who did

not want this vote of no-confidence to be defeated. Who are also the

ANC. They are slightly uneasy tonight because perhaps the witch

hunt begins, even though this was a secret ballot. People are beginning

to wonder who voted for who and who abstained. Remember, there were 26

votes from the ANC which supported the opposition motion, and there

were nine abstentions. So it means that about 35 people from the ANC

did not want their leader to continue as president. And

therefore, there must be questions now coming out of the ANC

headquarters. And that means there is quite a bit of time for the

opposition to press on those vulnerabilities, that division

before the next elections. That's very correct indeed. The opposition

leader has already vowed to continue the fight. They smell blood because

they've already now seen with clear-cut evidence on the ballot

vote that there are divisions in the ANC. He divisions that we have been

talking about for months now, which were largely within the ANC in its

own structures, in the villages and the townships of this country have

now reached the backbenches of Parliament. So opposition parties

are vowing to continue with the fight and this means that it's going

to be a long road for President Jacob Zuma until December, when the

ANC meets for its elective conference, when he's supposed to be

stepping down after serving two terms as party leader. Is there any

sign that he is humbled or in a mood to compromise after this eighth

no-confidence vote? Clearly, President Jacob Zuma, after

surviving this eighth no-confidence vote, is now in his ninth life.

There is no way he could be compromising now. Eagles victorious.

He never gives up. Remember, Jacob Zuma stayed in prison for ten years

with Nelson Mandela while fighting against Wightman Daugherty rule, so

he does not give up easily. Most people see this as a loss for him,

given what has happened with ANC MPs, who voted with the opposition.

But for himself, he sees this as a victory. He is buoyant and he hopes

to get to December. There are some rumours that he had offered this

morning to resign, but there is no confirmation whether that is true or

not. Thanks for bringing us right up to date there.

In Kenya, the first polling stations are declaring their vote tallies

Voting is still taking place in some other polling stations,

Throughout the day, people waited in long queues to vote.

The incumbent president, Uhuru Kenyatta, who's standing

again, has said he would accept the will of the people.

His main rival is his longstanding opponent, Raila Odinga.

Security has been tight, as Tomi Oladipo reports.

In the darkness before dawn, they waited.

Some voters camping overnight, hoping to be the first in

In thousands of polling stations across Kenya, they turned

Here in Nairobi, Kenyans have been queueing, braving

the cold and the rain, waiting to exercise their right to vote.

Now, once this process is done then all

eyes will be watching as the results come in.

It's the race for the presidency that's attracting the

The incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta is seeking

re-election, but hoping to replace him on his fourth attempt is Raila

Odinga, a veteran opposition candidate.

The winner would need more than half of the votes to avoid

Competition is also fierce at the lower levels of

But it will all be down to what the people decide.

We're hoping for a successful election and

I really hope that the Kenyans keep peace after the election.

No matter who wins, we will still be Kenyans.

First, I want to exercise my democratic right, and secondly I

want to vote for the right people for the next Government

and for development of our country and of course for my

children's future, yeah.

I'm somebody who has been voting from the first president of

Kenya and I think now this is the fourth president and I'm here,

whether it rains or it shines, we are very happy.

The electoral authority has been under intense

pressure to deliver a fair and transparent poll.

This country's stability hinges on the success of

this process and Kenyans hope that their trust

Our correspondent Anne Soy is at a counting station

What's next? Well, this is the main place were the final declaration

will be made. The Constitution gives the Electoral Commission seven days

within which to make the final announcement for the presidential

result, and so they say that they are not in any hurry but results are

trickling in from polling stations that have already counted their

votes. The adding up these votes happening automatically in the

electronic system and then everybody can see the results as they trickle

in across the country through the Electoral Commission's website as

well as through their local media channels that are updating people

live. So up till now, the latest update is that at least an eighth of

the votes count is already in. By morning, we might have many more and

a clear indication of how this vote will go. Do you expect security to

remain tight over the next few hours? Well, that depends on several

issues. It depends on how the losers in this election are going to react

and what they will tell their supporters because most of the

post-election violence that we have seen in the past has happened as a

result of that reaction from the election losers. The key thing about

this particular election is we have so many contestants. More than

14,000 candidates vying for just over 1800 positions. That means a

large number of them are going to lose, so how they react is going to

have an impact on the country. Just a final part. It is, of course,

Kenyan voices that matter here, but our people aware or thinking of the

eyes around the world that are upon them? Barack Obama works saying it

was such an important vote to pass peacefully. That's right. I believe

that Kenyans get the sense that this is an important election not just

for them but for the region and the international community is watching.

Indeed, the international observers were here from the Secretary of

State from the United States, John Kerry, and also former presidents

from Ghana and South Africa. Monitoring the vote. So indeed there

is a lot of attention from the international community and that is

not lost on Kenyans. Thanks very much.

Let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news.

Chinese state media says an earthquake has killed five people

and injured more than 60 others in the remote province of Sichuan.

Buildings in the popular Jiuzhaigou tourist resort are said

The quake measured six-point-five in magnitude.

The Australian government has announced plans for a postal vote

Opinion polls suggest a majority of support for gay

marriage in the country, but the government's pledge to hold

a national plebiscite vote lacks parliamentary support.

The voluntary, non-binding vote will begin next month.

People who've hacked into the computer systems

of the US television network, HBO, have demanded a ransom

They're threatening to release a huge trove of stolen data,

including a script and video summary of next week's instalment of

The organisers of the World Athletics Championships in London

have revealed that 30 athletes and support staff have contracted

Botswana's Isaac Makwala, who was one of the favourites

for today's 400 metres final, has been forced to withdraw

Speaking earlier today, he said it was extremely

disappointing because he was ready to compete.

UK Athletics Chief Executive Niels de Vos says measures have been taken

to stop the virus spreading further.

This is the time when the world's best athletes should be

Instead, these competitors and coaches today found themselves

at the centre of a suspected outbreak of the highly

contagious vomiting bug Norovirus at this team hotel.

Yesterday, the world's best 200 metre runner, Issac Makwala,

was forced to withdraw from the event.

The Botswanan medal prospect one of 30 athletes and support

I worked hard for this and it is sad for me because I was top

I was ready to make everything possible.

Despite saying he was fit to compete, Issac Makwala

was ruled out of the 400 metre final by the athletics governing

This usually lasts between 28 and 48 hours.

The important thing is if people have it, to stay away from other

people so they're not at risk of passing it on.

And to be very scrupulous about washing their hands

when they have been to the toilet or they have vomited.

In a statement today, the hotel said the following a joint investigation

with public health authorities it had been discovered that the

And that strict hygiene protocols have now been put in place.

World Championship organisers meanwhile said they're doing

I guess in any event when you have 20,000 people minimum that we have

accredited coming in from every corner of the world,

there is a possibility that someone might come in with a bug.

And we think that is probably what has happened here.

There has been all sorts of food poisoning and all the medical

experts, public health, safety, have said it

Some German and Canadian athletes staying at the Tower hotel are being

And with six days of competition left, organisers must now hope

Systematic use of excessive force is being used

against demonstrators in Venezuela - according to a UN team of human

rights investigators, which blames security forces

for at least 46 deaths in recent protests.

More than 120 people have died since a wave

of anti-government protests began in April.

The Venezuelan government has previously blamed

"Fraud," they chanted in Venezuela's National

Assembly, which is controlled by the opposition.

They're angered by President Maduro's

creation of a new rival constituent assembly,

and its first act of sacking the chief prosecutor.

Luisa Ortega had broken ranks with the

president to become one of his fiercest critics.

She's now been replaced by this man, a figure

likely to be more friendly to the Government.

Ms Ortega claimed she lost job to stop investigating

alleged corruption and human rights abuses.

The United States, Brazil and Colombia, among others, say her

Yet on the streets, it appears there is support

These people believe the new assembly will restore peace

Meanwhile, the United Nations says it has

investigated 124 deaths in Venezuela, including 46 which

security forces are allegedly responsible for, and 27 by

It also says more than 5,000 people have been

arbitrarily detained there since April, with more than 1,000 believed

The UN criticised what it called widespread

and systematic use of excessive force against demonstrators.

The effect is that this is leading to an

It is leading to widespread human rights

And what we are seeing is a pattern of violations that

Excessive use of force against protesters,

arbitrary detention of people who are protesting, house raids by

security officers to try to weed out the protesters.

And to try to crush any form of dissent.

What we are seeing is is going from bad to

worse, and the High Commissioner for human rights believes that the

responsibility for these violations lies at the highest levels of

Scenes like these from the weekend will be very much in the

minds of Latin American's foreign ministers as they meet in Peru to

decide what joint action they can take over Venezuela, which finds

It's been reported that UN officials have concluded that North Korea has

created a miniature warhead. If this is confirmed, it would bring the

country closer to becoming a fully fledged nuclear power. Our

correspondent is in Washington. Tell us more. Well, if confirmed, and we

had not had that confirmation yet, then yes it is a significant

development but not unexpected. I think what's concerning experts at

the moment is the speed at which they been able to develop a warhead,

a nuclear warhead, that is small enough to be able to fit into one of

these intercontinental ballistic missile is that they have

successfully tested. Now, that would mean that the US for the first time

is under direct threat from a nuclear strike by North Korea.

However, it has to be said that there are other technical issues the

North Koreans have to surmount and that is getting a nuclear warhead

that would not be destroyed on re-entry into the atmosphere, so the

threat is growing, but it's not there yet. However, this is still

very alarming news, if confirmed. President Trump we know is on a

working holiday at the moment. He hasn't ruled out military force or a

strike of some kind. He hasn't, but a lot of his advisers are saying

that there are no good military options because South Korea would be

in the direct path of retaliation. There are also American troops in

South Korea and a military option would absolutely be the last resort

and although nothing has been ruled out, the administration or at least

Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State, seems to be more inclined to

verge towards talks. At least that's the suggestion, than a direct

military strike at this stage. Thanks very much.

British model Chloe Ayling who says she was lured

to Milan for a photo shoot, abducted, and subjected to physical

and psychological torment in a six day ordeal.

Today, Chloe's lawyer has been giving more details

about what happened and says she was told

by her kidnappers that she'd be sold for sex in the Middle East.

The BBC's Gavin Lee has been following the case from Milan.

This is a case that's baffling Italian

authorities, and it happened on July the 11th, almost a month ago.

It was only at the weekend details burst

into light, and it's only now we are getting more

information of a very confusing and extraordinary and

baffling kidnapped of 20-year-old Chloe Ayling from south London, who

came here to Milan for a photo shoot.

Now, her lawyer says she came here first of all.

It seemed to advertise itself as a studio.

She went inside, she was abducted by three men in

balaclavas, who injected her with ketamine.

She was bundled into a large bag, she was put in the back of a

car and driven 120 miles to the Italian Alps close to the French

Now, what's emerged today is the Italian prosecutor saying

Now, in that time there was one person in

there, a man who has been arrested, a 30-year-old

Polish national living in the West Midlands.

He's charged now with kidnap and extortion.

All sorts of details about what was going on in the

week, that she was tied to a chest of drawers,

that she was released at

some point, told if she left the house, though,

The day before she was released, she went shopping for shoes, for

groceries, and there had been some reports questioning what went on.

Now, her lawyer today saying that's simply

because she was afraid that

So there's lots of questions for the Italian

The British police are involved, Euro poll is involved, but

The Metropolitan Police has appealed for information after a jogger

appeared to push a woman into the path of a bus.

CCTV footage shows the man running on Putney Bridge

Police say quick reactions by the bus driver prevented

7.41am in the morning, a man jogging on Putney Bridge and then this.

It's the quick thinking of the bus driver that saved the woman's life.

The police believe the jogger deliberately pushed her.

When you look closely, you see him raise his hands and make contact.

The woman's head and shoulders are then on the road

15 minutes later the jogger came back across the bridge here,

running straight past the woman he'd previously knocked over.

Passers-by, as well as those who got off the bus,

The police say she was shocked and upset, but was not seriously hurt.

If it hadn't been for good reflexes on the part of the bus driver

or the level of force was such to push her even further

into the road, almost certainly this could have ended in a fatality.

The investigation is focused on finding this man.

Detectives say they have received a number of useful calls,

including other people reporting similar incidents

Those leading the investigation stress they believe this

But are struggling to understand why anyone would deliberately push

someone into the road during the morning rush-hour.

French media are reporting that President Macron is preparing to

backpedal on his proposal to create an official first Lady position for

his wife. He is expected to clarify the position of his wife in the

coming days. Hong Kong has now closed a total

of 13 beaches as congealed The oil appeared following

a collision between two ships Official cleaning teams

have been sent to clear the substance from the beaches,

but criticism of the government's It's the time of year when Hong Kong

residents normally head for the beach, but many are now off-limits

after this latest incident to build a huge amount of palm oil into the

sea. You could easily mistake these snow like balls as possible from the

ocean, but this is the Palm oil that has hardened following last week's

accident. Groups of volunteers have been arriving to help with the

clean-up. They're worried about the length of time it may take to clear.

This is the third time this beach has been cleaned and I come

back in the morning before, it's really sunny, and it looks like it

has snowed here. Every morning, it looks like it's snowed in Hong Kong,

and every afternoon it all melted back down into the sea. A number of

popular beaches have been closed. Volunteers are killing bags. It is

hard and it's disgusting. Really. These people here are all

volunteers. Where are you, Government? One of the vessels is

said to have been carrying 9000 tonnes of palm oil. The Hong Kong

Government says that just 50 of those have been cleared so far. They

say the Chinese authorities informed them of the collision two days after

it happened. This could have been prevented before it got to the

beach. The Government could have or should have had policies and

procedures in place once it hit the beach it's too late. It's turned

into a disaster. Officials say the oil is not toxic and Hamas and that

the beaches are closed as a precaution, but the spill at the

height of summer, has left a stench over the area and it could be months

or even years before the real damage is known.

Don't forget you can get in touch with me and some

I'll be back in half an hour with Outside Source.

Jacob Zuma has narrowly won 21 votes.

some members of his own African National Congress party.

Much more online as well. Thank you for being with us.

Much more online as well. Thank you for being with us.

Good evening. There's been some dramatic weather in places during

today. We've seen some vicious downpours and thunderstorms,

courtesy of this area of low pressure. Rather than clearing away,

this is just going to keep