i'm david eades with bbc world news. the annual military victory parade in moscow's red square. desperate parents in nigeria demand urgent action as the american team joins the hunt for 200 abducted schoolgirls. the president and former deputy are due to meet for the first time since fighting broex out in december.

we're live in eatithiopia. a year of community service is started after a year of being found guilty of tax fraud. hello. thanks for being with us. there it is. the 9th of may. 9th of may 1945 a was the day the soviet union announced germany had surrendered bringing to end the war. today russians have been holding the annual victory parade in moscow and red square. celebration there with 11,000 servicemen accompanied by an array of tanks, rocket launches, military hardware, all you could imagine. in the air as well, helicopters and planes ahead as well.

this comes amid of a surge of pay triism in ukraine. the president vladimir putin made the speech where he praised the virtues of public spirit. >> translator: it has been 69 years since the great patriotic war ended. the 9th of may was, is, will be our main holiday. to the day of national triumph of people's pride, a day of sorrow and i term memory. it's a holiday when a force of patriotism triumphs. we know how important it is to defend its interest. >> well steve rosenburg has been following the morning in red

square. he listened to president putin as he addressed the crowds. >> reporter: we heard him make a speech earlier full of patriotic sentiment. he was talking about victory day being the most important holiday in the country, day of national triumph. a day that taught russians, he said to be true to the mother land. he promised war vet rerans heree will protect russia and its history. one commend he

we have to remember, if you look at opinion polls carried out since russia's annexation into crimea, that's supported by the population here. there's been a wave of patriotism sweeping the country since that event. if president putin appears in crimea later today, russians will greet that positively. the international reaction will be very different. >> steve with me as bbc defense correspondent jonathan marcus.

this is a day to show off your military prowl isn't it? >> it's different in this isn't just celebratory force. the army is one of putin's arms in the areas a broad where there are russian speakers, some allegiance to moscow and russia plans to exert influence. it was larger in the military component than the previous communist years. a lot of modern equipment on show, light utility vehicles which we've seen on the border with ukraine and crimea operation. self-propelled artillery, missiles, modern air defense systems and so on. it's indication of a russian military very much in transition. not just in terms of equipment, but in organization and the wait it goes about business. >> you mentioned ballistic

missiles. they led a few off yesterday. what does that tell? the timing is significant i presume? >> there was a test of a ballistic missile fire with putin present. this indicates it remain as part of russia's defenses. russia is initiating all legs. air leg, missile and submarine force. with with increased oil and gas prices, it's driven military operations. they're hoping to spend one and a half time more on force in the coming years. >> when you look at what they have to offer now, is there a sense of that's pretty impressive? in years it's been rag tag at times hasn't it? >> it has been.

in sheer size they dwarf any possible opponents in the near a broad if you look at georgia forces in 2008. it's scale that does it for them. that war in 2008 showed shortcomings in the russian military. shortcomings they're aware of and that some western experts think they're in process of being regressed. people analyze this as positive for the russian military. it's a military in transition trying to get greater initiative at a greater level. you see spread of personal radios at lower loefl to give commanders greater control and initiative. there's a reorganization to try to get more flexible units on the ground. very much along the lines of a rapidly deployable rapid reaction forces you see most major nato powers deploy. >> interesting.

thanks very much. a specialist american team is beginning work in nigeria to track down those missing schoolgirls. more than 200 abducted by militants. intelligence analysts and military personnel are trying to work out what happened to the girls since they were kidnapped at gunpoint. the time of the year of the end exams. mike has this. >> reporter: as the bring back our girls campaign goes increasingly global, these demonstrators in the united states added their voices to the shock so many schoolgirls could be seized and still be at large after more than three weeks. this gathering to demand the release taking place this morning outside the nigerian high commission in london. the cause is now taken up by the world's most high profile campaigners for human rights. >> we need to start gathering

the right evidence, arresting people, start sending a message to the perpetrators they will not get away from it. we need to return the girls and prevent girls in the future from being taken. >> in nigeria, bbc obtained these pictures from the village where the mass kidnappings took place of family members making their way to a meeting and family members disguising girls. >> this one said they said if you run we'll kill you all. i jumped in a tree and hid all night. >> a military specialist is in nigeria trying to locate the girls. they're using drone in the efforts. it's a high task across the area. britain, france, china also sending experts.

gordon brown is at the world economic forum trying to initiate. >> in other parts of africa, this civil right struggle that girls themselves are willing to wage for their right to education is not going to be deterred in the end by boko haram. it's a small extreme terrorist group with a perverted view of religious faith. >> it's portrayed as a new phase in the war of the extremist. for now focus is on the fate of the schoolgirls. bbc news. >> the president of south sudan arrived in ethiopia for talks it hopes will bring an end to country's civil war. he's expected to hold a face to face with the rebel leader. he was the deputy some time ago

now. thousands of people have died in the course of five months of fighting. the united nations warned a wave of ethnic killings could amount to a crime of ethnicity. >> it's tough living under the shadow of a brutal civil war. they have seen and survived horrors and come to these u.n. camps because here's they're safe. i met rebecca who's 20 years old, the wife of a dinger, pro government soldier pregnant with his child. she was captured by rebels when they took him. she told me she was baelten eat a gun, grabbed by soldiers and raped.

>> why did did they rape you? >> because the president killed. they wanted a dinker baby to die. they failed. >> it's a story repeat add cross the country. gang rapes, hate speech, abducted women kept as soldier slaves, atrocities new and like. amid a deepening humanitarian crisis, there's many stories like this on both sides of ethnic divide. only hope now is peace talks and a cease fire that holds. the dancers bring children from sections of the camp together. steps towards rebuilding trust in a country facing a violently divided future. bbc news. >> that could be a big step in a few hours time. we are joined now by emmanuel.

can we be certain the two will meet? >> we've got confirmation the president has arrived in the capital within the last hour. the former deputy of the president arrived yesterday and spent the night here in taliban. they both proceeded to the national palace where the talks are expected to be held any time now. >> process, do you think this is likely to be before we see concrete results? >> well, the issues between them are many. this is a political dispute that's turned green and ugly and spiralled to ethnic violence. people killing people from other tribes. what is at the top of the agenda is one cease fire.

we know they agree of facilities in general. that has not held. we've seen fighting in parts of south sudan. they'll also discuss about the possible formation of an interim government that might include the president and also the other. >> we notice the national community, united nations prepared to point fingers at both camps s. one side under more pressure than the other? >> well both sides are treating accusations since the talks begun here. just today we had the opposition claiming that the government was continuing with advancing to what some strong holds think this is not an environment for the peace talks that are supposed to be ongoing here. we know both have been under

increased international pressure to down arms and engage to bring lasting peace because of the situation there where millions have fled their homes and thousands have lost their lives. >> thanks very much indeed. the meetings begin to take shape, and we'll keep them here on bbc world news. still to come in this program, this is the start of party time in denmark's capital copenhagen preparing host to this weekend's song. check it out.

ahh, nothing like the peace and quiet of a beach escape. funny, there was no mention of hail in the weather report... (vo) celebrate this memorial day with up to 40% off hotels at travelocity. (gnome) go and smell the roses. i dbefore i dosearch any projects on my home. i love my contractor, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

without standard leather. you are feeling exhilarated with front-wheel drive. you are feeling powerful with a 4-cylinder engine. [ male announcer ] open your eyes... to the 6-cylinder, 8-speed lexus gs. with more standard horsepower than any of its german competitors. this is a wake-up call. ♪ you're watching bbc world news. i'm david eades with the latest headlines.tx president putin has7méi pra the strength of victory at the celebration in moscow. u.s. secretary of state john kerry says an american

specialist team is in nigeria to help trace 200 abducted schoolgirls. in the studio aaron with the business news. >> steaming? i was watching in the green room and realized i'm on. i've got to come in. we're starting with a big deal that didn't happen. hello there. looked like a marriage made in heaven. seemed the relationship went scour before they could tie the knot. talking about these two here. a deal to create the world's biggest advertising company all collapsed last night. the biggest ad firm in the united states and french group agreed on a deal last july. those shots you saw, you could see the bosses. they had a show of transatlantic harmony last summer.

in the late hours last night, talk broke down after mid increasing tensions among the two sides. we're going to ask on "gmt" what went on and look at big merger talks out there indeed. other corporate news. apple is close to paying for beat electronics. beats is the maker of trendy headphones that runs a prescription service founded by dr. dre. some analysts are questioning the price tag saying this move to reinvigorate apple's image is money well spent. we'll bring you confirmation if that deal goes through. south africa's ruling party has won the fifth national election with a majority defying predictions it will lose significant support after the corruption scandals for zuma.

94% of the vote counted. the african national congress won 62.5% followed by democratic alliance. while the anc support fell from 65.9% five years ago the margin of victory strengthened zuma's party as he fights allegations of corruption. the victory gives anc leeway to maintain economic policy stance as it holds off challenges from parties calling for more radical change including the nationalization. more on that on "gmt" coming up in an hour's time. follow me on twitter. i'll tweet you back. get me @bbcaaron. that's it. got to get my breath. i'm wheezing there. >> it's all out fitness that you do. >> amazing isn't it?

100 kilometers a day. i don't understand. very unlikely you might think of a former prime minister work at a care home. that's what's happening. he was accused of tax fraud last year. he's going to spend four hours a week working with elderly people suffering from dementia. i asked our correspondent what the prime minister will be doing. >> we don't know what he'll be doing. he has a tutor following him around. he'll do minimal tasks. the director said it's not going to be a fun job. i don't know h i don't know what he means by that. he's a past entertainer and owner of the free main

commercial television channels in the country. he might entertain the people in this home. it's run by the catholic church. it's quite a big facility. there are a large number of patients. they are keen in this home not to give gratuity publicity for his own purposes. not the fact he's been found guilty of tax fraud and serving a sentence doing community service, he's still a player on the political scene. he's going to campaign vigorously in the coming election this month. now for some it's the highlight of the pop calendar. for many others it's a chance for a party complete with music provided and silly costumes. saturday night is the final of

this eurovision contest. 100 million expected to tune in throughout europe. the contest has grown so large hosting it has become a huge headache. >> reporter: welcome to copenhagen, host of this year's song contest. organizers had a year to get things ready. now is the time hard work comes together. eurovision starts right here. it was a national competition to see which city would host. copenhagen won because it was the only place with a large enough airport. entourages are expected to fly in next coming days. thousands of passengers are expected ahead of the big night. this is the eurovision fan mall.

the exhibition lasts two weeks with press conference, rehearsal and semi finals. during that time, the host city puts on 180 free events for people to enjoy from concerts to art performances. >> we're very much a people city. we want to engage people. so we like when copenhagen hosts events they're not just close for few invited but for everybody. >> reporter: the most important thing for any contest is of course the venue. this year it's hosted somewhere very special indeed. the location, a disused shipyard converted into a perfect built venue for the show. on the night itself, over 100 million people are expected to tune in worldwide.

they're also going to be producing over seven hours of live television. so the venue itself has to be big enough to how has the thousand or so fans and spectators. to give you an idea, there are over a 550 working day and night to make this happen. >> to have ambition, courage and lots of energy to do all this. we have been working on this for a year now. it's our baby now. we are just looking forward to showing it to the world. >> reporter: all that's left is make sure the stage is spotless for the big night. bbc news copenhagen. >> we've been watching pictures from the event of a different source in the last two hours. russians are holding the victory day parade celebrating victory of germany, the end of their great patriotic war. president putin has already

attended the parade in red square used to project russia's image a broad. there's suggestion he may go to crimea this afternoon to attend a parade coming after russia's annexation of crimea in march. thanks for watching bbc world news. (mother vo) when i was pregnant... i got more advice than i knew what to do with. what i needed was information i could trust on how to take care of me and my baby. luckily, unitedhealthcare has a simple program that helps moms stay on track with their doctors and get the right care and guidance-before and after the baby is born. simple is good right now. (anncr vo) innovations that work for you. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. 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. man: yeah, scott. i was just about to use the uh... scott: that's a bunch of ground-up paper, lad! scotts ez seed uses the finest seed, fertilizer, and natural mulch that holds water so you can grow grass anywhere! seed your lawn. seed it! so, what'd you think of the house? did you see the school rating? oh, you're right. hey, babe, i got to go. bye, daddy. have a good day at school, okay? ♪ [ man ] but what about when my parents visit? okay. just love this one. it's next to a park. [ man ] i love it. i love it, too. here's your new house. ♪ daddy! [ male announcer ] you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. zillow. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. love drama? try something new. taste like chicken. (ambulance siren) hate drama? go to cars.com. research, price, find.

only cars.com helps you get the right car without all the drama. ♪ [ army guy ] he's back! and it looks like he's craving italian. ♪ [ male announcer ] the four-door fiat 500l. it's a lot bigger than you think. [ godzilla choking ] check out the whole fiat family at fiatusa.com/godzilla.

. hello. i'm david eades with bbc world news. our top stories. president putin praises strength of patriotism at the annual victory parade in moscow's red square. troops are reportedly involved in an operation to reassert control over the city of mariupol with clashes of pro russian separatists. in nigeria desperate parents demand government action as the american team joins the hunt for 200 abducted school girls.

as new political campaign rules are enforced is the writing on the wall for graffiti in india? hello. thanks for being with us here on bbc world news. this is the day, 9th of may 1945, the day the soviet union announced nazi germany had sur rended. accompanied by an array of tanks, rocket launches we've seen, air crafts flying overhead proudly projecting russia as a military might.

this parade comes amid a surge of patriotism kindled by the situation in ukraine and annexation of crimea in march. the us president vladimir putin made the speech praises nationalismb$b$4[v and public s. >> translator: it has been 69 years since the great patriotic war pended, but the 9th of may was, is, will be our main holiday. this is a day of national triumph. of people's pride. a day of sorrow and eternal memory. sit a holiday when an all conquering force of patriotismy triumphs. when we all feel what it means to be loyal to the power land a -- to the mother land and how important it is to know its interests. >> we've had reports are from ukraine to suggest ukrainianko troops are involved in the

operation to reassert control over the city of mariupol. v shootout of the city. pro russian activists having occupied the city council building several times, last few days in fact. social media is posting pictures of armored vehicles are there. let's get more on this. i'm joined by our regional editor. in terms of mariupol, do you know anymore? >> what we can get is very sketchy. our teams are on the way. our news gathering teams are there. so far what we know is that there appears to be an attack or attempt to take over the local police station. there was some kind of shootout. ukrainian armor produced quite a spectacular display roaring

through the streets of the central city moving away all the traffic, shots were fired. they proudly displayed ukrainian flags and some locals were irritated, throwing bottles at armored personnel carriers. this is as much as we know at the moment. there are reports of some being killed. we cannot verify. local websites says up to four may be killed. >> they hardly need an excuse for more tension. victory day offers that on both sides doesn't it? this is a commemoration for everyone across the former soviet union. >> it started with a lull. in donetsk there was a parade in honor of the veterans. there was a concert, speeches. nothing foreshadowed this upsurge in violence. you're absolutely right, this is a shared memory, tragedy and

holiday for people across the former soviet union. yet this situation now is so different from what happened last year. animosity growing anger and anger spills into the kinds of violent since accidents. >> we heard a little from president putin talking about patriotism, honor of the country. if he goes to crimea, what effect might that have do you think? >> well, if he decides -- it's still not clear did -- there are reports he had second thoughts. only he knows. if he decides, this will be a great irritant to ukrainian authorities, welcomed by people in crimea. it will not be a step in deescalating the situation between ukraine and russia. >> thanks very much indeed. let's move on now.

a specialist american team is beginning work in nigeria to try to track down the missing schoolgirls. at least 200 abducted by the militant group boko haram. intelligence analysts and military personnel will try to work out what's happened to the girls since they were kidnapped at gunpoint during the end of the year exams. earlier bbc heard from the mime minister gordon brown. he's there for the forum working on a safe school initiative to protect girls. >> girls themselves are willing to wage for their right to education is not going to be deterred in the end by boko haram. it's a small, extreme terrorist group with a perverted view of education. now i believe nigeria will be standing up counted against

them. when people realize they're a small group and realize the damage they're conflicting can be counter acted, things will be deterred. this has been a wake-up call as well as a tragedy. action will follow. i'm representing the united nations that we can coordinate the actions for girls to go to school. >> that's gordon brown. i asked what it would mean since americans were in the area that it would end of terrorism. >> the president is making the point if they work with other world powers to chase insurgent skp s and go after the girls, that can make significant progress against boko haram. he has admitted the government

faces significant challenges so far in the war. it needs all the support it can get really to continue. >> okay. it's got some support now clearly from people who should know how to manage things. give us a sense of the territories they're having to step into. >> it's massive territory. north eastern nigeria involves three states. these areas are scrub forest area as where girls could be. so the nigerian military has been in this area. there's a state of emergency in this whole region. but so far this has not brought much even with the deployment of nigerian army there. they've had special operations there almost a year. so far that's not yielded but fruit. that's why foreign support will help with extra surveillance and gathering further intelligence they can use to find these

girls. >> suppose that's the point a lot of people beyond nigeria will be wondering, what have they got in terms of extra resource that's the nigerian military with all its local knowledge and frankly considerable results now. >> well, i mean, that's a good question in the sense that this year, nigeria is spending more than ever on security yet not achieved much. there has to be a break down within the military. how is the money being spent? soldiers on the ground have talked about being underequipped. could it be issue of management? at the same time, look at technology. nigeria may not have the technologiy lto survey the area. expertise coming in would help with that. crossing the borders as well.

you've got troops in those countries guarding and helping the search on that side. >> tomi in abuja. let's get other news for you now. president of south sudan has arrived in ethiopia for talks it hopes brings an end to civil war in south sudan. he's expected to hold face to face with the former deputy. many have died in five months. united nations accuses both sides committing crimes against humanity including rape and murder. the governing national congress is heading for evict any south africa's general election with most votes counted. it's currently running under 63% of the vote, well ahead of the rival democratic alliance. anc says people are still very much reminded of its role in

defending apartheid two decades ago. a construction worker has been killed in an accident at one of the football stadiums due to host the next month's world cup in brazil. a 32-year-old man suffered an electric shock working on the unfinished venue. eight people have now died during building the venue for the world cup. now how about this? former prime minister working in a old people's home. that's what's happening in northern italy. he is beginning a year of community service after he was found guilty of tax fraud last we're. he'll spend four hours a week working with elderly people with dementia. he is 77 himself. he was spared because the legal system is lenient to those over the age of 70. david is in rome trying to find out what the former prime

minister will be expected to do. >> we don't really know what he has to do. he has a tutor following him around. he's going to do we understand from the head of the care home medial tasks. the director said it's not going to be a fun job. i don't know what he means by that. of course there's been speculation he is a past entertainer. he's the owner of the three main commercial television channels in this country. he might entertain the people in this home. it's run by the catholic church, and it's quite a big facility. there are a large number of patients. they are keen in this home not to give gratuitous publicity for

his own political purposes. not with standing the fact he's found guilty of tax fraud and serving a sentence. he's still a player on the political scene. in fact he's going to campaign vigorously in the forth coming elections later this month. >> david in rome. stay with us on bbc world news. plenty more to come including the defense case in oscar pistorius' murder trial. we'll have the update from pretoria.

the was a truly amazing day. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today at angieslist.com

because the more you know, the more we can help you. cut. lower. shave. chop. and drop your insurance rates. if you want to save hundreds, talk to farmers. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum ♪ [announcer] the more you know, the more you could save. farmers could help you save hundreds on your auto insurance. call your local agent or 1-800-470-8496 today. you're watching bbc world news with me david eades. the latest headlines for you. president putin praised the strength of the patriotism.

the specialist team is in nigeria to help trace the 200 schoolgirls abducted. the group was trying to force its way into the government security command center. the incident came as thousands marched through bangkok calling for removal of interim government in entirety twos after the prime minister yingluck and others were removed. they were found guilty of abuse of power. lawyers for oscar pistorius are calling witnesses for defense. he's accused for intentionally killing his i girlfriend ree va steenkamp last year. >> the court has been listening

to the ballistic expert brought in to try and counter the version given earlier by the state. he has been explaining÷%>%>%> t position in which the bullets and the ricochet may have hit reeva steenkamp or how they hit her while she was in that small toilet when oscar pistorius fired shots on valentine's day 2013. ?/

probably in a huddled position when the bullet hit her. as far as his concern, she was falling or had alreadi7 sound like the gunshots. cross-examination is about to begin. mr. nel has asked for a brief adjournment to reconstruct something in the court to make it easier for cross-examination. >> we're getting a bit of breaking news with regard to president putin. victory day for former soviet union countries. we understand roiters has just landed in crimea. of course crimea annexed from ukraine in march. a significant statement if he is in crimea now. there was talk he would go and suggestions he wouldn't. appears he has landed in crimea. we'll keep a cross on that of

course. scientists say the search for new medicines is moving deep underwater a. they're hoping closer study of marine life will help them create the next generation of drugs to treat common infections and cancer. there's a warning research could be hampered by lack of regulation in international waters. sarah went to scotland to find out more. >> reporter: around the beautiful coastline of scotland, a hunt is underway. this may not look like it's at the center of cutting edge medical research, but it's here scientists are pinning hopes on finding the next generation of life saving drugs by studying creatures like this star fish. scientists hope to find new chemicals and gene sequences to lead to treatments for infections to cancer. researchers say we're in desperate need of new drugs.

this research could spark a gold rush. >> this is the pla-- this isn'te place people have looked. we're looking to exploit other parts of the planet. how can we produce new industries, new technologies? >> reporter: there's a lot of energy and resources going into this new area. that's partly because in coastal areas like this, they are clearly defined laws about how scientists can exploit the riches of the sea. out there in deeper waters, it's a different story. home to extraordinary arraymmp creatures and plants, international waters are gochbed by the u.n. law of the z6see. this regulates mineral ex troox but doesn't cover the hunt for new medicines. the worry is these has been at

the could be damaged beyond repair. the experts say lack of clear laws could cause other problems. >> they're making a huge investment. if they don't have legal certainty, then they will potentially lose the right to produce that drug. that is not acceptable to them. that would put companies off investing. >> reporter: for now back on the shore, research carries on harvesting seaweed for the wound healing properties. it's earlile days. bringing a new drug to market can take 15 years and cost $2 billion. this would be a drop in the ocean if this new frontier in medical research lives up to his promise. scotland. a long running tradition of graffiti can be colorful and witty the.

it may be on the verge of dying out. new laws make it harder to express themselves. in the five week long general election, we're there to see how street art has been affected. >> reporter: here on the busy streets, even the walls are used as campaigning tools. political participants pay artists to paint. the political party says you can only pay on walls if you have permission. there's been 107,000 complaints about political graffiti. he teaches people how to fall in love with the city. not so much this year is there? >> much, much less this year. i guess it's to do with the election commission also pitching in to say unless you have permission of the wall you

can't use them as political campaign. >> it's great. he's telling his mmum. >> the whole thing or opinionated version has gone missing. >> it still works. so many when they cast their votes they do it by symbols rather than names. they can't read and write. >> exactly. walking by the walls is the symbol they want to imprint in people's minds. even though it's functional, it serves the purpose in today's age. >> they seem like they're becoming a thing of the past. is that going to happen to political graffiti as well?

it seems that will be a secondary dropping mega campaigns all over cyber space via facebook or mobiles. >> the prime minister is stepping down as a result of this election. looks like graffiti will also disappear. get here soon if you want to see it. i want to bring you a bit more on the situation regarding russia and victory day. we're hearing president putin having landed in crimea. victory day is a big event all over not just russia. tens of thousands of ethnic russians have been taking part in celebrations or commemorations perhaps in the capital reeger. tension is high this this year. it's europe day today. there could be counter pro eu demonstrations on the streets. >> reporter: their getting ready

for fessatitivities. tens of thousands come every year to remember the defeat of nazi germany. most the people that come here are russian. 25% of the population are ethnic russian. about 40% speak russian as their mother tongue. many of them, not all, but many support what vladimir putin has done in crimea and what russia is doing in eastern ukraine. that doesn't necessarily mean they want the same to happen here. the government is nervous about russia trying to destabilize. it's talked about provocateurs being in the country and a march by russian groups has been a banned. i've been talking to the prime minister in the office behind me. she played down the threat of russia. she said people celebrating is a good thing. >> in general, i believe that the russians who live here, they

belong to the state. they are russian people. if the day will be referendum, i believe they will vote for independence. >> reporter: another monument, this commemorating independence. in the modern context, the difference is this. like the neighbor li, it's a mer of nato. troops from the united states, britain and other nato countries have been deployed to the baltic states. in uncertain time, they see that here as the best guarantee they can get. >> that's chris morris. i want to bring you up to date on our other main story, the

situation in nigeria. american intelligence officials have gone in to help the search for the girls there. we also now hear the uk experts have touched down in abuja and will be working closely with americans. that's the latest news here on bbc world news. [ hypnotist ] you are feeling satisfied without standard leather. you are feeling exhilarated with front-wheel drive. you are feeling powerful with a 4-cylinder engine. [ male announcer ] open your eyes... to the 6-cylinder, 8-speed lexus gs. with more standard horsepower than any of its german competitors. this is a wake-up call. ♪

so, what'd you think of the house? did you see the school rating? oh, you're right. hey, babe, i got to go. bye, daddy. have a good day at school, okay? ♪ [ man ] but what about when my parents visit? okay. just love this one. it's next to a park. [ man ] i love it. i love it, too. here's your new house. ♪ daddy! [ male announcer ] you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. zillow. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. love drama? try something new. taste like chicken. (ambulance siren) hate drama? go to cars.com. research, price, find.

only cars.com helps you get the right car without all the drama. man: yeah, scott. i was just about to use the uh... scott: that's a bunch of ground-up paper, lad! scotts ez seed uses the finest seed, fertilizer, and natural mulch that holds water so you can grow grass anywhere! seed your lawn. seed it! ♪

[ army guy ] he's back! and it looks like he's craving italian. ♪ [ male announcer ] the four-door fiat 500l. it's a lot bigger than you think. [ godzilla choking ] check out the whole fiat family at fiatusa.com/godzilla. hello. you're watching "gmt" on bbc world news. i'm tim willcox. russia celebrates victory day. president putin flies into crimea part he annexed in march. after a show of military might in red square, will he be seen as an act of provocation in crimea? the international community pledges more help in finding the schoolgirls abducted from boko haram.