0:00:07 > 0:00:10Hello and welcome to World News Today.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Syrian government forces have advanced further in the rebel-held
0:00:12 > 0:00:14enclave of Eastern Ghouta.
0:00:14 > 0:00:20The territory's city of Douma is reportedly surrounded.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23As bombardments continue, the casualties keep rising -
0:00:23 > 0:00:27at least 1,000 civilians have now been killed since the regime
0:00:27 > 0:00:29began its offensive there nearly three weeks ago -
0:00:29 > 0:00:31that death toll includes 200 children.
0:00:31 > 0:00:38Our Arab affairs editor, Sebastian Usher has more.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Syrian tanks have continued to spearhead the army's remorseless
0:00:41 > 0:00:50advance into Eastern Goutah, which has gathered further momentum. A
0:00:50 > 0:00:56A military commander said that rebel fighters,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59all of whom the government sees as terrorists, were on the run.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01TRANSLATION: After Syrian army forces took control of this village,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04we are currently on our way to another place and our advance
0:01:04 > 0:01:05is going towards the town.
0:01:05 > 0:01:12We have noticed the escape of several members of
0:01:12 > 0:01:17the terrorist groups Faylaq al-Rahman
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Several sources say the troops have moved in even deeper and have
0:01:20 > 0:01:22managed to cut off the two biggest towns in the region,
0:01:22 > 0:01:24including Douma.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26The heavy bombardment of Douma by land and air has continued.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Residents assay casualties are mounting again in a town
0:01:28 > 0:01:38where just 24 hours ago a convoy of aid was finally being delivered.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Syrian state media has shown troops inside the small town of Misraba
0:01:41 > 0:01:43in the centre of Eastern Goutah.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47The biggest rebel group denies that it has fallen and says it has
0:01:47 > 0:01:57beaten back army units, but if Misraba is in government
0:01:58 > 0:02:03hands, then the enclave in effect will be divided in half,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06following a tried and tested pattern which pro-government forces have
0:02:06 > 0:02:08used across Syria to force the surrender of verbal holdouts.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Both of the main rebel forces have vowed to continue fighting,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14but the battle may have reached a turning point.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18The US Department of Justice has taken the first step towards banning
0:02:18 > 0:02:22bump stocks, which allow rivals to fly with the speed of machine guns.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27Bump stocks were used last year by a gunman in Las Vegas to kill 58
0:02:27 > 0:02:31people. The definition of machine guns, which are already banned, will
0:02:31 > 0:02:35be changed to include the device, effectively banning them from sale,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38too. Joining me now from Washington DC is our correspondent Chris
0:02:38 > 0:02:43Buckler. Chris, thank you for chatting with us. Would banning bump
0:02:43 > 0:02:48stocks really help to improve gun safety in the US?Well, I think it
0:02:48 > 0:02:54is one step towards trying to improve gun safety. Certainly new
0:02:54 > 0:02:58restrictions which are a lot of campaigners have been asking for and
0:02:58 > 0:03:02indeed which President Trump himself has talked about. These are devices
0:03:02 > 0:03:05which essentially modify semiautomatic weapons and turn them
0:03:05 > 0:03:10into automatic machine guns. Basically they increase the speed at
0:03:10 > 0:03:14which bullets can be fired. And it was that attack in Las Vegas in
0:03:14 > 0:03:19October in which 58 people were killed and hundreds were injured
0:03:19 > 0:03:22that really brought it to the four, because these devices were used on
0:03:22 > 0:03:27semiautomatic rifles then to use them effectively as machine guns.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32Now, it is important to say that this is just the first step in a
0:03:32 > 0:03:35lengthy process. President Trump has been talking about, it is now clear
0:03:35 > 0:03:40that the Department of Justice wants to do it. But the proposal has to go
0:03:40 > 0:03:44through a number of hoops before it is finally made law. And there is
0:03:44 > 0:03:48the chance of a legal challenge. But there is a sense that campaigners
0:03:48 > 0:03:52are being heard at least with the message that gun restrictions, new
0:03:52 > 0:03:57laws to try to tighten legislation, is something they want to. What is
0:03:57 > 0:04:00interesting, though, is that this is in itself not new legislation. This
0:04:00 > 0:04:05is really about redefining existing legislation and making bump stocks
0:04:05 > 0:04:10one of the things that is defined as a machine gun, and that is how it
0:04:10 > 0:04:13will be tightened. But effectively it makes them illegal for sale.Do
0:04:13 > 0:04:18you think this will be enough to satisfy campaigners, to relieve the
0:04:18 > 0:04:23pressure on the Trump administration to do more?Oh, absolutely not. This
0:04:23 > 0:04:28is just one step and if you look at all of what the campaigners want,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31then really you have to go much, much further to satisfy them. Here
0:04:31 > 0:04:36in Washington, we are preparing before the end of the month to have
0:04:36 > 0:04:40a huge march here in which students, particularly are organising people
0:04:40 > 0:04:44to come and campaign, to ask the politicians to listen. And we are
0:04:44 > 0:04:49seeing this battle taking place between campaigners and the gun
0:04:49 > 0:04:54lobby, including the National Rifle Association. As you saw this week in
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Florida, we have new legislation that has been signed into law by the
0:04:57 > 0:05:02governor there, Rick Scott. And one of those restrictions being put in
0:05:02 > 0:05:09place is to raise the age at which someone can buy a gun from 18 to 21.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12The NRA is challenging that which gives you a sense of how he did this
0:05:12 > 0:05:17debate is. But campaigners will not be satisfied and they say that they
0:05:17 > 0:05:21don't just want sympathy, they want to change.It is a debate which is
0:05:21 > 0:05:26going to continue. Sparkler, thank you. -- Chris Buckler.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29More than 200 witnesses have been identified in a UK
0:05:29 > 0:05:31investigation into the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the "serious, substantial
0:05:33 > 0:05:34investigation" was painstaking but progressing quickly.
0:05:34 > 0:05:44Our home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani has more.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53This was the scene at Salisbury ambulance station this evening as
0:05:53 > 0:05:57chemical warfare specialists began the latest phase of this evolving
0:05:57 > 0:06:06operation. More than 180 military personnel are now involved in an
0:06:06 > 0:06:07operation which already includes more than 250 detectives.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10This is the
0:06:10 > 0:06:20second major military operation in Salisbury in the last 24 hours.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23in the last 24 hours.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Last night we saw them taking away a police car from the hospital.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Today is now taking away ambulances which were potentially
0:06:29 > 0:06:30contaminated last Sunday.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Everybody is watching and waiting to see when this emergency will end
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and the nation is watching and waiting to find out
0:06:35 > 0:06:36who is behind this crime.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Today was the second meeting in a week of the emergency committee
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Cobra to see how far the police have got.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44This investigation is focused on making sure that we keep
0:06:44 > 0:06:46people safe as a priority, that's what the meeting was about.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49And also making sure that we collect all the evidence,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51so when it comes to attribution, we will be absolutely clear
0:06:51 > 0:06:52where it should lead.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55The pizza restaurant where the two dined is now behind screens.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57200 witnesses have so far been identified.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59And 240 pieces of evidence.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Today the main cemetery in the city was also closed to the public
0:07:02 > 0:07:05as officers examined the graves of Mr Skripal's wife and son.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Today there was no change in his condition or that of his daughter -
0:07:08 > 0:07:10still critical and still in intensive care.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Wiltshire police released a statement on behalf
0:07:12 > 0:07:14of the third victim, Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17He said he and his family are hugely grateful for all the messages
0:07:17 > 0:07:19of support from the public and colleagues from
0:07:19 > 0:07:28the police family.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31He was part of a group of officers and other emergency service
0:07:31 > 0:07:33colleagues who dealt with the incident and he does not
0:07:33 > 0:07:34consider himself a hero.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39He was merely doing his job, a job he loves and is immensely proud of.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Salisbury is a proud city, trying to get on with normal life.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Shoppers in the market and officials drawing up a plan to help businesses
0:07:46 > 0:07:56affected by the police operation.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00More barriers were going up tonight at the park bench where it all began
0:08:00 > 0:08:11and it might be weeks yet before this is all over. Steve Bannon has
0:08:11 > 0:08:15told a conference of the far right National Front movement in France
0:08:15 > 0:08:21that it is part of a global movement to. He took aim at what he called
0:08:21 > 0:08:24the globalised elite and the mainstream media. He spoke of a
0:08:24 > 0:08:30growing wave of populism across Europe.You saw in Italy that the
0:08:30 > 0:08:395-star movement and the league don't agree on everything, and in fact the
0:08:39 > 0:08:425-star movement is I would argue a centreleft movement. But they came
0:08:42 > 0:08:47together to vote against the permanent political class in Rome
0:08:47 > 0:08:54and in Brussels. Marine Le Pen laid it out. It is not about left versus
0:08:54 > 0:08:59right. That's too simplistic, and it's the way the opposition party
0:08:59 > 0:09:04media has always kept us out of power. I did not come here as a
0:09:04 > 0:09:09teacher, I came to Europe as an observer and to learn. And what I've
0:09:09 > 0:09:13learned is, you are part of a worldwide movement that is bigger
0:09:13 > 0:09:17than France, bigger than Italy, bigger than Hungary, bigger than all
0:09:17 > 0:09:24of it.Steve Bannon.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Stay with us on BBC World News, still to come...
0:09:27 > 0:09:29It's known as a jewel of gothic architecture -
0:09:29 > 0:09:30but for how much longer?
0:09:30 > 0:09:32We take a look around Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris -
0:09:32 > 0:09:35some of which is in danger of falling apart.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54This, the worst terrorist atrocity on modern European soil in modern
0:09:54 > 0:09:59times. In less than 24 hours the Soviet Union lost an elderly Sikh
0:09:59 > 0:10:06leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10We heard these gunshots and then he came out and started firing and we
0:10:10 > 0:10:20were all petrified.James Hall Ray, 41, sentenced to 99 years, travelled
0:10:20 > 0:10:28to Nashville State prison in a convoy...What does it feel like to
0:10:28 > 0:10:37be married at last?It feels fine thank you.Is it going to change
0:10:37 > 0:10:45your life?I don't know, really, I've never been married
0:10:47 > 0:10:52This is BBC World News Today.
0:10:52 > 0:10:58The latest headlines.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00reports from Syria suggest that government forces have split the
0:11:00 > 0:11:05rebel-held enclave of Eastern Goutah.The Sri Lankan government
0:11:05 > 0:11:09says it will pay for all the damage caused by days of violent and he was
0:11:09 > 0:11:15in protests in the city of own. That includes buildings gutted by fire
0:11:15 > 0:11:19and businesses that were ransacked in four days of riots. Several
0:11:19 > 0:11:24people were also killed in a wave of attacks on Muslims by Buddhist
0:11:24 > 0:11:29hardliners. Jill McGillvary has the latest. This was the moment the
0:11:29 > 0:11:37Prime Minister saw the devastation for himself if burnt out shops,
0:11:37 > 0:11:43smashed windows and badly damaged mosques. The violence here is a
0:11:43 > 0:11:47reminder that tensions between Buddhist and Muslim immunities run
0:11:47 > 0:11:52deep. Many businesses are still closed and with mosques damaged,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Friday prayers were in the open air under army protection. The military
0:11:56 > 0:12:03are out in force now, on the surface, all is calm. But many
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Muslims say they still feel unsafe and flee to the jungle to hide at
0:12:06 > 0:12:15night. The government now promises to pay for the damage. Local
0:12:15 > 0:12:19officials have been told to start the clean-up at once. And in another
0:12:19 > 0:12:23sign of life starting to return to normal, the curfew was lifted on
0:12:23 > 0:12:29Saturday. But a social media ban is still in place. At the height of the
0:12:29 > 0:12:33violence, a state of emergency was declared and thousands of troops
0:12:33 > 0:12:40were sent onto the streets. Buddhism mobs mostly from, her community
0:12:40 > 0:12:44attacked a Muslim owned properties, reacting to reports that a Buddhist
0:12:44 > 0:12:49man had been killed by a group of Muslims. This monk risks to his life
0:12:49 > 0:12:54to protect mosques in his area from attack.TRANSLATION: There were four
0:12:54 > 0:12:58attempted attacks, we were able to successfully stop them and we
0:12:58 > 0:13:01quickly got the police to come and another instance we ran towards the
0:13:01 > 0:13:05attackers and sent them away. There are 14 mosques in this area and we
0:13:05 > 0:13:10did not allow anything to happen to them. We found several petrol bombs,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13by well-briefed failed attacks with petrol bombs.Mohamed's home was one
0:13:13 > 0:13:19sacked.TRANSLATION: They've looted our house, my sister only got
0:13:19 > 0:13:23married recently. They have taken all her jewellery. My small brother
0:13:23 > 0:13:27could take the money to buy a watch and they have even taken that. See
0:13:27 > 0:13:32how they have torn our two-month-old child's toy. I think more than
0:13:32 > 0:13:37racism their intention was to looked.Police say they have
0:13:37 > 0:13:42arrested nearly 150 people. Sri Lanka's president has launched an
0:13:42 > 0:13:45independent investigation into what happened, a signal from the
0:13:45 > 0:13:52government that it will restore justice here. You're watching BBC
0:13:52 > 0:13:59World News today. Jessica has the sports. Starting with football,
0:13:59 > 0:14:04Marcus Rashford scored twice as Manchester United held on to beat
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Liverpool and strengthened their grip on second place in the Premier
0:14:06 > 0:14:10League. It means Jose Mourinho's side narrowed the gap on Manchester
0:14:10 > 0:14:20City to 13 points. And they are now five points clear of Liverpool.I
0:14:20 > 0:14:25don't remember a dangerous situation to our goal. It was controlled by
0:14:25 > 0:14:29them having the ball, controlled by us not having the Boulter so, I
0:14:29 > 0:14:33think we deserve the victory but of course, a big match, I don't know
0:14:33 > 0:14:38because I don't have binoculars, but my feeling is that the referee was
0:14:38 > 0:14:46also very good. And I think a big game, where nobody goes home
0:14:46 > 0:14:49disappointed with the emotion, the quality, the level and the
0:14:49 > 0:15:02intensity.At the London Stadium West Ham lost to Birmingham by 3-0.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04The game was marred
0:15:04 > 0:15:06by ugly scenes during the second-half, when a number of West
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Ham fans took to the pitch to protest against the owners. The FA
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and the Premier League have condemned the disturbances and say
0:15:12 > 0:15:15they will be seeking observations from West Ham and the club has
0:15:15 > 0:15:21launched an inquiry. West Ham are three points above the relegation
0:15:21 > 0:15:23West Ham are three points above the relegation zone.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26We want the supporters behind us and since I've been
0:15:26 > 0:15:27here they've been really good.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30But you can't cross the line had come on the pitch.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33The players had gone one down and we want them to keep their focus
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and overall a lot of them did a really good job.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Not football-wise at times in the second half but certainly
0:15:38 > 0:15:43in the way they behaved.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Confirmation of those results, Newcastle United have gone five
0:15:45 > 0:15:50points clear of the relegation zone after beating Southampton. West Brom
0:15:50 > 0:15:52look to be heading towards the Championship. They were thrashed at
0:15:52 > 0:16:03home to Leicester City. In the late game, Chelsea beat Crystal Palace.
0:16:03 > 0:16:09In Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice for Real Madrid and they are
0:16:09 > 0:16:11now four points behind Atletico Madrid in third after winning their
0:16:11 > 0:16:20game. Barcelona are currently leading 2-0. Ireland have won the
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Six Nations with one round remaining after a bonus point victory over
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Scotland in Dublin. Two tries from Jacob Stockdale and further scores
0:16:28 > 0:16:36by Conor Murray and Sean Cronin gave the Irish deserved victory. England
0:16:36 > 0:16:42were beaten by France in the other game. It handed Ireland the trophy.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46There was a lot of pressure, a lot of people talking about it and we
0:16:46 > 0:16:50knew how good a Team Scotland were, so there are a lot of good things in
0:16:50 > 0:16:56there. To score a bonus point win in the Six Nations is a big defeat. Is
0:16:56 > 0:16:59always there are things we can do better, but ultimately, we're really
0:16:59 > 0:17:05happy to get a big win.In cricket, a 58 ball century from Jonny
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Bairstow helped England to a seven wicket victory in the deciding
0:17:09 > 0:17:12one-day international against New Zealand in Christ Church. England
0:17:12 > 0:17:18bowled New Zealand out for 223. Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid got
0:17:18 > 0:17:29three wickets each. A partnership of 84 between Colin de Grandhomme and
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Mitchell Santner helped the Kiwis get a respectable target. But
0:17:31 > 0:17:38Bairstow helped tourists win the series 3-2, winning this one with
0:17:38 > 0:17:42more than 17 overs remaining.It was outstanding. It really was. We
0:17:42 > 0:17:48played extremely well in the previous game. Today, different
0:17:48 > 0:17:52circumstances, different pitch, some results. Just probably about 50
0:17:52 > 0:17:56balls less. It is funny the conversations we have in the
0:17:56 > 0:18:00changing room is about who has got the quickest hundred A.D. Just is
0:18:00 > 0:18:05the first and now Jonny Bairstow has the fourth quickest. To have four
0:18:05 > 0:18:08guys who can go and do that is a huge compliments to our batting
0:18:08 > 0:18:16line-up.That is to sport for now. Let's go back to our top stories
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Deeney advance of the Syrian regime forces on the rebel enclave of
0:18:20 > 0:18:26Eastern Goutah. To talk more about it I am now joined by somebody from
0:18:26 > 0:18:32Brussels, the Middle East programme director at Crisis Group. Thank you
0:18:32 > 0:18:36rejoining us. Let's get back to basics - can you explain why Eastern
0:18:36 > 0:18:44Ghouta is such a key battle ground? Well, it is because the area is a
0:18:44 > 0:18:47suburb of Damascus, is century. And it has been rebel-held from pretty
0:18:47 > 0:18:52much the beginning of the Syrian uprising against the regime. And
0:18:52 > 0:18:55since the regime has been able to recover quite a bit of territory
0:18:55 > 0:19:00elsewhere in the country, and since the rebels have been shelling
0:19:00 > 0:19:07downtown Damascus from their vantage point in the suburb, the regime
0:19:07 > 0:19:15clearly has decided now to retake that area now that it has freed up
0:19:15 > 0:19:20its troops in other parts of the country.So, we have 1000 civilians
0:19:20 > 0:19:24dead in the past few weeks, including 200 children - what will
0:19:24 > 0:19:28happen now to the civilians who are still left in the router and also
0:19:28 > 0:19:33the rebels who are still there?It is a good question. We don't know.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39The pressure is clearly tremendous. There is a United Nations Security
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Council resolution calling for a nationwide ceasefire, including
0:19:42 > 0:19:49Eastern Goutah. And yet we see that the conflict continues there. At
0:19:49 > 0:19:53tremendous cost to the local population. It's not clear what
0:19:53 > 0:19:59their way out is. Technically Eastern Goutah, apart from the fact
0:19:59 > 0:20:04that supposedly there is a nationwide ceasefire, it is also a
0:20:04 > 0:20:07de-escalation zone, which means that no fighting should be taking place
0:20:07 > 0:20:12between the regime and the rebels Raqqa groups such as Al-Qaeda and
0:20:12 > 0:20:17Islamic State are excluded from that but the presence of an Al-Qaeda
0:20:17 > 0:20:20affiliated group there is very minor. And it is clearly being used
0:20:20 > 0:20:29as an excuse to continue attacking civilian areas. So, now, the
0:20:29 > 0:20:34question is, what can other states do? Exert pressure on Russia, on
0:20:34 > 0:20:45Syria, on Iran. We don't see it. And so, we can hope for any other
0:20:45 > 0:20:48measure that would help protect the lives of civilians in particular.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54What more can you tell me about the how many humanities situation, are
0:20:54 > 0:20:59the aid convoys getting through?The Red Cross has been able to go in.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03But the convoys have been few and far between. And clearly, even when
0:21:03 > 0:21:08they get through, there are insufficient quantities to provide
0:21:08 > 0:21:13the entire population of the area, which is about 400,000, with aid and
0:21:13 > 0:21:20food. So, many people are hunkered down in underground shelters and
0:21:20 > 0:21:24don't dare to come out in most cases. And even when they do, there
0:21:24 > 0:21:28is no food to be had, so the situation is clearly dire.Thank you
0:21:28 > 0:21:38very much.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris attracts around 13 million
0:21:42 > 0:21:44visitors every year - and is one of Paris's
0:21:44 > 0:21:45leading landmarks.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46But for how much longer?
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Parts of the 850-year-old Gothic masterpiece are starting to crumble,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51because of pollution eating away at the stone.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Hugh Schofield reports from Paris.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Because actually the parts of the pinnacle have fallen down...
0:21:55 > 0:22:02Outside on the roof above the back of the cathedral, this is the part
0:22:02 > 0:22:12of Notre-Dame that visitors don't get to see - fallen chunks
0:22:13 > 0:22:17of stoneware, gatgoyles replaced by PVC pipes,
0:22:17 > 0:22:19of stoneware, gargoyles replaced by PVC pipes,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21a flying buttress held together with metal staples.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23This jewel of Gothic architecture is becoming unstable.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26So, I think if there is no repairs, the risk is that the stone
0:22:26 > 0:22:28begins to fall down, and the risk is also
0:22:28 > 0:22:31that the structure itself of the walls, of the nave
0:22:31 > 0:22:33of the cathedral, for instance, will be in danger.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Parts of the cathedral could fall, and this is a big risk, yes.
0:22:37 > 0:22:47You get a real sense of the dilapidation of Notre-Dame
0:22:47 > 0:22:51cathedral when you come here, it's a little private garden just
0:22:51 > 0:22:53behind the cathedral, off-limits to the public,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55and this section is what they call the cemetery.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58These pieces are all bits of Gothic masonry which are in such bad repair
0:22:58 > 0:22:59they simply fell off.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Some examples of stones that have been recently damaged...
0:23:03 > 0:23:05The problem is pollution, combined with the cold and rain,
0:23:05 > 0:23:10which together are eating into the limestone -
0:23:10 > 0:23:11eventually, it crumbles away.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14The only solution is to replace the masonry block by block,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17but that is a massive job, and the French state
0:23:17 > 0:23:19can't afford it.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21That's why the cathedral has launched an international plea
0:23:21 > 0:23:25for private funds aimed principally at the US.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27On this very roof, after all, once cavorted
0:23:27 > 0:23:33the hunchback of Disney fame - oh, yes, and the book.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37It's a unique jewel at the worldwide level, so I think not begging,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40but asking for help is the best thing to do, because it's
0:23:40 > 0:23:45not a French monument, it's not a Paris monument,
0:23:45 > 0:23:50it's a worldwide monument.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Time, the elements and the petrol engine have exacted a heavy toll
0:23:53 > 0:23:55on Notre-Dame cathedral.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Today, the imaginative genius of its medieval craftsmen
0:23:59 > 0:24:02is being eroded into annihilation.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Without urgent help, much more will be lost.
0:24:04 > 0:24:14Hugh Schofield, BBC News, Paris.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Bolivia has unfurled what it says is the world's biggest flag as part of
0:24:23 > 0:24:28its campaign to regain territory it lost to Chile 100 years ago. The
0:24:28 > 0:24:32flag is decorated with national symbols. Look at all the work that
0:24:32 > 0:24:37has been done on it. It was stretched for about 200 kilometres
0:24:37 > 0:24:43between two Bolivian Western cities. Feel free to get in touch with me
0:24:43 > 0:24:51and some of the rest of the team on Twitter.