25/08/2017 World News Today

At least 28 people have died in clashes with

Police used live ammunition to dry to quell protests by supporters

of a self-styled holy man who's been convicted of rape.

Thousands of Texans board up their homes amid warnings

of the biggest hurricane to hit the US mainland in

Two white South African farmers who forced a black man into a coffin

have been convicted of attempted murder and kidnapping.

I was able to speak to the victim himself and at Tim how he felt and

he was visibly emotional with tears on his eyes.

It's shaping up to be the biggest money making bout in history.

Floyd Mayweather takes on Connor McGregor in

Hello and welcome to World News Today.

At least 28 people have been killed in clashes in northern India

after a self-styled holy man was convicted of rape.

More than 100,000 supporters of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had

gathered in the northern town of Panchkula ahead of the verdict,

which saw the guru found guilty of raping two female members

Thousands of his devotees went on the rampage after the verdict,

setting vehicles, buildings and railway stations on fire.

Police responded with rubber bullets and then with live ammunition.

The self-styled "godman" is known as the "guru in bling"

for his flamboyant taste in costumes covered in jewels.

He's acted in films as well as staging pop-music style concerts.

Ram Rahim Singh claims to have 50 million followers in northern

Justin Rowlatt brings us our first report.

Violence broke out almost as soon as the guilty verdict was handed

down by the court in this town in north India.

More than 100,000 followers of the self-styled

godman guru had flocked to demonstrate their support.

They went on the rampage, burning cars and attacking the police,

who responded with tear gas and water cannon.

When that didn't subdue the crowd, they fired live ammunition and there

This train was torched by an angry mob here

in the Indian capital, Delhi.

Elsewhere in the city, buses have been set on fire.

The guru has an absolutely enormous following.

The fear is that violence could spread in north India.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is a charismatic figure.

He calls himself the messenger of God, sports a huge beard, and has

He has been dubbed the baba of bling, and starred

And despite his extraordinary appearance, he is regarded

as a living saint by many of his followers.

This is the latest in a series of scandals here in India

involving ascetics who claim exceptional spiritual powers.

Guru Ram Rahim says sect is a social welfare and spiritual group,

but he has been accused of involvement in murder,

and it is also claimed he persuaded 400 of his acolytes to have

themselves castrated in order to get closer to God.

It's that kind of devotion that explains the scale and intensity

of the violence here in North India, but also why the authorities

Let's get more on this. With me is our correspondent. Welcome. What is

the latest on at the moment because it is night-time in India the

situation is under but still very tense. On the service it looks as

though there is no large-scale violence but there are still small

incident is being reported, large parts of north India are under

lockdown so it has affected train services, bus services, people were

asked to leave their offices early, even as far as in the capital in

Delhi which is now, not sort of next door when all of this happened, but

the tension is quite palpable still there. A lot of troops as a low

security forces on the ground, more than 2000 people have been arrested.

Including birds but Zabaleta is riveting order meaning people are

not allowed to gather together as it could lead to violence and classes.

We are waiting for the whole of the weekend and the actual sentence will

be given on Monday, it could be delayed. There is still a lot the

security forces to deal with given there is a massive following. He is

a very popular man as we were seeing in the report. Tens of thousands,

millions of followers he says around the world. Was this violence to be

expected in any way? With the Government perhaps forewarned or

armed with this? To be honest this was expected, most news reports

start with just as expected given his huge followings are a lot of

criticism that the administration was underprepared. They were not

caught unaware but could they have prepared better for this? About is

what is being questioned. The Prime Minister and saying he is quick to

stress of that but a lot of people have said the Government should have

done enough to make sure that there is another security on the ground.

The Chief minister of that state has been quite heavily criticised for

this. But if you look at what is opening on the streets, you look at

these pictures of violence but on the other hand if you turn to social

media, people are coming out and criticising massively here is a

person has been convicted of rape, of two women, and this is the kind

of support but India and people in India chauffeur them so that is a

lot of anger and most people, what is the kind of image that it is

showcasing and what is the Government is doing? 28 people have

been allowed to die in this kind of perhaps preventable situation. Thank

you. A court has found two white

South African farmers guilty of attempted murder

after they forced a black man into a coffin and threatened

to burn him alive. The judge said it was clear

Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Jackson had intended to kill Victor

Mlotshwa. The two farmers were arrested

after a video of the attack The video of the assault caused

outrage here in South Africa. It once again highlighted racial

tensions in farming communities. Two white farmers shoving

a black man into a coffin, They accused him of

trespassing on their farm. The two men were arrested

after the video of the attack was widely circulated

on social media. They said they only wanted

to teach the victim, Victor Mlotshwa, a lesson,

and that they meant him no harm. But the judge dismissed the claim,

saying it was clear that their intention

was to commit murder. In relation to the attempted

murder of Victor Mlotshwa, In the intent to cause grievous

bodily harm to Victor Mlotshwa, Shortly after the verdict

was delivered here in court, the visibly emotional victim,

Victor Mlotshwa, told me that he was relieved that justice

has finally been served. Victor Mlotshwa's mother

welcomed the ruling. TRANSLATION: All I am

asking is for harsh prison The ordeal left my son deeply

traumatised and I am happy that his attackers have

been found guilty. Various political parties'

supporters protested The convicted men will be sentenced

in two months' time. Many who attended the trial

are hoping the judge The United States has

announced new financial sanctions against Venezuela,

designed to further isolate The measure bans dealing

in the bonds of some Venezuelan public companies,

including the state-owned Earlier this month

the US imposed sanctions on President Maduro himself -

and some of his closed aides - We have just had reaction from

Venezuela to this latest action from the US. The Foreign Minister of

their has accused Washington of trying to stoke a humanitarian

crisis. He said, we don't understand it and he has said that they vowed

the Government of President Nicolas Maduro would defend itself. The US

ambassador to the United States Nikki Haley said Washington was

determined to maintain pressure on Venezuela. It is a strong message

that the people of Venezuela and it is a strong message to President

Maduro. We are not going to tolerate the dictatorship years trying to

create and we will not respect the Assembly. Because we are not seeing

any progress towards lifting up the Venezuelan people and we see more of

the power grab that President Maduro is trying to do, sanctions are

another option to send him a message. The billionaire

vice-chairman of Samsung has been found guilty of bribery and

embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison. He was accused of

making inappropriate donations worth around $6 million to be close

confidant of the country's former president in exchange for government

favours. One of those accusations also helped trigger the dismissal of

the president from office. From Seoul, a warning, this report

contains flash photography. Jae-Yong Lee is one of the most

powerful businessmen in the world. Now he's facing a jail sentence

that is among the longest ever given Mr Lee, has been found

guilty of paying bribes His lawyers say they will

go to a higher court. TRANSLATION: As a lawyer, I cannot

accept any of the legal judgment, We will make an appeal immediately

and we are confident The case is part of a major

corruption scandal which erupted in South Korea late last year

and evoked public anger. Tens of thousands came

out on the streets. And that triggered

the removal of the country's she was accused of allowing her

close friend to accept donations from South Korea's large

conglomerates in return Outside court on Friday,

anti-corruption protesters gathered once again as the verdict

was being delivered. "Samsung is evil",

one woman shouted. But there were others who were

unhappy with the court's decision. She, and a group of Park Geun-hye

supporters, think the whole verdict is part of a government plan

to eventually prove that the former The verdict that come from this

court room is about so much more If Mr Lee's sentence is upheld,

and one of the most powerful businessmen of this country actually

has to spend a significant amount of time in jail,

it could be a turning point for the relationship

between South Korea's big firms Large conglomerates like Samsung

dominate South Korea's economy and so, even when they've been found

guilty of corruption in the past, The country's new government though,

has promised to take And Jae-Yong Lee's trial

could be just the start. The governor of Texas has expected

to hold a news conference shortly before the state is battered by an

ever strengthening storm. McCain Harvey is churning off because as a

category two storm and could be the worst there in years. As well as

those heavy winds officials say it could also bring life-threatening

flooding. Dawn Champion has been braving

the winds in Corpus Christi, I think that we don't even need

words to understand what is going on there to stop tell us how strong

those wins art. Good evening. Within the past two hours we started to

peel the tropical storm force winds move into this part of the Texas

Gulf Coast. Of course that is a sign that Harvey is churning ever closer

to this region. As you mentioned it is expected to be catastrophic for

this part of the United States. Take a look behind me. This is the Baker

in Corpus Christi. This morning the water was much lower than it is now.

I chatted before coming on air and the storage -- storm surge is

already up two beat and they want is starting to splash with this blog.

By the end of this weekend I can guarantee that this very spot I am

standing and will very likely be under several feet of water as the

storm surge just inundate these coastal areas, before Harvey makes

landfall. The storm is expected to strengthen even more before making

landfall sometime tonight or early Saturday morning just north of where

I am standing. The big danger and the big thing that officials are

worried about here in this region is the flooding that is expected with

the storm. More than 30 inches of rain is quite possible in parts of

this region. Just to give you an idea of how much that is the city of

Corpus Christi typically gets 30 inches of rain in just a year. They

are going to get that amount of rain in a matter of a few days here.

Actually they are very concerned and it is very serious for officials

here. As you can see behind me, remarkably there are still plenty of

people here who have decided to stay put and tried to ride out the storm.

A lot of them coming over here to the coastal area are taking

pictures, just taking in the side. Certainly this will grow ever more

dangerous for these bugs who dared to do this as the day wears on here.

This is something the governor here in Texas has been going on local

media discussing all morning long telling these folks that time is

literally running out for them to get out of this region safely. Stay

safe. Thank you. It is one of the most anticipated

boxing matches in history - former world champion boxer

Floyd Mayweather is coming out of retirement to fight mixed martial

arts champion Conor McGregor. Mayweather is undefeated

in his professional career. Our BBC Sport correspondent

Richard Conway is in Las Vegas. Richard, we are expecting that way

in any time soon but all anyone is talking about here is the money.

Hundreds of millions of dollars at stake for both fighters here. If the

dollar but the money or is it really about some showmanship as well? If

you talk to both Callum McGregor and Floyd Mayweather they are

unapologetic about the cash. Floyd Mayweather telling me earlier this

week that he wouldn't have taken any other site because it wouldn't have

paid him not. This matchup offers assemblage chants he deals to make

hundreds of millions of dollars. The exact figures are hard to pin down.

It depends on the number of pay-per-view burgesses for TV and

the details in the contract. Floyd Mayweather insisting he will be a

very rich man or even richer we should say after Saturday night. So

to four, McGregor. At the heart of it there is annexed in treating

sporting contest here. Questioning the legitimacy of the bad given the

overriding focus on the money, a lot of people, but this is a class of

styles, Floyd Mayweather -- Floyd Mayweather one of the greatest

boxers of his generation. The talking is nearly done. The way in

will happen soon and on Saturday night both men will it in the ring

to see who is the better man. All will be revealed in 24 hours' time.

Thank you. It is a week since the terror attacks in Barcelona which

killed 15 people. The initial unity between the Spanish government and

Madrid and the autonomous government in Catalonia which ones to hold a

referendum on independence in a month's time has been replaced with

finger-pointing over which police force missed information about the

terrorist plots. Tom Burrows reports. Still bustling. Tourists

and locals paying their respects. In the town where the attackers lived,

a father insisting on never saw any sign that two of his boys were

planning to kill. One of his sons looking relaxed here shopping. Hours

later they would attack tourists in a coastal resort. The football pitch

they used to play on. Opposite the family house of the van driver. Some

of those who knew the men didn't want to go on camera. This man grew

up with one of the group. He was a colleague to the attacks.

TRANSLATION: All of those who ended up as terrorists and their

afternoons here, they seemed like normal guys. There was nothing

strange. We have spoken to a group of women who have just come out of

the family home, in fact the woman's own children went to the same mosque

and were taught by the same preacher. They say they never heard

or saw anything to suggest he was the ringleader of a terror plot. But

he was known to the authorities in Belgium. In Spanish and Catalan

newspapers this week, recriminations. Spanish sources

blaming Catalonia's own police force for not sharing information. Catalan

sources suggesting the fault lies with the National Security agencies

in Spain. If I was the mother of one of the children there, I would be so

cross to sit down in front of the television and watched the police

fighting between each other and doing this playground conflict. We

have to be united and not show this image of lack of coordination and

division, because the terrorist want this. Pro-independence Catalan flags

hang in Barcelona. One month before the autonomous government here plans

what Spain says will be an illegal independence referendum. A city and

a country united in grief, but political divisions have revealed

cracks in policing. Let's take a look at some of

the other stories making the news... At least 14 people,

including five children, have been killed after an air strike

hit a residential area Witnesses said two buildings

in the south of the city, which is controlled by Houthi

rebels, had been destroyed. The former Thai Prime Minister,

Yingluck Shinawatra, has fled the country,

hours before a verdict was to be delivered in her trial

for criminal negligence. She faces up to ten years in jail

over a rice subsidy scheme. More than 20 people have been killed

in an attack in an attack on a Shia mosque in Kabul as they gathered

after impress. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside the mosque. Two

gunmen stormed the building and were killed by special forces after a

siege lasting several hours. A white convicted...

A white supremacist convicted of racially motivated Moors three

decades ago in Florida has been executed by lethal injection.

Mark Asay is the first white man in state history to be executed

Semi-automated, self-driving lorries will be tested out on British

The trucks will be connected wirelessly with up to three lorries

The technology has already been tested elsewhere in Europe

Supporters say it will mean cheaper fuel hills, lower emissions

Our correspondent Richard Lister looks at how it will work.

This could be the future, the driver in the second

lorry is only steering, his speed is controlled

by a computer, which is monitoring what the lead driver does.

These Dutch trials suggest lorries, linked by Wi-Fi like this,

can drive much closer together, and that may have benefits.

That means 10% less fuel, that's money off yours

It's 10% less CO2, so we're going to be really helping the planet.

Congestion, if we get platooning, vehicles are running smoother

together, we're not going to get the traffic jams we have

We're going have robots and sensors not making mistakes hopefully that

This is one of the specially equipped lorries that'll take part

in the British trials - first on test tracks and then,

This technology is moving fast, some cars can already

The haulage industry wants to catch up.

So the big question is, do sophisticated lorries

Well, the short answer is, yes, most British roads are too small

and too complex for mighty road trains, but vehicles

like this could revolutionise long distance haulage.

So Daniel, what we're going to do now, is jump into the vehicle

and then we'll pull forward and start the exercise.

Les is training the next generation of lorry drivers here in Slough.

Daniel's almost ready to take his test, neither is keen

on sharing the driver's seat with a computer.

If a driver sees something is wrong, they can deal with it,

but if a machine breaks down, which is my main concern,

Wi-Fi connections, what if that breaks down?

I really don't think it's a good idea.

We should be fully in control of the vehicles we're driving,

there's other road users and you have to account

for all these things, all these factors all the time,

when your driving these size vehicles.

The British trials will have three lorries in a platoon,

but even that, say some, is too many.

UK motorways are the most congested in Europe,

we have more entrances and exits and if you've got a platoon

of driverless lorries, it's very difficult to see road signs.

It'll be difficult to exit the motorway.

But with several countries now testing this technology,

it looks like it is coming and the UK will have

Planning your funeral is not the curious of topics but here is

something to lighten the mood. How about renting a robot to play a part

in proceedings? In Japan people are being offered the chance to do just

that, carrying out some of the funeral rites at a fraction of the

price of the human priest. It might seem a little weird to have

robots involved in something so religious. In Christianity

technology and religion are often opposed to one another.

Perhaps not surprising. Certainly a bit different.

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

of the team on Twitter - I'm TheSamSimmonds.

That is it for me. Back a little later with the headlines.

Hello, a Bank Holiday weekend on the way for parts of the UK and it looks

like we will see some sunshine and