This is bbc news. The headlines at seven 20 people are reported to have been shot dead and several others wounded in a mass shooting in northeast thailand. This is main suspect a junior army officer, who killed his Commanding Officer before stealing weapons from a military camp. He is still at large. Five british people, including a child, have tested positive for the coronavirus at a ski resort in france. Six senior conservatives write to tory mps to raise concerns about the governments decision to allow huawei to help build the uks 56 network. Why would you want to build into your system an organisation that remains a threat . I dont know of
anyone else anywhere else in the world that would do that. Gusts of 63 Miles Per Hour in stornoway as the met Office Issues Severe Weather warnings for tomorrow as storm ciara approaches from the atlantic. England reignite their six nations title hopes after beating scotland. Full details in sportsday in half an hour. A soldier in thailand has gone on the rampage shooting dead at least 20 people. Reports are that 31 people have been injured with ten being treated in hospital. The gunman is believed to now be holed up in a Shopping Mall in the city of korat. The Sergeant Major began his attack by killing his Commanding Officer at an Army Barracks before stealing guns, ammunition and a military vehicle. He opened fire at a buddhist temple and later at the Shopping Centre where Police Continue to hunt him. The Thai Ministry of defence says, the attacker is this man a low ranking officer named jakraphanth thomma. These pictures were taken from his facebook page, on which he posted updates on the rampage as it happened. It has since been taken down. Jonathan head sent this report from bangkok. Panic in a provincial Shopping Mall as people realise theres a gunman
inside and they have to run. From outside, the sound of multiple gunshots. At this stage, he had already killed a Senior Army Officer and shot several other soldiers before reaching the mall. At one point, one of his shots appeared to ignite a gas cylinder. The gunman has been identified as 32 year old Sergeant Majorjakraphanth thomma. He took selfies of himself outside the mall and live streamed parts of his attack on facebook before it was taken down, but his motives are not yet known. Gun crimes are not uncommon in thailand, but a shooting on this scale by one man is horribly new. Our Southeast Asia correspondent, jonathan head, says the death toll from the shooting is likely to increase. The extent of deaths
and injuries is shocking. The Health Minister has said 20 bodies have been recovered. We think around 50 have been injured. Some of those are very serious conditions. At this stage it looks like the police and army units that had surrounded the mall, some of those have now gone inside. Theres been quite a lot more shooting in the last hour or two and weve seen lots of people who were trapped, shoppers trapped inside. Its a very, very large Shopping Mall so they would have been lots of people inside. Also a lot of places this gunman can hide. A lot of those people were pouring out as the Security Forces went in. The police are saying they have now actually taken control of most of the Shopping Mall. They say all of the floors above the ground level, which suggests that he is in the basement and thats where they will concentrate now. We dont know whether hes got any hostages or any other people hes keeping down there or how they are going to end this. Clearly they want to end it
as quickly as possible. It started earlier in the afternoon when he killed a senior officer, possibly his Commanding Officer. That might have been some kind of personal dispute, we dont know, and the colonels mother in law before moving on to take weapons and ammunition from an army base and ending up in this Shopping Mall but from what people have seen on his social media pages, he was Live Streaming these attacks at one point and posting selfies before facebook took them down. Its not clear what his motives are, theres no sense of any ideological motive and i think until he is either caught or quite possibly killed and there is a full investigation, we wont know what caused this dreadful incident. There would have been a lot of people there when they went in. That will be on the minds of the Security Forces. We believe theyve sent units up from bangkok
who may have specialisation in tackling this sort of situation, but its actually something thats quite unfamiliar in thailand, none of us can remember alone shooting like this happening before so its not something they would be used to handling. We dont know which units have gone in at this stage or how they are trying to do it, but, as you say, as a Sergeant Major in the army, its possible he is well trained. He has certainly been very ruthless in the use of his gunfire up until now. He doesnt appear to be particularly discriminating in who he shoots. Nothing more has come out except the most basic information that we are being given by police and what we have seen on his social media pages so i dont think of this, five british people including a child
have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the french alps. They were all staying in the same chalet, in a ski resort in the savoie region and caught the virus from a british man whod recently returned from singapore. Elsewhere, a british family are in hospital in majorca, as a precaution, after they reportedly came into contact with a coronavirus patient. More than 700 people have died from the virus in china, since the outbreak started. Andy moore reports. A picturesque ski resort in the french alps the unlikely setting for this new cluster of coronavirus cases. French officials said a british man came to a chalet in Contamines Montjoie after visiting singapore. He then infected at least five other people, including a child. A total of 11 people are in hospital, but theyre not said to be in a serious condition. Some local schools will have to close. Translation we have been trying
to trace where the 11 people from the chalet have been during their stay and who they have been in close contact with. The british man who was the original source of the infection is being treated in hospital in london. He fell ill after returning to brighton. A child at a school is in city is in self imposed quarantine. In a separate case in mallorca, a british family of four, including two girls, is in hospital as a precaution after one of them came in contact with a coronavirus case in france. Samples have been sent to madrid for testing. Translation we will have to wait between 24 and 48 hours for the results, but there will be announced as soon as possible. On a cruise liner quarantined off the coast of japan, 64 people have now tested positive for coronavirus. They have been taken off the ship to hospital. One of them is british. Alan steele from walsall was celebrating his honeymoon. Hes said to be doing well, according to his friends, who are still on board the cruise liner. He was taken off the ship yesterday, late afternoon. Hes in a hospital near tokyo. Wendy is missing him a great deal, obviously, but theyre in regular touch, and alan has been in touch with me a couple of times today. Meanwhile the chinese city at the centre of the outbreak has opened a second new hospital to deal with the health emergency. It was built from scratch in wuhan in just two weeks. There have now be a total of 722 deaths in china and two in other countries. More than 3a,000 people in china have been infected. Tomorrow, the last of 150 british citizens are expected to arrive back in the uk on the final Repatriation Flight from wuhan. They will be taken to a training and Conference Venue on the outskirts of milton keynes. The third uk patient andy moore mentioned in his piece caught the coronavirus at a business conference in singapore. The event was held over
three days injanuary at the Grand Hyatt Hotel and was organised by the british firm servomex. In a statement, the company has told the bbc the chinese authorities have said that the rate of confirmed cases over the past four days appears to have eased. Our correspondent in geneva, imogen foulkes, says the World Health Organization is still urging caution. I think the who is also heartened a little bit by that apparent sign of
stabilisation but they were talking, the director general an hour ago, he said you do have to be really kit cautious. Viruses can slow down and then really accelerate again. We dont know yet with this one. But i think more they see, the more they know and what we do see is that the cases outside china are very, very low. There are 288, i think, so far and i think one of the things that the who is really focusing on, and medical experts around the world, are these so called clusters. That business meeting in singapore and who was at it, who was infected, and who they infected after that. That is going to shed some really, really important light on the nature of this virus, how easily it is transmitted and, also, as it spreads, how severe or mild its Health Impact actually is. A group of senior conservatives is urging fellow tory mps to challenge borisjohnsons decision to give the Chinese Technology firm a role in building the uks 5g mobile networks. In a letter, severalformer cabinet ministers say, there are alternative options which would not compromise national security. The government insists the decision was taken following a rigorous review and huaweis involvement in 5g would be limited. Sir Iain Duncan Smith explained why hes concerned about the decision. The government has made a decision, and i have to say i have sympathy for the prime minister, because this is a bit of a hospital pass. This was given to him after Civil Servants had driven this process very hard, because huawei are already in the earlier systems, and bear in mind that the Civil Service were very heavily criticised by the Security Select Committee back in 2013,
who said they should have looked very much more carefully at that security. We are at a point where we need to make a decision, and its a long term decision, notjust on 5g but on 6g, which is the big breakthrough, as to whether or not you have an organisation from a country that is an aggressor in terms of cyber warfare, and a company that is clearly, totally and utterly in the hands of the chinese government, who demand absolute obedience on these matters. So the answer is, are they manageable . And nobody that i have spoken to in the security apparatus, outside or inside technology companies, they all say its simply not manageable to have an organisation like that inside your important network, and therefore we now need to drive that to zero, zero involvement, as soon as we can, one oi two years, and therefore open up to many more other providers. The department for work and pensions
says, its working urgently to make improvements, after a report raised concerns about the number of suicides linked to problems with benefit claims. The National Audit office says, 69 cases have been investigated in the past six years, but warns that the true number is likely to be much higher. Our correspondent, helena wilkinson, gave us this update earlier. We can now reveal that the government looked at 69 cases over the past six years, but i think crucially what this report also warns is that the number of cases where claimants have taken their own lives may be much higher. Its criticised the department for their way it investigates benefit related deaths. It says that there are unclear structures within the department, so staff dont know when to investigate, and that may in turn have stopped other deaths from being reported. It also says until recently its failed to actively seek information from coroners and families. Well, we had a statement from a Government Spokesperson saying the department was urgently working to drive forward improvements, and learn the lessons of what it called these tragic cases. Obviously, though, this is very concerning for any families whove been affected. Police have spoken to the 16 year old schoolboy who was sent hundreds of social media messages by scotlands former finance secretary, derek mackay. The snp policitian resigned on thursday. Police scotland said it hadnt received any complaint of criminality, but it was assessing available information. The foreign secretary says he is seeking an ambitious trade deal with japan as britain begins free trade talks with major economies. Dominic raab met with his japanese counterpart on his first overseas trip, following britains departure from the eu last month. Mr raab said he wanted a trade agreement at least as good as the eus. I have discussed how we can deliver new bilateral arrangements at least as high a standard, if not higher, and at least as ambitious as the Eu Japan Economic Partnership agreement, which would send a very powerful signal of our shared commitment to free and rules based trade. Minister motegi and i also discussed the uks interest in membership of the comprehensive and progressive agreement on Trans Pacific partnership and we very much welcome the advice and support from japan in that regard. Voters in ireland are voting in a general election today. The country has been governed by coalitions for the past 30 years and there are likely to be Fresh Coalition negotiations between parties, after the result is declared. Counting takes place tomorrow. The headlines on bbc news
20 people are reported to have been shot dead and several others wounded in a mass shooting in north east thailand. Five british people, including a child, have tested positive for the coronavirus at a ski resort in france. Six senior conservatives write to tory mps to raise concerns about the governments decision to allow huawei to help build the uks 5g network. In the united states, Democratic Candidates hoping to take on President Trump in novembers election have moved onto New Hampshire before tuesdays primary vote. All eyes are on Pete Buttigieg and senator bernie sanders, who came out ahead in iowa. Jane obrien reports from New Hampshire. Ladies and gentlemen, tonights Democratic Candidates for president of the united states. The same faces, the same arguments, but a new dynamic on display in the last debate before the New Hampshire primary. Pete buttigieg no longer an upstart and a real contender following his messy win in iowa. Once again, he defended his age and inexperience, this time with greater confidence. Ijust bring a different perspective. Look, i freely admit that if youre looking for the person with the most years of washington Establishment Experience under their belt, youve got your candidate and of course its not me. The perspective im bringing is that of somebody whose life has been shaped by the decisions that are made in those big white buildings in washington dc. Clashes with his opponents were inevitable. Boy, did Pete Buttigieg have a target on his back tonight. Biden went after him, bernie went after him, Amy Klobuchar went after him. Bernie feels threatened, biden and klobuchar feel like theyre losing votes to him. Is he ready for this . Is he ready for the scrutiny . Is he ready for the challenge . And that is something New Hampshire
voters always Pay Attention to. Did former Vice President joe biden do enough to elevate his campaign . His bad performances and his good performances havent helped him or hurt him in a debate, butjoe bidens in a tough, tough spot and we may be looking at the end of his campaign. From the start, mr biden conceded he might lose New Hampshire but gave a defiant defence of his record. We have to be held accountable for the things we did. Im the guy that set up drug courts, i set them up, i wrote it into law and it never got funded. And also on opioids, im the guy who has already begun to make a down payment. In the cures act ive put in 1 billion to fight opioid addiction. Voters say they want to connect with the candidates and there was more energy and some passionate performances, but the central question remains. It is not about who has the best health care plan, all the Health Care Plans are better, a million times better. The question is who can go toe to toe with mr trump. Who can take down mr trump because he is the real threat to the country and let me say, you have to have experience to take him down. This is not a question of hes a nice guy whos going to listen. We need people with experience, that is why i am worried about mayor pete. You need to be able to go toe to toe with this guy and take him down on the debate stage or were going to lose and thats actually the issue in front of democratic voters. I have heard this debate so many darn times and i love all these people and theyre all right. If we win, we can get the right thing, bernie. Whether voters saw anybody on stage capable of beating donald trump will be determined in the ballot box next tuesday, but this is a volatile race with no clear favourite and this time, the New Hampshire primary may not narrow the field. Donald trump has dismissed 2 senior officials who testified against him at his impeachment trial. The us envoy to the eu, gordon sondland, said
he was advised today that the president intended to recall him with immediate effect. Just hours earlier, lt col alexander vindman, a top expert on ukraine, was escorted from the white house. Women now hold a third of board positions in the uks hundred biggest public companies. The figure is up from just i2 a decade ago. But a government backed review, still highlights a lack of women in senior and executive roles. Katy austin reports. My name is francesca ecsery. I sit on the boards of several companies, including air france, and F C Investment trust. Even with francescas background as a successful business leader, getting her first boardroom position was tough. Its an area where often men still hugely outnumber women. Change is painful. There is a huge value attributed
to chemistry on the board, and of course, chemistry you have mainly with people like you. She says boards that dont have enough women are putting themselves at a disadvantage. Basically it doesnt reflect your customer base, it doesnt reflect society at large, it doesnt reflect your staff. The government has backed voluntary targets to increase the representation of women on the boards of the biggest listed companies in the country to 33 , or one in three, by the end of this year. Its february and that target has now been achieved for the top 100 companies, but not yet for the next 250, and its far from job done. I think 33 is a very good start but as we can see and we know, there are still many issues in the workplace to address and we have a lot further to go before we see, really, a good gender balance in the leadership of british business. Francesca welcomes the latest boardroom target being hit, but she worries getting enough women at the top table
remains a long way off. Katy austin, bbc news. The australian state of New South Wales is braced for more severe wet weather this weekend as downpours ease the bushfire crisis in the region. Australias bureau of meteorology warned of dangerous conditions on saturday and sunday. There has already been flooding in sydney and other areas along the coast. Olivia crellin has more. First came the fires, then the floods. So far this year, australia has faced weather conditions of biblical proportions. After months of destructive wildfires razed millions of hectares of land and killed 33 people and billions of animals, australia has experienced severe hailstorms and flash floods. Despite the country receiving the heaviest rainfall in almost 20 years, many of the fires in the east of the country are still burning. We actually have 723 firefighters still in the field of operations. They are dealing with 38 fires, i9 uncontained, but the rainfall is obviously providing some welcome relief to many of the bushfires that have been raging. A welcome relief, but a challenge in its own right. There have been 13 rescues, flood rescues, which unfortunately has doubled since yesterday. I would appeal to the community to be very conscious of the fact that drains, rivers and any number of pieces of infrastructure will be challenged over the course of this flood activity. Still, for much of New South Wales, which had been in drought for over three years, providing the conditions that fuelled the intensity of the recent fires, the rain is a salve. With 20 of about 60 fires
in the state already put out by the downpour in the past day, australians hope that after the rain comes the sun. Four rare mountain gorillas, including a pregnant female, have died in uganda after being hit by lightning, a Conservation Group says. The three adult females and a male infant were found in ugandas Mgahinga National park with gross lesions on their bodies indicating electrocution. There are just over 1,000 mountain gorillas in existence. Lets speak now to journalist jack losh, who is in uganda and has been following nearby gorillas in the area. Thank you for speaking to us. Just how big a loss as this . Its a very sad moment for the conservation community. If we go back to the 19805, community. If we go back to the 1980s, there were just 250 of these iconic primates left in the world. Over the next few decades, through a combination of local engagement, National Efforts and transnational
partnerships, the number today now stands over 1000 mountain gorillas, moving them from critically endangered to endangered. The sad news happened just a few days ago when four gorillas in the National Park in southern uganda were struck by lightning. This is a very sad moment because this park only has one permanent family there, this family have recently moved over from rwanda and among the four gorillas killed were three females, obviously child bearing and crucial for sustaining the population, and one of the females was actually pregnant at the time. Do we know if the rest of the family group are doing ok . They often do go around in groups, dont they . Thats right, mountain gorillas live together in families. The good news is that conservationists are saying that the rest of the family are fine, they are continuing to graze and feed
upon this vegetation as normal, but that doesnt mean these gorillas are com pletely that doesnt mean these gorillas are completely out of the woods. Even though they have moved from critically endangered to endangered, the global Population Based in Central Africa still remains fragile and as the Climate Crisis intensifies and temperatures rise, they are going to face increasing threats. It could damage their food supplies, it could increase the risk of disease transmission, particularly from humans to gorillas, and it could impact their habitat as humans look for more food sources in the forest so while its good news that the gorilla population is continuing to grow, a lot more still has to be done to really sustain and secure their number going into the future. Has Something Like this happened before . When we talk about the drc and the jungle there, you get some extreme weather and ive been on one of
those lightning storms before and they are pretty frightening. The strange thing was, a few hours before these gorillas were killed, i had been in the forest myself on an assignment and we were caught in the same electrical storm and it was extremely powerful. In fact, one of the lightning bolt struck the building that we were sheltering in, it struck the corrugated metal roof we we re it struck the corrugated metal roof we were sheltering under and quite a dramatic fireball exploded from it into the sky so of course these tropical storms are prevalent here. Right now, we should be in the dry season right now, we should be in the dry season and all ive encountered pretty much in the south western corner of uganda has been a lot of torrential rain which is a worrying sign of Climate Change year so while the main threats to these gorillas are poaching, habitat destruction, wildlife trafficking, we can potentially, as weather patterns here change and become more extreme,
this may not be a one off and conservationists will be looking at ways to mitigate this risk going into the future. Here, weather warnings have been issued across the uk, as storm ciara moves in from the atlantic. These were scenes in stornoway this afternoon where gusts of 63 miles an hour were recorded. Heathrow airport is expecting some cancellations and advising travellers to contact their airlines to see if their flights will go ahead, while British Airways has introduced rebooking options for customers on flights from london to europe tomorrow, to reduce disruption. Rail passengers are being urged to travel by train, only if absolutely necessary. And if you want to find out more about how storm ciara is affecting your area, tune into your local bbc Radio Station or head to our website, bbc. Co. Uk weather. Hello. As you pointed out, a dangerous storm is on its way, storm ciara. Whats unusual is that the storm is going to affect virtually all parts of the uk. Heat it is steaming in, bringing some heavy rain around. The amber warning is for severe gales across england and wales, but that may well be extended. Damage and disruption anticipated and you can see the strength of the winds anticipated through tomorrow or virtually everywhere, in excess of 60 miles an hour but up to 80 miles an hour in some parts, very unusual indeed. Weve also got the slow moving band of rain to contained with through the night and there is an amber warning from the met office for the borders of scotland, specifically for river flooding which could happen very quickly so flash
flooding
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