Thanks in. A 22 hours g.m.t. Welcome to the news room from the b.b.c. World Service I'm Danny Gox pro-government forces in Syria and to the Kurdish held territory of Africa in as Turkey says it will lay siege to the area the charge that both the city and the region will be cut off from outside help and the terrorist organization will not be able to bargain with anyone also in Syria the u.n. Warns the rebel held enclave of eastern Ghouta risks becoming a 2nd Aleppo we are looking in from the earth increasing drag the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas calls for a peace conference on the Middle East by the middle of this year and 6 years on from the sinking of the Italian cruise ship the Costa Concordia it's pianist relives the moment that changed his life the beginning of Kaos started when we experienced several blackouts I bumped into an officer and he say we are on a shipwreck that's all coming up after this bill is the end of World News. Omarion Marshall with the b.b.c. News forces loyal to the Syrian government have entered the Kurdish stronghold of Africa in stoking fears of an escalation of fighting along the border with Turkey as they arrived they were met with Turkish artillery fire here's our Middle East analyst Sebastian Asha it's still not clear exactly what the Syrian government intervention into 3 is intended to accomplish the government has made no unambiguous statement about its aims of those state television showed the fighters chanting One Syria as they crossed into the region the Kurdish fighters say Damascus has. Called for help Turkey has denounced a force which is not part of the regular Syrian army as terrorists the bombardment by the Syrian government and its allies of the rebel held enclave of eastern Ghouta has continued for a 3rd day monitors say more than 100 people have been killed for a 2nd consecutive day the Syrian government said rebels in eastern Guta had fired mortars on Damascus killing 6 people and had a right to defend itself unison job reports what we're hearing now from people is that they're trying to hide in basements so that they can take cover from the continuous selling people are pleading for help the u.n. Even made an announcement that this will stop immediately but the last 24 hours have been the worst and that eastern water have faced any years unfortunately for Syrians on the ground for the civilians trapped there the government and Russell have the upper hand what we're seeing today and yesterday is that big escalation from government forces and that's telling us that in this case could be the law of course the words at the end of the situation in eastern water. And the son in law of one of Russia's richest men has pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to federal investigators as part of u.s. Special counsel Robert Muller's probe into alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election Alexander Swan had been charged earlier on Tuesday and appeared at a hearing in a federal court in Washington where Gary O'Donoghue report. As one has admitted withholding or deleting e-mails as well as failing to disclose conversations with the former aide to the trunk campaign Rick gates and another individual only as person Rick Gates is facing criminal charges including conspiracy to lot of money and failure to register as a foreign agent this is the 19th indictment handed down by the special counsel including $13.00 Russians who were charged last week President Trump has expressed his willingness to ban the mechanisms which allow a rifle to shoot in almost automatic bursts the devices known as bump stocks were used by the gunman who shot $58.00 people dead in Las Vegas in October Mr Trump announced that the regulations would be finalized very soon it's believed that Mr Trump's comments on Bob stocks are his 1st definitive policy proposal on gun control you're listening to the latest world news from the b.b.c. The White House says President trumps son in law Jared cushion or can continue in his role as a senior advisor to the president even if he doesn't obtain security clearance it's a question has been operating with a temporary clearance for the past year while the f.b.i. Conducts background checks on him under an order issued on Friday by the White House chief of staff to question his temporary permission is due to expire in less than a week. The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has called for an international multilateral peace conference on the Middle East to be convened by the middle of this year Mr Abbas told the u.n. Security Council the Palestinians were living in an unbearable situation and the conference must lead to acceptance of Palestine as a full un member state the B.B.C.'s u.n. Correspondent said his remarks were a clear swipe at the u.s. But Washington's ambassador Nikki Haley told President Abbas that u.s. Negotiators were still ready to help the United States stands ready to work with the Palestinian leadership our negotiators are sitting right behind me ready to talk but we will not chase after you the choice Mr President is yours the annual report on the state of Germany's armed forces has highlighted major shortcomings following many years of budget cuts more than 20000 posts or unfilled and many parts of the Navy the Air Force lack necessary equipment for example pilots aren't able to complete their training because of plane shortages and none of the Navy's 6 submarines are combat ready the Latvian defense ministry says the corruption allegations that led to the detention of the country's central bank chief could be part of an operation directed from abroad the ministry said similar operations aimed at influencing the outcome of elections have been seen in France Germany and the United States it didn't say who it believed was carrying out the operation b.b.c. World Service news. You're listening to the newsroom from the b.b.c. World Service I'm Danny Cox We begin with those reports the Turkish troops are fired on pro Syrian government forces in the border region of Africa and it adds another layer to the already deeply complex situation in Syria a month after Turkey launched an offensive against Kurdish fighters whom it regards as terrorists Damascus has now sent forces to the region seemingly to support the Kurds earlier the Turkish president Rajib Tiber to one promise to lease siege to African city and warn others against crossing what he called the red lines of the Turkish nation. Yeah the charge that both the city and the region will be cut off from outside help and the terrorist organization will not be able to bargain with anyone we will show those who want to create a terrorist corridor on Turkey's southern border that it's not an easy task so how dangerous is this latest confrontation Here's our Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher I think the concern about the escalation is how much the outside forces would have been using proxies in the Syrian war going to be drawn into direct confrontation with each other now the Syrian government is still doing this tightly at arms length this isn't the regular army this is a militia trained by Iran which is going in a convoy and it's unclear exactly what the aim in the scope of its mission is to wipe e.g. The Kurdish militia has welcomed it as supporting its battle against the Turkish incursion but there is a. Another way of looking it at it which is perhaps that for the Kurds certainly who are facing this this this big attack but also perhaps for the Turks who may have bitten off more than they can chew the needs to be some way to get out of this situation perhaps by putting Syrian government forces in that area and bringing the Kurds back from the front line that might to some extent satisfy the Turks and stop. Their incursion from escalating further because they threatened to go after us 3 further east to other Kurdish cantons and that is where they could come into direct confrontation with the u.s. The u.s. Has supported the Kurds in the battle against i-s. Us troops are imaginary but not enough 3 bit further over in a town called Man bridge now prisoner the one who we heard there who uses very strong language of course has said that they will go after there as well so the u.s. Has essentially said that it respects Turkey's right to self-defense the Turks see the Kurdish militants as terrorists but that it thinks that told them that they must show restraint but I don't know quite how many cards the u.s. Has to play at the moment in doing this so it is a very very dangerous and combustible situation as I say the unknowable in them is what the Syrian government is actually doing that if they do actually stop fighting on the side of the Kurds I think that potentially is a big escalation further south on the outskirts of the capital Damascus Syrian government forces have carried out some of the heaviest bombardments in recent years on the rebel held enclave of eastern Ghouta activists say that in 3 days of airstrikes and artillery fire over 200 people have been killed in Geneva the u.n. Children's agency expressed outrage at the casualties among the enclaves children saying it had run out of words is all Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen. Residents of eastern Ghouta say that this is as bad as any bombing they've endured since the area rebelled against the regime of President Bashar al Assad not long after the beginning of the war 7 years ago. Mohammed addle who lives there told the b.b.c. That it was devastating we have a very very hard time yesterday and today morning was the hardest I can tell you people are very scared all of them in a basement if they have a basement we're trying to manage things but their heart Eastern Ghouta is the last rebel held enclave in and around Damascus it's controlled by a number of armed Islamic militias some fighters I met there said they wanted Syria to be as Islamist as Turkey Others though are extremists who belong to a group with its roots in Al Qaida the regime denies it has attacked civilians it says it's trying to liberate Eastern Ghouta from terrorists pro regime media in Syria say that a major military operation might be underway a soon as next week one said hell had opened its doors to the militants the b.b.c. Has been told that there are talks on so-called safe corridors for civilians but wider diplomatic efforts to end the killing are not making progress the un envoy to Syria Stepha de Mistura has warned that the fight for eastern Ghouta could be as bloody as the battle for Aleppo he didn't want to go back for more people we are looking in front of us increasing tragedy bottom line if we haven't learned something from a little time to actually avoid it or is the Assad regime is moving against Eastern Ghouta to seal its victory around the capital. Elsewhere in Syria there's still a great deal of bloodshed and instability with some of the world's strongest military powers involved the war in Syria is changing but it is not over Jeremy Bowen from near quarter Camp David to handshakes in the Rose Garden the United States long had a significant involvement in the Middle East peace process so there were eyebrows raised at the United Nations on Tuesday when the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas called for an international peace conference rather than American led negotiations some are seeing it as a snub only move and you know. We met the president of the United States Mr Donald Trump 4 times in 2017 and we have expressed our absolute readiness to reach a story peace agreement we repeatedly reaffirmed our position in accordance with international law the relevant un resolutions and the 2 state solution on the basis of the 967 borders and get this administration has not clarified its position is it for the 2 state solution or for the one state solution the u.s. Ambassador to the u.n. Nikki Haley gave this response the Palestinian leadership has a choice to make between 2 different paths there's the path of absoluteness demands hateful rhetoric and incitement to violence. That path has led and will continue to lead to nothing but hardship for the Palestinian people or there is the path of negotiation and compromise history has shown that path to be successful for Egypt and Jordan including the transfer of territory that path remains open to the Palestinian leadership if only it is courageous enough to take it well the u.s. Ambassador did offer an olive branch assaults telling the Palestinian leadership that u.s. Negotiators were ready to talk but adding We will not chase after you our correspondent Nick Bryant who's in New York told me what this all means for relations between the United States and the Palestinians the very sour immediately after not much about delivered his remarks he left the chamber to ringing a pose for marriage supporters in the room the Israeli ambassador accuse him of running away and no longer being part of the solution but part of the problem and he wasn't in the room to hear Nikki Haley's remarks either she said that all talking points and undeveloped concepts that she was referring to this idea of a multilateral mechanism which would damn play American involvement that approaches always fail she said and then as you say she added in this dramatic gesture that the u.s. Negotiations negotiators with sat behind him prepared to talk but we will not chase after you and of course it added to the sense that he'd already left the room and what made her remarks all the more dramatic was the presence in the chamber a president from son in law Jared Krishna who's been assigned with what looks like an ever more difficult job of forging Middle East peace the Palestinians seem to want to bypass the u.s. Suggesting they're no longer on his Broca's But could anyone else step in. Well that's a problem we had about his call for this new multilateral mechanism that includes all the members the permanent members of the Security Council and this international peace conference held by the middle of the year as you say that's significant because the Americans have traditionally been the mediators between the Palestinians in the Israel is a point made there very forcefully by Nikki Haley. Is that going to get off the ground Well no and other members of the Security Council pointed that out Britain for example spoke and said the United States was an indispensable nation when it came to Middle East Pete's peace talks and that really does reflect the reality the Palestinians may want a new multilateral mechanism but the Americans won't buy that and crucially nor the Israelis Nick Bryant in New York you're listening to the newsroom from the b.b.c. World Service and Marion has some other stories from on his desk the president of the motives have to tell ya mean has extended a state of emergency by another 30 days despite international consent about the impact on democracy opposition politicians said the move was unconstitutional the president 1st Acad an emergency in the modis 2 weeks ago claiming that the opposition was trying to stage a coup the Dutch police officers trade union says the country is losing the battle against drugs crime a report compiled by the association alleges lack of resources means that 90 percent of drugs gangs are being given free reign the trade union says 2000 new jobs must be created to address the situation. The manner of one of the Italian island of Sardinia as most popular beach areas is considering banning towels and large beach bags to protect its white sands and Tonio D'Anna has suggested that this it is to love Pelosi beach higher chairs and mats to help prevent erosion of the sand to use you're a person a big surge in cases of measles which the World Health Organization says is a tragedy after a record low in 2016 last year the number of cases increased 4 fold with more than 20000 people affected and 35 deaths experts say that people shunning vaccination is part of the problem is a health reporter Michelle Roberts the World Health Organization says 15 European countries had large measles outbreaks in 2017 cases were highest in Romania Italy and Ukraine and run into the thousands low immunization coverage is to blame say experts vaccines can stop the disease but too few people are getting this protection against an illness that can be deadly the w.h.o. Says there have been stock shortages in some countries such as remain and Ukraine another issue is vaccine hesitancy in recent years Italy has seen an anti vax movement spreading conspiracy theories about the safety of measles vaccines largely based on one discredited medical research paper published 20 years ago in response the government in Italy recently made it compulsory for children to be vaccinated against measles and 11 other common illnesses before they start school the World Health Organization recommends 95 percent of the population should be immunized to prevent measles outbreaks Michelle Roberts it's 6 years since 32 people died when the Italian cruise ship the Costa Concordia capsized off the coast of Tuscany in the aftermath the ship's pianist and the moment the alter was so traumatized that he struggled to play his beloved piano but now he's created an album shaped by his . Ariens he spoke to the b.b.c. About his music and the nights that changed his life forever. I was performing in the very cozy bar called Marvin the Costa Concordia took a sudden and started lifting and I literally fell off my bangs and even the piano was torn from the safety locks the beginning of Kaos started when we experience and several blackouts people started railing around the tilting rooms bleeding from poles holding broken teeth in their area in their hands was a nightmare scenario I bumped into an officer and I grabbed his arm he was very agitated what was going on why didn't you speak to me I mean he whispered in my hear and he say we are on a shipwreck and you better run for your life I want to escape so I pass through this broken embarkation gate and I found myself holding very tightly to a loose way NJ hanging from from a crane facing the dark waters of course some hours later and helicopter got the fix on me eventually very small rescue boat was sent. Part of me sank with the shape at the beginning my vision was very blurred so I was on the edge of nervous breakdown I had to face my survivor's guilt my mental scars this music cycle Colin or landscape is the main healing therapy I adopted and for me it was like opening my eyes for the 1st time he told resulted as my being affected be reborn and Italian was saying I meet a man now he's beautiful. Former Costa Concordia pianist and him oh man Yatta You've been listening to the news room from the b.b.c. World Service. Well support from the b.b.c. With me Alice to Ross coming up in the next 10 minutes Leno Messi ends his goal drought against Chelsea as boss a loner and a Champions League draw when they needed him most That's always the difference with that man when he's team made him he usually provides any good took in the season the combined North and South Korea hockey side and their Winter Olympic campaign with defeats in Kong Chang and Tiger Woods is named as a vice captain of the U.S.A.'s Ryder Cup team My goal is to make the team but whatever happens or the course of the season I will continue to do whatever I can to help us keep the cup I'm excited about the challenge but 1st the football where Chelsea have been held won all by Barcelona and the 1st leg of their Champions League last 16 tie at Stamford Bridge will be on twice hit bosses would work before opening the scoring himself but Leonore Massey's late April eyes that means Chelsea need to get a result in the new camp against the Barcelona side that's only lost once in 39 matches the former Chelsea midfielder Andy Townsend was part of the B.B.C.'s commentary team at Stamford Bridge in recent seasons in the Champions League Barcelona with that attack in prowess that they've had