this is bbc america. is and now, live from london, "bbc world news". hello. "bbc world news". our top stories. ukraine aepbs president yanukovych announced early elections and promises to set up a coalition government in order to end the crisis. al shabaab militants say they carried out a car bomb attack on the president in mogadishu. warning with challenge. relations will be damaged if

president obama meets with the dalai lama. and one of the oldest medalists on the snow. well, we begin with breaking news on the crisis in ukraine. in the last moments, president yanukovych announced he will hold presidential elections by december. earlier he said a deal had been reached to the violence in kiev. the european union ministers urge caution. this is the scene in independence square. there's been more gunfire again this morning as thousands of protesters have returned to the area. they've been joined by policemen from the western region of leviv who have deflected. in parliament, scuffles have broken out in sessions aimed at the crisis. armed police briefly entered the

building. well, joining me now is the oleg in kiev. just in the last few moments it's been announced there will be early elections. and the president's office has promised a coalition government. what does this actually mean? >> well, one thing is for certain. the people behind me on the square are not going to walk away just hearing this. yes, the europeans are very right by being cautious. we got the news of one of the opposition leaders talking to his deputies from his faction in the parliament. by the way, he talked. he was very tense. he said this was the best he could do. he, meaning president yanukovych is not quitting, he's not going away. the promise to rebalance the constitution, bringing it back to the constitution of 2004 when the distribution of powers between the president and the government was very different to what it is now. well, that's the best we can do. the question is whether the

parliamentary opposition is going to be able to sell the deal to the people on the square. there are so many doubts they will be able to do it. >> only after after they attempted to work on a deal, more violence erupted. what is the mood like there now. >> it's much quieter than yesterday. yesterday was a real fight, a real battle. it is probably the fireworks behind me. we hear shots and reports of shots taking place. but it's common now. >> oleg, we are hearing about scuffles inside parliament, armed policemen entering parliament. it feels like it's almost out of president yanukovych's hands now. >> the question is, yes, who has

the powers to stop this or to calm things down. earlier in the day, me and my colleague were walking down the streets down the square where the ex interior minister walked with at least 30 or 40 police officers who said they came to the side of people. these were the police officers from the western ukraine, who was always loyal to the protest moments. >> we'll leave it there. thank you very much for that update. no doubt we will come back to you as things develop. there's been international condemnation about the violence in ukraine. rasmussen has added his voice to the calls for calm. >> the ukrainian military and special forces should not turn

on the people of ukraine. that would have severe consequences for our partnership with ukraine. the only way forward is dialogue. so we welcome all efforts to find a peaceful solution. >> for more information on ukraine, head to the bbc web site's live page. you'll find live video, the the latest photos and information updated as it comes to us. that's all on the bbc web site. bbc.com/news. china has called on president obama to cancel a meeting with the dalai lama, the spiritual leader of tibet. they are to meet in a few hours from now at the white house. china is warning that it will damage any relations with the u.s. they met in 2010 and 2011.

so i asked martin patience just how serious the u.s. is taking this warning from china. >> china that has lodged a strong protest. they have called on the white house to cancel the meeting. that of course isn't going to happen. the last time president obama met the tibetan spiritual leader was in 2011 with similar words warning of serious consequences to the relationship between the two countries. i think most analysts will say there weren't any serious repercussions. but what is clear from the statement today, the meeting in the white house later today that this is a real bone of contention between america and china. >> martin, the relations between the u.s. and china are already strained, aren't they, by territorial disputes by japan and others in the region? >> that's right. you have a range of issues. japan is embroiled in a

territorial dispute with china. you also have issues they're working on together. you have, for example, north korea, iran. let's not forget the economy, world's number one and number two economy in america and china. so there is a lot of areas where they need to cooperate. i think some will expect a very strong protest from china in public, perhaps as well as private. i think what is interesting, president obama will not meet the dalai lama in the oval office. he will meet in another room of the white house. it will be a private meeting. it will not be open to reporters. some will see that as a concession to china from america over this issue. >> martin patience there in beijing. after a cease-fire lasting two and a half years in northern spain, there's growing speculation that the bask separatist group will announce it is ready to disarm.

what do we know for them? they waged a deadly complain leading to the deaths of 800 people. they were fighting for the seven regions in northern spain and southwest france that bask sprat activities claim as their own. between the 1970s and 1980s. after one failed cease-fire in 2011 eta declared a permanent cease-fire. tom is in madrid. earlier i asked how much of a surprise this talk of disarmament came. >> well, i don't think a massive surprise really. we are two and a half years since that cease-fire. unilateral cease-fire announced by eta. so we have been moving in the direction of disarmament.

there's a lot of talk about the end of eta. disarmament is a crucial part of that. the detail, what we have real got to look out for, made and built by this international committee of former politicians, diplomats and political advisers, the detail will be crucial. what proof, what evidence, concrete evidence, can the committee provide that eta is definitely ready to disarm or might have taken some steps already? there are reports in the spanish press it will announce a partial disarmament. that's unfirmed. and reports that they might announce, for example, the locations of hidden arms dumped in france. historically, that's where they had their low gist cal and command base. >> tom, you said it indicates some kind of end. but what will this mean practically for eta if they actually disarm? >> well, one thing to point out

rg first of all, is that eta is incredibly weak. there have been dozens of arrests. so most of eta's leadership is thought to be in prison either awaiting trial already convicted. so in some sense eta is already finished but they do have some influence and they do still exert influence on the politics here in spain. another crucial thing is the government here in madrid of the popular party center right government is under pressure from its own supporters. it strikes an extremely hard line over eta. it refuses to negotiate under any terms up until now. the key thing is would this provide enough concrete evidence that eta is willing to do more and will that, and it's a big question, will it make the government in madrid any more

prone to enter some type of negotiation. maybe not directly with etta. but at least enter some process towards negotiation, which could end the actual group's existence. . well, we're getting reports of heavy fighting at the presidential palace in the somali capital mogadishu. the president has taken to twitter to say he was unhammered in the attack. al shabaab said it was responsible for the attack. we have the bbc somali service with us from nairobi. what do you know about this attack? >> it seems that some heavily armed gunmen have gotten into the presidential palace in somalia. they have used a car bomb to blast the wall of the presidential palace.

heavy gunfire has been reported, especially of the house of the top most military officer in somalia. there are reports of numbers of casualties as a result of this heavy fighting of the presidential palace. >> the president took to twitter and said he was unharmed. but the presidential palace is the resident of him, the prime minister and speaker of parliament. do we know if the others were there at the time? >> there are no reports of who was there at the time. but the incident happened so close to the presidential palace. the house of the president himself. the top most military commander is also in that building. it seems al shabaab should have gone so close to half of the somali government. and we are yet to know the

number of people who are killed as a result of the attack. but it is confirmed that al shabaab fighters have gone into the compound. >> the al qaeda linked group al shabaab have waged a war against somalia for years. you know, they were driven out of mogadishu. how common are the attacks? >> they are taking place sometimes near the airport which is heavily fortified. now it is taking place inside the presidential palace and this shows al shabaab have withdrawn from mogadishu. they are still there. they are still capable of waging

a war not -- >> okay. we seem to have lost him there. well, stay with us on "bbc world news". still to come, g20 finance chiefs top of the agenda. the turmoil in emerging markets. my dad has aor afib.brillation, he has the most common kind... ...it's not caused by a heart valve problem. dad, it says your afib puts you at 5 times greater risk of a stroke. that's why i take my warfarin every day. but it looks like maybe we should ask your doctor about pradaxa. in a clinical trial, pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)... ...was proven superior to warfarin

at reducing the risk of stroke. and unlike warfarin, with no regular blood tests or dietary restrictions. hey thanks for calling my doctor. sure. pradaxa is not for people with artificial heart valves. don't stop taking pradaxa without talking to your doctor. stopping increases your risk of stroke. ask your doctor if you need to stop pradaxa before surgery or a medical or dental procedure. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding or have had a heart valve replaced. seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition or stomach ulcer, take aspirin, nsaids, or blood thinners... ...or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctors about all medicines you take. pradaxa side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you or someone you love has afib not caused by a heart valve problem... ...ask your doctor about reducing the risk of stroke with pradaxa. still running in the morning? yeah.

getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories. this is "bbc world news". the latest headlines. in a bid to end the crisis in ukraine, president yanukovych promises to set up a national unity government and early elections. well, let's take you back to our top story now on the crisis in ukraine. president yanukovych has said he will hold early elections. but will it satisfy the opposition. an opposition supporter is on the line from kiev for us now. donna, thanks very much for joining us. the ukrainian president announced early elections and

promises coalition government. is that enough to satisfy protesters? >> reporter: no, it is not enough. it is a political sham because president yanukovych promises to hold elections in december. that is virtually in one year and three months before he was supposed to hold the presidential elections. and the coalition government is also not enough because the protesters do not want to form coalition governments with the party of regions under the regime. >> yesterday there was a major bloodbath in kiev. more than 70 people were killed. did you expect it to become so violent? >> well, i never expected in my lifetime i would see 100 people

killed yesterday. i was expecting to grow tired of this political system of yanukovych but never did it expect that the government will actually use brute form against unarmed citizens. >> what's it like now for the protesters? is the situation relatively calm as you await to find out more about this deal? >> certainly people are waiting and people are calm today. but people will escalate, violence will escalate if yanukovych continues to use force against the people, if yanukovych does not and we have an interim government. >> other than staying in the square and continuing their rally? >> well, ukraine people are

occupying government buildings. they are national council, especially western ukraine. so now the goal is to maybe successfully form an interim government which they should do. >> okay. donna, thanks very much for joining us. in other news, venezuelan president maduro has threatened cnn over coverage of recent protests there. demonstrations have continued against the socialist government and paratroopers are being deployed to some regional areas. in his words, he would rectify its coverage. united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon says an extra 3,000 police and praops are needed to protect civilians from the continuing violence. thousands are already on the ground attempting to stop the

fighting between muslims and christians. a heavy day of smog forced authorities to issue an emergency solution alert. the yellow alert is the second highest on its new pollution scale. residents will be asked to limit outdoor activities. at least half the cause in beijing will be expected to keep off the road the next three days. well, let's go to jamie now who has all the latest in business news. >> we will start in your hometown, sydney. that's where the meetings -- they haven't actually begun yet but the finger pointing has started. finance ministers from a group of 20 in developing nations are gathering the next three days. topping the agenda is turmoil in emerging markets. that of course was sparked by u.s. federal reserve tapering. it is beginning to wind down economic stimulus measures in the united states.

emerging market leaders say they paid too much attention on the tapering. in corporate news, shell announced it is selling off its last refinery in australia together with some 800 service stations, win back a goodwill of shareholders after a profit warning earlier this year. sales of smart glasses, smart watches, other wearable devices are set to increase five fold the next couple of years. this could be a new phase for the internet because they will be gathering in ever more data about ourselves, where we go and what we do, how many calories we burn up even. this is all known as life logging. we'll tell you what it can mean in "world business report" later. just a quick look at the markets. get them up on the screen. ftse up just a quarter.

the reason why the ftse is up was some good reports on vodaphone. there's a possibility it may be up for sale. people think it could be a good buy for somebody else. that's it for the moment. back to you. >> thanks very much, jamie. scientists say they have shown that the connection between man and his best friend, the dog, is more than just good company. it seems that our canine companions may be able to tune in to human emotions. research suggests that dog and human brains respond in the same way to vocal commands. there are similarities in how both understand emotions. to the winter games in sochi now. at the age of 13, caroline never

dreamt she would snowboard, let alone compete in the at let's. she grew up skiing. she didn't start snowboarding until her 20s when most of her peers had training. now she hopes for a medal competes tomorrow. she told the bbc how an unusual summer job helped fuel her dream. >> i remember being 13 and watching my best friend on the regional racing team and thinking, she's so lucky. so lucky to be part of a group and to be part of a doing gates every day and training. eupl real i really liked it. i thought at 18 i'm way too old to start skiing. then i discovered snowboarding at 16. i was a ski instructor. it was something i can do a hill and that was different. people said, oh, you're really

good at this carving business. there was that. but there was also that little speck of a dream i had when i was 13. snowboarding allowed me to live it because snowboarding isn't skiing. snowboarding is a young sport. so it doesn't have all the tradition that skiing has. at 13, i was too old to start competing in skiing. but at 22 i wasn't too old in snowboarding. when i was 18, 19, until i was 23 i think i tree planted. mostly in northern ontario. basically you get paid for tree. so you have to plant as many as you can in a day. if i did between 4,000 and 5,000 trees a day, that was a good day. for me it was my first experience where i kind of discovered that i was competitive, that i could be competitive. and that's what fueled me to plant those 5,000 trees a day or 4,000 trees a day.

when someone told me you should start race anything snowboarding, it wasn't so foreign, the idea of me being competitive. and vancouver, it was horrible. the weather was terrible. it was a great experience. it was fantastic to be in my own country too. but it was pouring rain. you couldn't see anything. it was just a miserable day for racing. and we couldn't train prior to our event. and so i think i made it my main focus the last four years to be ready to deal with the unexpected in sochi. >> well, a reminder of our top story. within the last few minutes, ukraine's president victor yanukovych says he will hold new elections by december, following marathon negotiations overnight conduct bid foreign ministers from the european union. pop seugz is expected at the presidential palace this

afternoon, but there are already indications that his concessions may not be enough to put an end to the violence which tkpwreupld kiev in the last few days. for more information head to bbc live page. you'll find the latest photos and information updated as it comes to us. i can't believe your mom has a mom cave! today i have new campbell's chunky spicy chicken quesadilla soup. she gives me chunky before every game. i'm very souperstitious. haha, that's a good one! haha! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. lovely read susan. may i read something? yes, please. of course. a rich, never bitter taste cup after cup. 340 grams. [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] always rich, never bitter. gevalia. the comeback trail. there is no map. no mile marker. no welcome sign. one day you may find yourself here.

and you'll need someone to bring you back. to carry you home. at liberty mutual, we believe with every setback there's a chance to come back and rise. liberty mutual insurance. auto, home, life. life with crohn's disease ois a daily game of "what if's". what if my abdominal pain and cramps come back? what if the plane gets delayed? what if i can't hide my symptoms? what if? but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisinfo.com to get your complimentary q&a book, with information from experts on your condition. (voseeker of the sublime.ro. you can separate runway ridiculousness... from fashion that flies off the shelves. and you...rent from national.

because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. and only national is ranked highest in car rental customer satisfaction by j.d. power. (natalie) ooooh, i like your style. (vo) so do we, business pro. so do we. go national. go like a pro. ♪ they lived. ♪ they lived. ♪ they lived. ♪ (dad) we lived... thanks to our subaru. ♪ (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. inside every ricola drop, there's a magic herb blend. the swiss call it: chrüterchraft. for powerful cough relief with a liquid menthol center that calms your cough. new ricola extra strength. ♪ riiiiicooolaaaa

in an attempt to end the crisis in ukraine, president yanukovych announces early elections and promises to set up a national unity government. somalia said al shabaab carried out a car bomb attack. . authorities in nepal are deploying police on mt. everest

to stop fighting amongst climbers. we begin with breaking news on the crisis in ukraine. president viktor yanukovych will create a care taker government within the next 48 hours and hold early elections. it's part of a deal to help put an end to the unrest in kiev and beyond. well, this is the scene in independence square. there's live pictures. reports of more gunfire this morning as thousands of protesters have returned to the area. in parliament, armed police briefly entered the building. bbc's oleg in in kiev.

>> reporter: well, one thing is for certain. the people on the square are not going to walk away just hearing this. and the europeans are probably right by being cautious. we just got the news of one of the opposition leaders talking to his deputies from his faction in the parliament. by the way he talked, he was very tense. he said this is the best he could do. he being president yanukovych is not quitting, not going away. so early elections and the promise to rebalance the institution, bringing it back to the situation of 2004 when the distribution of powers between the president and the government was different than what it is now. that's the the best they could do. the question is whether parliamentary opposition is going to be able to sell this deal to the people in the square. there's so many doubts they would be able to do it. >> more violence erupted. what's the mood like there now?

>> it is much quieter than yesterday. yesterday was a real fight, a real gun battle and we have seen it. you might have just heard an explosion but it is probably just fireworks behind me. we heard the shots taking place. but it's common now. >> oleg, we are hearing about scuffles inside parliament, armed policemen entering parliament. it feels like it is almost out of his president's hands right now. >> reporter: so many people thinks, yeah, president yanukovych is certainly at least not the one person who is controlling the situation. a varied sense of control and who has the powers to stop this or calm things down. me and my colleagues walked down the street behind the square where the ex interior minister walked with at least 30 or 40 police officers who said they

came to the side of people. these were the police officers from the western ukraine, which was always loyal to the moments. but it shows how many cracks and splits are showing every hour around the country. >> the head of the institute of statehood and democracy. >> i wanted to initially ask you what you think is the way that the opposition will react to this announcement. >> well, we have to differentiate between the opposition as they are composed, first of all, of leaders of three main opposition parties. and the opposition in general, which are the protesters. political leaders are looking for really a soft landing from this conflict. they may go ahead and agree to present yanukovych's proposals

for constitutional changes, for early elections. but it is important to note that the mood of the people is very, very different. people are watching events taking place there from all over the country. most of them are very angry by the over 70 deaths caused by live ammunition fire from government forces. and i think it's simply too little too late what yanukovych is proposing today. >> not only has the situation spiraled out of control on the ground there, but mr. yanukovych is facing a lot of pressure. he really is in a difficult position, isn't he? >> let's not forget how everything started not that long ago. ukraine was preparing for a wide raining association agreement with the eu. the preparations were going

under way for seven years. and then suddenly with actually no advanced warning a week before this agreement was supposed to be signed, yanukovych's government announced they were holding preparations and they would not sign. this is an indication, if you will, for the west that yanukovych is not the kind of person they're used to deal with. he comes from eastern ukraine, which is fairly crime ridden itself, in prison twice. so we have to remember who we are dealing with here. and there is a good russian word used in these cases which means chaos, no rules, no laws. that's the axiom according to which yanukovych legs. people know that. they don't trust them. i don't think they're going to buy any teal that he is offering. >> the institute of statehood and democracy. head to the bbc's website live

page. live video of the latest photos and information updates as it comes to us at bbc.com/news. . several people are reported to have died in a suicide attack the on the presidential palace in mogadishu. the president has taken to twitter to say he was unharmed. the militant group al shabaab said it was responsible for the attack. >> it seems that some heavily armed gunmen have stormed their way into the presidential palace in somalia. they have used a car bomb to blast the wall of the presidential palace and somali government trips. heavy gunfire is being reported especially of the house of the top most military officer in somalia. the casualties are not yet

known. but there are reports of number of casualties. >> the president took to twitter and said he was unharmed. but the presidential palace is the resident of him, the prime minister and speaker of parliament. do we know if the others were there at the time? >> there are no reports of who was there at the time. but the incident happened so close to the presidential palace. the military, the top most military commander in somalia are housed in that building. they could have gone so close to the heart of the somali government. we are yet to know the number of people who are killed as a result of that attack. but it is confirmed that will al shabaab fighters have gone into the compound. the african union forces and somali troops in the area.

>> the al coy da linked group al shabaab did manage to -- sorry, have waged a war against somalia for years. and, you know, they were driven out of mogadishu. how common are these attacks inside the capital? >> yes. this kind of attacks have taken place inside the capital sometimes near the airport, which is heavily fortified where the national envoys and missions were. and now it is taking place inside the presidential palace, and this shows although they have withdrawn from mogad the ishu, they are still there, they are still capable of waging a war inside somalia. after a cease-fire lasting two and a half years in northern spain, there's growing speculation that the basque separatist group will disarm. for four decades, eta waged a

bloody campaign for independence leading to the deaths of more than 800 people. the group was fighting for the seven regions in northern spain and southwest france the basque separatists claim as their own. the group was able to kill 100 people on average in attacks like this. in 2001, the european union declared eta. after one failed cease-fire in 2011, eta declared a permanent and internationally viable cease-fire. earlier i asked how much of a surprise this talk of disarmament came as. >> i don't think a massive surprise really. we're two and a half years obviously since that cease-fire, unilateral cease-fire announced by eta. we have been moving in the direction of disarmament. there's been lots of talk about

eta. disarmament is a crucial part of that. the detail will be crucial. what proof, what evidence, concrete evidence can the committee provide that eta is definitely ready to disarm or might have taken some steps already. there are reports in the spanish press this morning that eta will announce a partial disarmament. that's unconfirmed. but also reports that they might announce, for example, the locations of hidden arms in france. historically that's where eta had its low gist cal and command base. >> tom, you said it indicates some kind of end. what will this mean practically for eta if they actually disarm? >> well, one thing to point out

is they are weak in the sense that since the cease-fire two and a half weeks ago there have been dozens of arrests. so most of eta's leadership is thought to be in prison either awaiting trial or already convicted. so in some sense eta is already finished. but they do have some influence. and they do still exert a lot of influence on the politics here in spain. another crucial thing is that the government here in madrid of the popular party center right government is under huge pressure from its own supporters. it strikes an extremely hard line over eta. it refuses to even negotiate with the group under any terms up until now. and the key thing is would this provide enough concrete evidence that eta is willing to do more and will that, and it's a big question, will it make the government in madrid any more prone to enter some type of negotiation?

maybe not directly with eta but at least enter some process towards negotiation which could end the actual group's existence. >> stay with us on "bbc world news". still to come, ahead of the third round of syrian peace talks, our correspondent fights a confident mood in damascus among supporters of president assad. when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories. ♪ 800,000 hours of supercomputing time, 3 million lines of code, 40,000 sets of eyes, or a million sleepless nights. whether it's building the world's most advanced satellite, the space station, or the next leap in unmanned systems. at boeing, one thing never changes. our passion to make it real. ♪

[ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® that's my end goal, that's my end destination. for me, even a quick weekend trip to kind of reset makes me a better athlete. [ male announcer ] be a weekender like ashley wagner at hotels like hilton and hampton. book now at hiltonweekends.com.

this is "bbc world news". our top story. in a bid to end the crisis in ukraine, president yanukovych announced early elections and promises to set up a national unity government. well, let's stay with the crisis in ukraine. as the violence has unfolded in kiev, one of the prominent sites has been turned into a makeshift support center and hospital. one activist working there told us more about the help they are

looking for. >> it is a hospital where people can be operated or being cared for by doctors. it is a regular church, north doc orthodox church. monks loud us to set up. at first it is hard because no one knows what is going on. a lot of people were scared and stayed at home and started to post needs and say people are alive. they just need medical care or warm blankets or warm clothes. we have a lot of people, drivers, for example, they help

us to bring food or medicine, especially medicine. we have a list of people ready to take care of people who are wounded wounded. >> a volunteer at the monastery in kiev. china has called on president obama to cancel a meeting with the dalai lama, the spiritual leader of tibet. the two are due to meet in a few hours from now at the white house. china is warning that any meeting will serious damage its relations with the u.s. the dalai lama and president obama have met before in 2010 and 2011. so i asked martin patience in beijing just how serious the u.s. is taking this warning from china. >> well, that's right. china has lodged a very strong protest. called on the white house to cancel the meeting. that of course isn't going to happen. the last time president obama

met the spiritual leader was back in 2011 with similar words from beijing warning of serious consequences to the relationship between the to countries. i think most analysts will say there weren't any serious repercussions. what is clear from the statement today, the meeting in the white house later today, this is a real bone of contention between america and china. >> martin, the relations between the u.s. and china are already strained, aren't they, by territorial disputes with japan and others in the region? >> well, that's right. you have a range of issues. obviously, japan is embroiled in a territorial dispute with china. america of course is a close ally of tokyo. but you also have issues they are working on together. north and iran. let's not forget the economy, the world's number one and number two economy in america and china.

so there is a lot of areas where they need to cooperate. so i think some will expect a very strong protest from china in public, perhaps private. he will not be meeting in the oval office. it will be a private meeting. it will not be open to reporters. some will is see that as a concession to china over this issue. >> let's take you to other news now. venezuela president maduro has threatened to expel cnn over their press and recent coverage there. mr. maduro said he would take action if cnn didn't rectify its coverage. a military rescue plane has crashed in tunisia killing all

11 on board. early reports say the pilot tried to land in farmland. a spokesman confirmed there were no survivors. troops are needed in the central african republic to help those against the violence. thousands of troops are already on the ground hoping to stop the violence between christians and muslims. heavy day of smog forced an emergency pollution alert. the yellow alert is the second highest on its new pollution scale. residents will be asked to limit activities. at least half the cars in beijing will be expected to keep off the roads for the next three days. it's nearly a week since the latest round of syria peace talks broke in geneva. but no sign of any progress at

all. it was never clear if they were e going to reconvene. they told the bbc his government will go back to talks once a new date is set. lyse doucet reports from damascus where she finds the government's mood is increasingly confident. >> reporter: it may look like a gathering standing for the national anthem. this is sports day, syrian style. instilling values in the next generation. to defend their country and president assad. there's even a dramatization of a soldier dying on the front line. this pageant at a damascus school is taking place just after the government's delegation returned from peace talks in geneva. the message there was the same

as here. president assad's future isn't up for discussion. i went to see a leading member of the government's team at the talks. >> if they believe we have gone to geneva to give the keys of damascus to this small group of people, then they are wrong. we shall be ready to sit together with the syrian opposition and discuss the future of syria together. no way shall we allow such a thing to happen in syria as long as we have a breath in us. >> reporter: the fate of people detailed in these files was another issue that came to nothing in geneva. he never expected political prisoners would be freed.

>> thousands of people disappear from two years. >> reporter: more people were arrested this week. is it possible to say how many people are in prison? >> we support every day how much is this place. we suppose hundreds of thousands. >> under nasri knows where she stands with the government. this well-known singer wants to put on her best face to record a patriotic video for the army. she calls it a message of love. she tells me she was raised to love her country and the army. it guarantees our safety, she says. all syrians should gather around this great establishment.

that same message blairs from these vehicles that drive along damascus streets every day now. >> this is a message from a government that believes it is winning. and it wants to ensure that people know that. never mind the peace talks ended or the west is again talking about arming the rebels. the government here believes it is not going anywhere. lyse doucet, damascus. . more than 5,000 meters above sea level it should be one of the most peaceful places on earth. they are sending police to the mountains to keep fights from breaking out. i asked the the editor of bbc south asia to tell me more about how this team is expected to operate. >> they will operate out of a tent based at 5,300 meters.

they will be where the climbers are regrouping and where they are based and make sure the realizes between the different climbing groups go smoothly. >> there was this row on everest last year. why are tensions rising on what is meant to be this beautiful place? >> well, it is a beautiful place. tensions are rising for one reason, it is becoming very crowd. we had 234 people summiting everest in one days. you can imagine as they snake down the mountain. it is a very tense at mott severe. because of this, the they alese are trying to get a handle on what's going on. >> so will the security team just be making sure they are keeping the peace between the different sides? >> well, overcrowding isn't a problem on mt. everest. there's all the rubbish that

needs to be removed and brought down. and the nepali government are afraid people are breaking the law. using a 3g phone is breaking a law. >> are these laws deterring people from doing the trek? >> climbers involved in the brawls last year said they wouldn't go back. it certainly had an effect on the community. it was quite a violent fight that broke out between the sherpas and european climbers. so they are looking for other routes and other way toss visit. >> ukraine's president yanukovych announced he will create a car taker government of national unity within the next 48 hours and hold new elections by december. that's following a marathon negotiations overnight conducted by foreign ministers from the

european union. opposition politicians are are expected at the presidential palace this afternoon. but there are already indications that his concessions may not be enough to put an end to the violence which gripped kiev for the last few days. stay with us for more coming throughout the day. my dad has aor afib.brillation, he has the most common kind... ...it's not caused by a heart valve problem. dad, it says your afib puts you at 5 times greater risk of a stroke. that's why i take my warfarin every day. but it looks like maybe we should ask your doctor about pradaxa.

in a clinical trial, pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)... ...was proven superior to warfarin at reducing the risk of stroke. and unlike warfarin, with no regular blood tests or dietary restrictions. hey thanks for calling my doctor. sure. pradaxa is not for people with artificial heart valves. don't stop taking pradaxa without talking to your doctor. stopping increases your risk of stroke. ask your doctor if you need to stop pradaxa before surgery or a medical or dental procedure. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding or have had a heart valve replaced. seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition or stomach ulcer, take aspirin, nsaids, or blood thinners... ...or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctors about all medicines you take. pradaxa side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you or someone you love has afib not caused by a heart valve problem... ...ask your doctor about reducing the risk of stroke with pradaxa.

still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories.

hello and welcome to "gmt" on "bbc world news". i'm steven sacker. our top stories. ukraine's president announces political concessions in a bid to end the killing. but anti-government protesters on the street seem unimpressed with news of early elections. sporadic gunfire pearces uneasy calm in kiev's independence square while fists fly in the parliament. the opposition blames the government for days of bloodshed. the basque separatist group "e"