15/08/2017 World News Today

Sierra Leone appeals for urgent help after Monday's

mudslides and flooding, as the number of those

This is a disaster. According to the head of this mortuary, it is

absolutely saturated. India - the world's most

populous democracy - I'm Reeta Chakrabarti,

live in Amritsar with a series of special reports from here

and around the region. Looking at the country's potential

and the problems holding it back. The UK Government sets out its plans

for trade with the EU and the rest Sailing to the North Pole

has never been done. How the British explorer Pen Haddow

hopes to change that. Sierra Leone's president has called

for urgent support saying the country is overwhelmed

by the devastation of At least 400 people are now thought

to have lost their lives on the outskirts of

the capital Freetown. Experts warn they're now

at risk of diseases spread Bodies have also been piling

up outside mortuaries. Umaru Fofana sent this

report from the city. On the day after, emergency services

are still overstretched. Inside the central mortuary

of the main Connaught Hospital They are lying on the floor in the

open because there is no more space. Nearly 100 bodies were brought

in on Tuesday morning, bringing the total number to nearly

400, some of them limbless. The head of the mortuary says

they are completely overstretched and that is not all -

as they were trying to sort corpses out, more corpses are being brought

in from different parts of the city. Even the rescue effort

here is challenged. People are believed to still be

alive underneath this spot. Even if they are, it'll be a miracle

to find them breathing. Government and development partners

have now set up a response centre, registering those left behind

by the disaster. But the testimonies from people

who have been badly hit by this TRANSLATION: I first saw the body

of my sister and called on people to help me

and we laid her on the floor. Then I started hearing other

people nearby crying. Monday's mudslide and flash floods

have shaken this country. Even for a country that has

known a bloody civil war and a destabilising Ebola outbreak,

this is unbearable. Let's get the latest now

from Unicef's Sierra Leone The chief coroner of Sierra Leone

has set in the last hour that he fears there will be more than 500

bodies. Yes, we have seen the figures going up in the last few

days since Monday morning floods and slides. It is our concern that the

figures would rise and that is what we are seeing. ... The viewpoint of

the coroner, as you saw there laying the bodies outside the more she read

in Freetown. It is a loss of dead and has left the country in deep

mourning. You must be hearing a lot of all. Read from those who have

survived. It struck me how fast this happen, there was no time to run?

I think we are losing that line... There was a lot of rainfall, but

that is not unusual for August. Flash floods in many areas and

particularly... I think we will have to leave it

there, the line is difficult. We appreciate your time.

At least 12 people are reported to have been killed by a falling

tree during a religious festival on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

More than 50 others were injured when the 200-year-old oak tree came

down, without warning, at the gathering near Funchal.

This is how one of the worshippers described events at the celebration.

We heard a noise, I looked up, I had my son by my side. I saw the tree

falling so I called my son and ran away. I heard a Big Bang. In a lot

of people in a panic. There were a lot of people down there.

India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has led his nation

in marking the 70th anniversary of the country's

The division of colonial India into two states -

India and Pakistan - in 1947 was followed by sectarian

violence between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs.

The partition led to the movement of around 12 million people in one

Reeta Chakrabarti is at the Golden Temple in Amritsar for us.

This is the most famous landmark in Amritsar. The Golden Temple is the

holiest site for followers of the Sikh religion. This stands in the

state of Punjab, very badly affected by the horrors of partition 70 years

ago. On this anniversary, India has a lot to reflect on in its past and

present. Modern-day India has a huge, young population and a

burgeoning economy. But it has recently seen a rise in religious

violence, directed particularly at Muslims. As South Asia correspondent

reports. This is a day of

celebration for India. The day it was released

at last from colonial rule. The Indian Prime Minister,

Narendra Modi, talked of the country's successes -

its growing economy, its efforts to tackle corruption

and his vision for a secure, developed nation with equal

opportunities for all. He made a point of speaking out

against hate crimes. In the name of religion, some people

commit crimes. This is the land of Gandhi and border. Violent in the

name of faith will not be tolerated. He was talking about people who

commit religious violence. That statement is directed

at men like this. Modi is a Hindu Nationalist

and tensions have been growing between the country's Hindu majority

and its large Muslim minority. At the centre of the controversy

is the slaughter of cows for meat. But the cow is a sacred

animal in Hinduism, TRANSLATION: If I find someone

killing my mother cow, I don't need the police

or the authorities. He's so passionate about protecting

the cow, he and his supporters They've been told they've got no

permission to stop vehicles, Stopping these lorries to see

if they're carrying any cows. TRANSLATION: I have information

that they are smuggling cows Cow vigilantes have been

increasingly active across the country since Modi took

power and there have been murders. Avoiding communal conflict

is crucial for India. This new bridge is just

one of scores of major The country's doing well -

the fastest growing large There is a lot for India to

celebrate today. But the Prime Minister knows keeping this country

growing depends on keeping religious conflict in check.

Amritsar is right on the border with Pakistan and as India celebrate its

70 years, it is starting to address publicly it brutal and bloody

beginning when the country was cut into. It was a difficult start for

India and for its past -- first by Minister, named.

One of a tiny number of transport links between neighbours.

This train operates just twice a week, taking Indians over

the border and bringing Pakistanis here to the outskirts of Amritsar.

But it's a journey very few make, because of decades of mistrust

between the two countries, which started with the

Amritsar is becoming a centre of remembrance.

This week, India is launching the first ever Partition museum

here, recording the acts of violence and bravery of that time.

People actually haven't spoken much about Partition in the past,

The reason being that I think that generation

when they came across, A, they were traumatised, and B,

because they were so busy setting up their own lives,

As the newly independent state of India was born,

its first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was full

At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India

His vision was of a democratic, secular state in which poverty and

She lived through the horrors and only narrowly escaped

with her life, hidden with a fruit truck and disguised in a burkha.

Now 87, she's been recording her memories for her grandson Rishi

and reflecting on modern India and Nehru's India.

TRANSLATION: All the dreams that he showed us, they've

We thought that after independence, all sorts of things would happen.

We are still better off but there are many poor people.

There is still so much poverty in India.

There has been major economic growth in India by Nehru's vision of a more

One thing endures, the political mistrust between India and Pakistan,

a hostility that some born many years after Partition

We are the same people. We probably eat similar food.

We might just worship different gods but that doesn't

But he's never been to Pakistan, which is less than 20 miles away.

The border between the two countries is real and psychological.

Partition is both history and ever present.

There is that tension you referred to, between looking back at mass

tragedy but also celebrating Indian identity? Yes, very much so. Looking

back at past tragedy, you can still see as its repercussions today. In

the fact that the two macro people from the countries can't go to each

other's countries. There are very few crossings between India and

Pakistan and very few people ever make those crossings. We will

broadcasting in the city of Lahore in Pakistan, only a few miles away

from Amritsar. When we made the land crossing there was hardly anybody

making that crossing with us. That is a legacy that end and there is no

apparent end in sight for that. People, when you talk to them, say

they feel nothing but friendly feelings towards the other side but

with the governments, there is an undercurrent of hostility all the

time. In terms of the positive side, there is a great deal of optimism in

this country. The economy is growing fast, globalisation is giving

Indians huge opportunities and Indians are looking at all sorts of

new markets. People are coming to India for trade. Theresa May was

here, the British crime Minister, looking for trade deals post Brexit.

India feels like a place for opportunity that there is a tension

between some of those strains from history, from partition and it

start, and also some developments within the political scene today, as

Justin was talking about. Fears that there may be a rise in religious

tension which some people feel that you can trace back to the hostility

that began with partition. Good to talk to you from Pakistan and from

India over the last two macro days. Thank you.

And for more information on the partition you can

The astonishing story, of four friends who were separated

by the traumatic events - and reunited 30 years later.

The US President Donald Trump has described the American chief

executives who've resigned from his manufacturing

His tweet claims that for every person who drops out,

Three CEOs confirmed their resignations on Monday,

apparently in protest at Mr Trump's initial failure to condemn white

supremacist violence in Charlottesville Virginia.

A fourth, Scott Paul, from the Alliance of

American Manufacturing, resigned on Tuesday.

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

US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, says

to talks, after North Korea postponed a threat to fire missiles

But he added that it would be up to Kim Jong-Un as to when such

The US has always insisted that Pyongyang must first give

The BBC World Service has called on the Iranian authorities to scrap

a new order that appears to freeze the assets of its staff in Iran.

The BBC Persian service is banned in Iran and working

for the BBC is illegal, but the World Service

has an audience there of about 13 million.

Grace Mugabe, the wife of Robert Mugabe, has reportedly returned home

from South Africa despite being ordered to answer charges of

assault. Authorities said they had no idea where she was.

A toxicology report in the US shows that golfer Tiger Woods had five

different drugs in his system when he was arrested

on suspicion of driving under the influence in May.

A urine test revealed a mixture of strong painkillers,

sleep and anxiety drugs and THC, a chemical component of marijuana.

The former world number one pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge last

week and is expected to admit a lesser charge of reckless driving.

The British government has set out its plans for trading

with the EU and the rest of the world after Brexit.

The proposals allow for a temporary deal if it's needed,

with the ultimate goal similar to the current free-trade agreement

A senior EU figure has dismissed that as fantasy,

but the UK's Brexit Secretary, David Davis, says the numbers prove

Italy selling us 290 billion, we are selling

It is in their interests, I mean, BMW do not want to have

to have a customs border that is going to slow

down their sales or add administrative costs.

Siemens is not going to want to do that, you know, so...

And the port of Rotterdam is going to want to have an efficient

operation, the biggest port in Europe, it's going to want

to have an efficient operation so they have got an interest

Adam Fleming has been following the day's developments

The questions here in Brussels boil down to two macro issues.

On timing, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier has treated basically

saying he wants to stick to his timetable which is that

you make progress on issues like the Irish border,

the UK's financial obligations and the rights of EU citizens living

in the UK and British citizens living elsewhere in Europe after

Brexit, before you start talking about the future relationship.

He tweeted saying, the quicker you make progress, the quicker

you can start talking about the other things.

In terms of what the UK is asking for, which is a very close

relationship on customs in the near future

and the longer-term, the European Commission issued

a statement saying, you can really only have a frictionless border

for trade if you are not in a customs union, but in the EU's

customs union and you also a member of the single market.

In other words, remaining as a member of the EU.

The way that was put in a tweet by Guy Verhofstadt,

who is the chief Brexit coordinator for the European Parliament is that

what the UK Government was asking for is "a fantasy".

Having said all that, officials here in Brussels have been

asking for a while now for more clarity from the British government

on what it wants to achieve with Brexit and the detail

of its position on a whole range of issues.

So they are very glad that today's paper is the start

of a deluge of documents heading their way from London.

Here's a special BBC report into a mystery -

the disappearance of three Saudi princes living in Europe,

They had all been critical of the kingdom's government -

and there's evidence suggesting they were abducted and flown

It's known that one was jailed without trial -

This report from BBC Arabic's Reda El Mawy.

These three Saudi princes were outspoken critics

Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz was once an officer

in the Saudi police, which gave him access to highly

In June 2012 he began posting videos on YouTube,

in which he called for reform in Saudi Arabia.

He also claimed to have highly damaging documents and threatened

to expose corruption at the highest level.

Prince Turki was later arrested in Morocco and deported

to Saudi Arabia at the request of the Saudi authorities.

Another Prince, Saud bin Saif al-Nasr, was a relatively

minor royal with no known political activities.

But in 2015 he began tweeting attacks on the Saudi monarchy.

TRANSLATION: To those who say I am criticising people from my family,

I say it is obligatory to state the truth.

In September 2015, an anonymous Saudi prince wrote two letters

calling for a coup to overthrow King Salman.

The letters went online and were read by millions.

This was an astonishing display of opposition.

Prince Saud was the only royal to endorse the letters.

This was tantamount to treason and may have sealed his fate.

A few days later his Twitter account fell silent.

Prince Sultan bin Turki was one of the grandsons

of Prince Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia.

He was abducted twice, the first time from Geneva in 2003,

after which he was placed under house arrest in Saudi Arabia.

Years later, he was allowed to leave Saudi Arabia for medical treatment

He contacted a lawyer who placed a criminal complaint on his behalf

It belies any credibility that this was anything other

than the abduction described by Prince Sultan.

I interviewed some witnesses, collected some medical evidence,

including a medical record from King Faisal Hospital,

where he was admitted the next day, in June 2003, which indicated he had

aspirated and been intubated in Geneva,

which for some reason was already waiting at the airport.

Prince Sultan was never able to pursue his case.

In January of that year, he boarded a jet offered to him

Two of his staff told us what happened on the flight.

The pilots diverted the flight to Riyadh, were armed

A Saudi prince and his team of European and American nationals

were kidnapped and taken to Saudi Arabia.

The foreigners were allowed to leave three days later.

Sultan has not been heard from since.

Khaled bin Farhan al-Saud is another dissident prince

He says the fate of the dissident princes is decided at the very top

We tried to contact the three princes without success.

When we asked the government of Saudi Arabia to respond

to the allegations, they declined to comment.

The British explorer Pen Hadow and his team have set off

for the North Pole - in two 50 foot yachts.

He says the melting of sea ice in the region is making the voyage

Hadow left Nome in Alaska earlier on Tuesday.

He'll sail along the Baring Strait into the Central Arctic Ocean.

After that his team will use satellites to plot the best

Our Science Correspondent Rebecca Morelle reports.

Setting off into uncharted Arctic waters, a pair of yachts

attempting a first - sailing all the way

A crew of ten and a dog have just departed from Alaska.

Led by British explorer Pen Hadow, they have a 5,500

For the first time in human history, possibly for the first

time in 130,000 years, it is now possible to sail

It's rapid warming that has made this expedition possible. This shows

how CI 's has melted over time. The smaller the less ice that year. --

this shows how sea ice has melted. Half of the volume has melted since

the 1970s it is estimated. It means that once inaccessible waters are

opening up. Researchers say that this could lead to significant

changes, especially for commercial shipping routes. The North Pole is

here and what we are seeing in this map... And Reding University,

scientists say that instead of having juice sail around the frozen

pole, ships will have a new short cut. We are seeing a firm and as the

ice continues to melt, the prospect of having commercial ships

travelling through the region will only increase. I see ships being

able to go right over the poll by the middle of the century.

The team do not know how far north they will get.

But this expedition into the unknown may be the start