B.B.C. World Service alarmed pull out and shot today we'll take a look at the plight of the forced 400000 people still trapped in Eastern a little in Syria as government forces try to retake the area from the rebels speaking to the U.N. Special advisor to Syria also today the International accuses me and vast military of building bases on demolished Rohingya Muslims villages uses reporting from Puerto Rico 6 months after the devastation caused by Hurricane Rita Julian King is looking at the slow pace of reconstruction also see how reconditioned pacemakers heart pacemakers making it different for heart disease in Kenya people in this country are 100. Times less likely to get a pacemaker than they are let's say in Western Europe and the United States plus all the main sports and business stories in the headlines this morning 1st the latest news Hello I'm Gerri Smith with the B.B.C. News senior British ministers are to discuss whether sufficient evidence exists to name the perpetrators of last week's nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in the city of Seoul is free if proof or merges of the involvement of the Russian state ministers will discuss what action to take Daniel reports the government's policy so far has been to avoid rushing to blame the Kremlin for last Sunday's nerve agent attack the foreign secretary Boris Johnson went the closest in the House of Commons saying that it would be wrong to prejudge the investigation but at the same time describing Russia as a malign and disruptive force the National Security Council will be presented with the latest evidence gathered by counter-terrorism policing and with assessments by the security service M I 5 and the secret intelligence service M I 6 they'll then be a discussion between the members of the Council about whether there's sufficient evidence to act and whether this is the right moment. Austrian police have stepped up security at all diplomatic missions in Vienna following a knife attack outside the Iranian ambassador is residence in the city the ambassador was unharmed Bethany Bell is there a police spokesman said the attacker was a 26 year old Austrian citizen he approached one of the soldiers outside the residence of the Iranian ambassador late on Sunday night and took out a knife a struggle took place between the 2 men the soldier used pepper spray to try and stop the attack and then shot the man dead the soldier was stabbed in the arm and was taken to hospital an investigation is now under way envoys from South Korea visiting Japan and China to brief officials on planned into Korean talks and a meeting between President Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong un So those top security officials last week delivered a message from Pyongyang to President Trump who swiftly agreed to a face to face encounter with Mr Kim president Moon's National Security Advisor It showed you were to meet the Chinese president Xi Jinping. The B.B.C. Is making an unprecedented request to the United Nations to protect the rights of journalists from its Persian Service and their families the corporation is launching its appeal of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva the director of B.B.C. World Service Jamie angas explained why the action is being taken the harassment of the B.B.C.'s Persians service staffed by the Iranian forces has been going on for a number of years and has intensified in recent years our staff can't return to Iran under fear of arrest and many of their families cannot leave Iran have had their passports removed and most worryingly in the last year or so a entirely spurious national security investigation has been started by the Iranian courts against the families of Iran $150.00 Persian Service staff which means that their families assets are effectively frozen inside Iran world news from the B.B.C. A helicopter has crashed into the East River in New York City killing 5 passengers the pilot managed to escape the sinking aircraft alive the Eurocopter as 350 was understood to be carrying people involved in a photo shoot dramatic images shared on social media show the helicopter capsizing with its blades thrashing the water parties on the right have gained most of the votes in Colombia's congressional elections barred conservatives opposed to a peace deal with former Fark rebels have fallen short of an outright outright majority in its 1st elections Tez the fark took only a small fraction of the votes cast. Politicians in Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp have won back just 2 seats in the territories legislative council had by elections held on Sunday this means the pro-democracy bloc has failed to regain the one 3rd of seats in the council's chamber required to veto legislation proposed by pro Beijing deputies then events and reports the byelection was seen as a referendum of sorts on the political discourse of occasions which was once a rarity in Hong Kong opposition leaders and activists accuse the government of political screening of the 21 year old candor that Agnes Chowk was barred from standing in December due to her party's views on self-determination our not here in who replaced Chel held on to the seat in Hong Kong island of enemies police chief has been arrested on suspicion of organizing a multi-million dollar international gambling ring Major General and we in turn who are is the most senior police officer to be targeted in a government crackdown on corruption he's been in charge of the police department of tackling online fraud and gambling Austria is marking the 80th anniversary of its annexation by Nancy Germany on the 12th of March 19th 38 German troops crossed the border to impose a union or Anschluss Austria's current leaders are marking the anniversary with speeches denouncing oppression B.B.C. News. That's the latest news this is news day from the B.B.C. With Lawrence in China. Coming up we'll get the latest on the bombing and shelling in Syria enters its 7th year of civil war also a report from Amnesty International about what is reported to be the raising of range of Muslim villages and their replacement with military emplacements we're going to be asking how reliable it is and what the implications are also pacemakers where previously they couldn't be afforded an important story from flooding in the Money reporting from Kenya and our team in Puerto Rico Julian King reports there on the hunt for American cockroaches. We'll start with Syria where the country will enter the 7 seas here of war according to human rights groups the war which has claimed at least 500000 lives the latest fierce fighting is in eastern boots on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus surrounded by government forces who are trying to retake the area from the rebels there are claims and counterclaims about control over the main towns in the Enclave the Syrian army for example says it has completely surrounded the town of Duma and cut the remaining rebel held area into 2 parts but a spokesman from one of the main rebel groups has denied this statement aid agencies say civilians are living under relentless bombardment hiding for days in basements nor Adam is a journalist and a photographer inside. It's like every day and go into a recover in the morning and the sound of war then I think Mike and I and go with the long thought adventure show the was what we are really suffering today there are 50 to work as most of them in a show's run and doing them 16 people from one committing to a city and there are people from the job or neighborhood mother and father and 6 of the children all of them that did because of the trek and the bombing and the missiles from the that they're human there are Russian We have shortage of medical supplies and a lot of. Blankets the House that the decaying believe because of as because there are strict there. Are the rebels there and then us and fighting them but of all white Hamlet there goes the Syrian Free Army right now where it's trying to take back this area is still going on and I never really go with us there are the people here and they don't want to leave go with them because that's our home that's the way evacuations that they would be a limitation and we live in a camp Well yeah Netherlands and currently chairs the U.N. International security support group task force on humanitarian access in Syria he joins us now from Norway Yan You heard nor there say there is you know there's a count of finding and counter finding it's still ongoing all of this after the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution demanding the 30 day cease fire this was in February is any aid getting in. A little Ada did get in in the last 10 days we've had 2 convoys food enough for 27500 people or so many other supplies but remember this is an area where there where 390000 people still I would say maybe 150000 or more children in this so no we have not gotten in anywhere near what we should have of humanitarian supplies we've not been able to evacuate the wounded and the sick as we should have and more than anything we haven't gotten the humanitarian pause so that the this place full of civilians can can have some protection possibly And in your discussions and I'm sure you're having many discussions many of them are frustrating because of what you're saying that the fighting hasn't stopped but what do you need right now for aid groups to operate because again as we heard norther say look we don't want to leave because if we leave even if if there is that corridor to evacuate people many people don't want to leave so it's crucial for aid workers to get in to be safe enough to get in how far are you getting a match. Well what we're not getting are 2 things number one this humanitarian course I mean we had hoped for a month the Russians said they would they would open a 5 day humanitarian pause that is not enough we need well it hasn't been consistent even a 5 hour plus hasn't been is even even the 5 hour from $9.00 to $2.00 hasn't been consistent basically there's been more and more fighting and it's been relentless we've got hundreds of reports over the weekend from civilians including documenting attacks on medical facilities so what we need is the pause. And then to the fighting then we need the government to allow aid convoys in that period and we need evacuations but more than anything negotiated end to a war that should not be waged in the area like this it you end up with many more children than soldiers Well I mean you you say an end of a war doesn't look like it's ending any time soon I'm just wondering you know there are so many sides to this conflict but I know that the U.N. Has been speaking to Russia has been asking Russia to put pressure on the shuttle Assad's regime but of course there is the other side of this which is the rebels and they're not one unanimous group there are many groups that are fighting each other so even if the Assad regime stops fighting what's what's to say that the rebels are going to stop us are going to stop their side of of the fighting are going to stop resisting No I mean it's very complicated because on the other side there are many groups including some groups that are on the on the terrorism lists you know made by by the international community however it's not hopeless we have to fight this kind of notion it's hopeless there will never be peace in Syria of course this this is a man made this that men with guns and power can sit down and negotiate an end to it and there are 2 main groups inside. It should be possible to talk with them Russian others have had contact with both groups there are many who are willing and able to to mediate this no week we can end this and then secondly we also have to fight to end this notion that because there are so called terrorists bad guys in an urban area doesn't mean that international law doesn't apply you can't smash the place or that these groups inside can consent mortars grenade into civilian areas on the other side week we saw the same also in Iraq western forces where we're tackling the same disregard for the civilians among the so-called terrorists except of course this is a heavily heavily populated area in in a little and you know the the towns in eastern will to I'm just wondering yes realistically speaking given the urgency of the situation given the lack of food and medical supplies and as you say the number of injured and sick is growing realistically what can you achieve in eastern time what we can achieve is a ceasefire what we can achieve why that wise men among them would say let's stop this now for a while let's understand that the highest Paloma among the civilians and let's now reach out and as Russia is Russia still the key to this. Well the the Russian diplomats and military we talked to say that they are interested in in the GO seating so let's hope that you know. You know sanity will prevail here and that also those groups inside who seems to be pretty you know ruthless or so they in this situation that they or so what be willing to sit down and talk. Rather than fight to the very end those who will bleed are the children there are tens of thousands of children inside this area which becomes smaller and smaller more and more heavily populated because people flee into the remaining urban areas held by rebels yet many thanks again and there who currently chairs a UN international Syria support group task force on humanitarian access into Syria it's quarter past the hour this is news to sports business still to come talk now about a new report on the situation inside Northern Myanmar and Rakhine state it's from there of course that hundreds of thousands of revenge Muslims have fled to Bangladesh I feel this is like a jail in the camp where I do not have will to move around here even I can work we have no freedom anywhere and we are not able to speak out in our homeland we are not able to treat our homeland as ours so that talking in Bangladesh about records from where they fled Now Amnesty International says that satellite imagery shows extensive construction by the berm is military what Amnesty describes as a land grab building security bases and bulldozing land where range of villages were burned to the ground just months ago we asked 10 Tuss way commentator on Myanmar affairs formerly with the B.B.C. To have a look at the report and asked whether it struck or was reliable and asked International reports they did show the satellite imagery so it obviously there are some changes on the landscape of the area what we know is that the military presence in this visible in some of the crucial areas but one has to be aware of the size of this 700000 people a threat from them. To the bank so it's a vast area we're speaking and they're now the military presence in. Some of the areas what we the 1st time now Amnesty has revealed that there are military bases constructing interests areas that is something new now in a sense it seems almost as if they are conquering their own province is that how she how we should we should think of this there is a lot of talks between to Bangladesh government and a market meant to bring back the people who fled to Bangladesh However the process as we all know is so complicated that it is very difficult to imagine that people who fled all of them would be able to come back because if Recently there was a report by a Rakhine Committee and the into 2017 they have for about 5000 people will issue this national verification cut but out of that only over 100 people were verified as citizens so that shows that if that goes on the people who are trying to come back or who want to come back you know this national verification cut process is going to take much longer because the numbers are in holders and also if they're easy if they're returning to areas where there is a very strong security presence as well that will I would have thought deter people from coming back because these are the same security forces that the people fled from absolutely the whole issue now is the security they fear for their There's a lot of fear not just the Muslim population there but also the Rakhine the native Rakhine there's a lot of fear in that area and the security is a big issue and recently the government representative in Geneva when the security issue was released he said there's no trust the people don't trust the army so how are you going and what about the issue of us actually finding out what did happen this is based on satellite images there is very little information that the government and the forces the security forces in Myanmar want us to get so what are the implications for us ever finding out what actually did happen in these areas that now appear to be being built on. Well the there are villages still there and you can't get to information from the villages it's not that the N.S.T. Report is the only report and there are people who can the local people who can't visit to the areas not the journalists I'm not saying that journalists but we can't you can't get information from the other sources as well N.S.T. Is just one souls but you can speak to the villages and also some of the local and does a lot and that's what you're hearing from the villages back up what amnesty is saying Braun speaking yes so from the people who've been there to sway commentator on Myanmar affairs formally with the B.B.C. 20 minutes past the hour here in London you're listening to news down the B.B.C. World Service Matthew Kenyon is here with the sports news hotshot a Tiger Woods as close as he's been in 5 years to winning a tournament 2nd behind Paul Casey in Florida Novak Djokovic said he felt like he was playing his 1st match on tour as he went out in the 2nd stage to requalify at Indian Wells Serina Williams comeback continues later today the same event with a 3rd round match against his sister Venus England striker Harry Cain will have a scan on his right ankle after injuring himself during tough times for one English Premier League win over Bournemouth and Greece's sports minister has vowed to take action after the owner of punk Salonica marched on to the pitch towards the end of a controversial and high tension match against Athens wearing a gun accompanied by bodyguards even civvy this was trying to protest after a goal which would have given his side a win to put the win that within touching distance of overhauling at the top of the table towards the end of the season was ruled out after a couple of minutes indecision by the officials Ike then refused to return to the pitch the match was abandoned we're told that the result the one nil win for park Salonica might stand but clearly there's going to be an in-depth investigation Matthew Kenyon thank you The US has asked China to come up with a plan to help narrow the country's trading deficit China sells $100000000000.00 in goods and. Airbus is more to the U.S. Than the U.S. Does to China Phillips is on the business desk seems a very unusual request it is an extremely unusual request on one level if you have 2 countries take for example Greece and Germany and Germany sells a lot of mess a D.S. Cars and B M W's imprecision engineering and computer systems to Greece and would disagree sell back to Germany well holidays and better cheese and Somalia perhaps but you can see how an imbalance could very quickly build up between the 2 depending on the valuations So one answer to narrow the trade deficit but people sell them something they're actually want to buy and that might be part of China's reaction to the US However things are a little bit less simple not very simplistic view because China restricts the US from doing certain things in the Chinese marketplace U.S. Companies can't just go in there and buy Chinese companies willy nilly they can't just export directly into the marketplace without tariffs and so the US administration said look if you want to have these rules in place maybe you need to a