Friday, May 1, 2015

UK LEADERS HEAD INTO FINAL WEEKEND OF CAMPAIGNING

Britain's political leaders are back on the campaign trail after a TV grilling - 6 days out from the most unpredictable general election in decades.

Opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband used a Question Time TV appearance to promise not to enter into post-election deals with Scottish Nationalists the SNP.

Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron won the night according to snap polling and promised any government or coalition he leads will give the UK a referendum on EU membership.

Some polls have edged towards the Conservatives in recent days but still suggest a hung parliament and a difficult path to government for the party.

Political reporter Theo Usherwood says Ed Miliband knows much of the public is turned off by the idea of a coalition including the SNP which wants Scotland to leave the UK.

IN: "Ed Miliband....
OUT: ...to do."
DUR: 35 secs


ALT:

Political reporter Theo Usherwood says David Cameron was standing firm on the issue of the European Union.

IN: "Mr Cameron....
OUT: ...this issue."
DUR: 40 secs


ALT:

Political analyst Robert Gordon-Clark says it's becoming even harder to work out how either main party can form a working coalition.

IN: "Can they....
OUT: ...the Scots."
DUR: 28 secs


ALT:

Political analyst Robert Gordon-Clark says the parties are gearing up for a furious final weekend of campaigning.

IN: "Getting the....
OUT: ...this weekend."
DUR: 31 secs

Thursday, April 30, 2015

NASA spacecraft crashes in Mercury's surface

A NASA spacecraft has smashed into the surface of Mercury - the closest planet in the solar system to the Sun.

The crash ends a historic mission for the Messenger craft which has been orbiting the planet since 2011.

Steve Mort reports.

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UK LEADERS 'CLASH' IN TV 'DEBATE'

Britain's Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and opposition leader have clashed in the final set-piece televised event before the country's general election.
David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband didn't face off directly though because the Prime Minister only agreed to one tv debate.
Instead they faced questions from a studio audience - which led to pressure on David Cameron on claims he wants to cut welfare and healthcare spending.
Ed Miliband was forced into ruling out post-election deals with Scottish nationalists the SNP.
Snap polls suggest David Cameron won the event.
The event came ahead of a Thursday election that pollsters say remains too close to call and will likely lead to a hung parliament.
UK correspondent Olly Barratt says of the two main party leaders, Mr Cameron will be happiest.
IN:  "David Cameron…..
OUT:  …featured in."
DUR: 41 seconds
ALT:
UK correspondent Olly Barratt says of the two main party leaders, Mr Cameron will be happiest.
IN:  "David Cameron's...
OUT:  …a victory."
DUR: 34 seconds

US Navy to accompany US shipping in Straits of Hormuz

The US Navy is to accompany every US-flagged ship sailing through the Straits of Hormuz in a bid to protect shipping from Iran.


The decision comes just days after the Iranians seized a cargo ship with more than 2 dozen sailors aboard.


Our US Correspondent Simon Marks reports.


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France investigating sexual abuse by French peacekeepers alleged in leaked UN report

[SUGGESTED INTRO]

It's a scandal that is casting shame on international peacekeeping…. Men tasked with protecting children now accused of being sexual predators.


At the center of the allegations are French troops accused of sexually abusing children displaced by the conflict in the Central African Republic.


Details of the accusation were leaked to French authorities by a UN staff member.


Liling Tan has the details.


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DUR: 44 seconds


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U.S. jobless benefits claims drop to 15-year low

New claims for jobless benefits in the U.S. have dropped to their lowest level in 15 years, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

Experts say it's a sign employers are laying off fewer workers, and of overall health in the labor market.

Mary MacCarthy reports:

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North Korean Nuclear Site Shows Signs of Resumed Activity

North Korea's most prominent nuclear reactor site, Yongbyon, appears to have restarted activity.

The finding is based on analysis by Washington-based analysts of satellite imagery.

From the US capital, Daniel Ryntjes reports...

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100 Arrested in New York City's #BaltimoreUprising rally

New York police say over a hundred arrests were made during Wednesday
night's solidarity for Baltimore rally.

Several hundred New Yorkers protested the death of Baltimore's Freddie
Gray - the young black man who died of spinal cord injury while in
police custody earlier this month.

Mimi Chiahemen reports

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U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had questioned mental state of pilot who crashed passenger plane

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had questioned the mental state of Andreas Lubitz, the pilot who flew a passenger plane into a french mountain range in March this year, killing all 150 on board.  

The records dating back to 2010 - which surfaced following a Freedom of Information Act request - show Lubitz had sought a U.S. pilot licence while working for Lufthansa airlines.

In Washington Kevin McAleese reports 

IN: "Five years..."
OUT:SOC
DUR: 40 seconds

Major association accused of collaborating with US torture programme

A major organization representing American health professionals stands accused of secretly helping the US government to justify torture.

The charge is contained in a report about the actions of the prominent American Psychological Association.

The authors say the APA collaborated with the then Bush administration. 

Malcolm Brown reports.

IN: "The report's...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 43 seconds 

Vietnamese PM speaks of US's "countless barbarous crimes" during Vietnam War

The Prime Minister of Vietnam has spoken of the "countless barbarous crimes" committed by the US during the Vietnam War.
Nguyen Tan Dung was speaking in Ho Chi Minh City at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the war.
58,000 Americans were killed in the war, along with up to 250,000 South Vietnamese allies and an estimated 3 million communist fighters and civilians.
Kate Fisher reports from Washington

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OUT:SOC
DUR: 40 seconds


North Korea's Kim Jong Un not coming to Moscow for Victory Day

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un is not coming to Moscow for the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe, the Kremlin says.


The trip would have been his first since taking power in 2011.


Tom Barton reports.


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Sen. Sanders to challenge Hillary Clinton for Democratic nomination

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, intends to challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democrat's nomination to run for the White House in 2016.

Senator Sanders is politically much more liberal than Hillary Clinton.

Our Washington correspondent Priscilla Huff has an update on the 2016 run for the White House:

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***

7 DAYS TIL UK ELECTION - CONSERVATIVE POLL BOOST

It's exactly a week until Britain votes in one of the most unpredictable general elections in decades.

One new poll puts the Conservative party of Prime Minister David Cameron 5 points clear of opposition Labour but others suggest the campaign is still neck and neck.

Olly Barratt reports from London.

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OUT: SOC  
DUR: 43 seconds.

Greece's negotiators in Brussels for rescue talks as Moody's downgrades bonds rating

A Greek team of negotiators is in Brussels for further talks with international creditors to strike a rescue deal before the country runs out of cash. 

Meanwhile rating agency Moody's downgraded Greece's government bond rating, citing high uncertainty that an agreement will be reached in time.

Our Europe correspondent Sandra Gathmann reports.

IN: "Greece's new…"
OUT: SOC  
DUR: 46 seconds.

German newspaper claims the German intelligence service has spied on top French and European officials

Germany's intelligence service has been spying on top officials in France and at the European Commission for the US National Security Agency - according to the German newspaper  Sueddeutsche Zeitung (sood-doi-tscha tz-eye-tung).

It claims phones were tapped within the office of the French president, the French foreign ministry and the EU Commission in Brussels under a deal agreed in 2002.

Our Europe correspondent Jack Parrock reports. 

IN: "As yet...."
OUT: SOC
DUR: 40 secs


UK LEADERS TO FACE TV QUESTIONS

The leaders of Britain's three main political parties - for now, at least - are preparing for the final set-piece television event of the general election campaign.

Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband will face the cameras and questions from a studio audience.

The leaders will appear separately, and won't debate each other - because David Cameron only agreed to one TV debate before Thursday's vote.

It comes with most polls still showing his Conservatives neck and neck with Labour and Britain heading for a hung parliament.

Joe Twyman of pollsters YouGov says that makes door-to-door campaigning more important than televised events.

IN: "Efforts...
OUT: ...or lost."
DUR: 12 seconds


ALT:

Political reporter Theo Usherwood says the leaders know the event presents a risk and an opportunity.

IN: "It's a...
OUT: ...small way."
DUR: 28  seconds


Russian backed militants force aid offices out of eastern Ukraine

Russian backed militants have closed down offices of the International Rescue committee in eastern Ukraine.


The separatists accuse the aid organisation of spying.


Tom Barton reports.


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BOY RESCUED FROM NEPAL RUBBLE

A teenaged boy has been rescued alive from rubble in Kathmandu, five days after an earthquake struck Nepal.

Some survivors in rural regions still haven't received any aid, however, after Saturday's quake.

The United Nations says it needs $415m for emergency relief in the next three months.

The official death toll from the earthquake stands over 5500, and the UN says 70 000 homes have been destroyed.

Ben Setton is country director in Nepal for the Adam Smith International group and says thousands of people are too scared to return to their homes.

IN: "There've been...
OUT: ...few days."
DUR: 28 seconds


ALT:

Ben Setton is country director in Nepal for the Adam Smith International group and says reaching rural regions will take time.

IN: "A lot...
OUT: ...required."
DUR: 18 seconds


ALT:

This man is sleeping in a makeshift tent in Kathmandu

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OUT: ...ourselves."
DUR: 14 seconds