this is bbc america, and now, live from london, "bbc world news." hello, i'm kasia madera with "bbc world news." i'm top stories. the world health organization says a major ebola outbreak is unlikely in western europe and north america, as president obama promises a rapid response to future cases. >> we're going to make sure that something like this is not repeated, and that we are monitoring, supervising, overseeing in a much more aggressive way. asian markets fall sharply after wall street has its biggest slump in three years. european markets are also down after an earlier recovery.

indications from the oscar pistorius hearing that it may be several more weeks before the judge sentences the athlete. >> reporter: i'm karin giannone live outside the court in pretoria where reeva steenkamp's cousin has said she wants oscar pistorius to pay for what he's done. and continuing our series on the u.s. midterm elections, we take the blues highway to america's poorest state, mississippi. >> those blues is what i play and it's what i'm gonna do for the rest of my life. hello, and welcome to the program. the world health organization

has said that a major outbreak of ebola in north america and western europe is unlikely given their strong health systems. while president obama also said that the risk of americans getting the virus was extremely low, although he ordered a much more aggressive response. the u.s. is investigating how a nurse infected when treating a victim in texas was then allowed to travel on a plane. from dallas, this report. >> reporter: america's latest ebola patient being taken from dallas to a specialized unit in atlanta. amber vinson, like the other nurse who was infected with the virus, had been caring for thomas eric duncan, the liberian who developed symptoms after arriving in texas. protective measures were apparently not properly taken. she was infected and developed symptoms of the virus. president obama cancelled a trip to deal with the increasing concern over the way that texas health presbyterian hospital has been dealing with the virus.

>> if we do these protocols properly, if we follow the steps, if we get the information out, then the likelihood of widespread ebola outbreaks in this country are very, very low. >> reporter: this is not a hospital that specializes in contagious diseases like ebola. but so far, its record on the outbreak has not been good. first, a misdiagnosis left mr. duncan contagious and in the community for four days. then, a breach in protocol led to two nurses being infected, dozens more now under observation. and what's more, a nurse who is under quarantine was able to travel on a commercial flight. it doesn't inspire confidence in the promise that everything will be done to prevent the spread of ebola. the nurse was in self-monitoring quarantine, but flew to ohio to visit family. she flew back the day before being diagnosed with ebola, and doctors are trying to trace 132 passengers on her flight for monitoring.

the risk of transmission is said to be low. >> we spoke her family members, and we're looking at getting information. now, the thing is that we're looking at being able to construct a good timeline of where the health care worker was when she was here and where she traveled and who she was with, and that takes a little bit of time. >> reporter: she arrived in atlanta and was taken to the emery hospital, one of four in america which is a specialized unit to deal with highly infectious diseases. a fast response team has now been set up for future ebola cases. to ensure the procedures are followed to the letter, to prevent medical workers from being infected and to restore confidence in america's ability to control what began as one single ebola case. >> an update on the situation in the united states. here in europe, health ministers are meeting in brussels, and our correspondent chris morrisbrussr

correspondent chris morris is there for us. on the top agenda is screening at airports. >> reporter: it is, yeah. but i think there are differences of opinion. we know that britain, for example, has already started screening at heathrow airport, and that will be extended to gatwick airport in london and to its eurostar train arrival terminal. we understand that paris and france -- airports in paris will start screening on saturday. but on the way into the health ministers meeting today, the finnish health minister said finland doesn't believe this is a good idea. people are already screened on their exit from west africa. it's a bit of a waste of time and money to screen them a couple of hours later when they arrive in europe, because the chances of ebola symptoms suddenly emerging in that two-hour period are pretty slim. i think the alternative argument is yes, but the useful thing about entry screening is that

information can be given. if you experience symptoms after you arrive in europe, here's the number to get hold of. this is what you do. make sure you know the medical route that you need to take if you're worried about ebola in any sense. so differences of opinion. and i think also a more general focus on the understanding that europe probably can cope with a few cases of ebola and the concentration, the focus in europe needs to be how to get more help to where it's really needed in west africa. >> exactly. and on that point, eu leaders are under pressure to actually follow america's example and send troops to the affected region. >> well, it's something people are talking about. i suspect that's beyond the pay grade of a meeting of health ministers. they're not going to be able to deploy troops from europe. but overall, the eu has already sent about 180 million euros worth of material and help to the affected countries. but next week, there will be a meeting of eu leaders.

perhaps that higher level of meeting, there will be a more concerted discussion about what more practically they can do to get medical teams on the ground where they're needed. >> okay, chris morris, thanks for keeping us abreast of that discussion in brussels. also, you can get much more on this unfolding situation via a new program that we're showing you here on "bbc world news." at 1830 gmt, we will be bringing a special program with the very latest on this outbreak. that program is going to be on air every day this week right here on "bbc world news." i hope you can join us for that. now, let's get all the business news, because we've had some bad news for stock markets around the world. lots of turbulence today. alice is here to bring us up to date with everything. >> it's been something of a roller coaster, hasn't it? that turmoil on the markets continues today right across the globe. inflation figures just out in the last hour. here in the eurozone, indicated in september it slipped to its

lowest level in five years, and that sent european stocks plunging, having initially bucked the trend and opened higher. here you can see where they stand at the moment. the cac in france down over 3%. that is quite a substantial drop. let's go live now to singapore and talk to our chief business correspondent linda yu. a bit of a roller coaster, as i was saying. things looked like they were improving here in europe and then this inflation data comes out and suddenly we're back in the red again. >> yeah, very much so, alice. i think what it's reflecting is when you confirm inflation is so low at .3% annual price rises, the specter of deflation arises again. remember, it's about the lowest rate of inflation in five years. and why global markets are royaled is because it's not just the eurozone, we also see about five-year lows for inflation in china, even in india, a country that a year ago was coping with double-digit inflation in. the united states, inflation is

below target in. the uk, it's also below target. so what we're seeing is a real concern that slow growth is contributing to low prices, but as we know, what we worried about five years ago is that if prices are too low, that means that major economies could have to contend again with the danger of price falls, deflation. and you know from japan, it can take more than a decade to try to escape a deflationary trap if a country finds itself in it. and that helps explain why it is, we saw u.s. stocks really fall dramatically at the open yesterday. it's close down, the main benchmark index , asia followed u.s., and close lowered today by japan. stocks are down by more than 2% at the close. and that's the concern that we're beginning to see in markets around the world. can companies and countries cope if deflation and slow growth

persist. >> of course, other issues like ebola, sluggish data out of china, all weighing on the markets. linda yeuh, as ever, good to talk to you. that is all the business for now. i'll be back in about an hour's time for a little bit more. >> thank you very much. now, oscar pistorius is back in court for a fourth day to hear the arguments about what kind of sentence he should be given for the killing of his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. the south african athlete could be jailed for up to 15 years, or he could stay out of jail and be given a sentence in the community. but a cousin of ms. steenkamp finished her testimony today by saying that she wanted to see pistorius go to prison. let's cross over to my colleague karin giannone. she is outside the court in pretoria. so another day of some dramatic testimony, karin. >> reporter: kasia, that's right. and today we're learning that we're unlikely, very unlikely to get a sentence in the oscar pistorius trial by the end of the week. we're expecting because simply

the amount of time that's been taken with witnesses so far that the court has run out of time this week, and judgment masipa has indicated she's busy for the next three weeks, so then presumably she would have to tomorrow adjourn the actual sentencing itself to november. so we'll talk more about that in just a second. what we've been hearing this morning so far, the day started with kim martin, the cousin of reeva steenkamp, back on the witness stand. yesterday, she was talking about the emotional and financial impact of reeva's death on the family. and today, she talked about the wishes of the family towards what they would regard as an appropriate punishment for oscar pistorius. >> i really believe the accused, mr. pistorius, needs to pay for what he has done. my family are not people who are seeking revenge. we just feel that to take someone's life, to shoot somebody behind a door that is

unarmed, that is harmless, needs sufficient punishment. >> reporter: and after ms. martin finished on the witness stand, we heard from the head of the prison service. they're trying to create a picture of south african prisons being appropriate for oscar pistorius and a man with his disabilities to go. let's bring in a lawyer here in south africa. manny, why are we going to have this delay most likely? why wasn't a week sufficient to gate sentencing? >> i think the evidence was a little bit longer than everybody anticipated, especially the cross-examination and the evidence in rebuttal from the state, with regards to conditions in the prison. they had to call this witness. he had quite extensive evidence painting the picture of what our prisons are like. if somebody with a disability is sentenced to prison, whether they've got the facilities to provide for that. and also you have to deal with the firearms act, which i don't think should be opposing, whether he's fit to possess a firearm or ammunition. and you also have to deal with

legal argument, which they'll be ready tomorrow. and the judge has to consider all of this with the evidence and thereafter consider what is a suitable and appropriate sentence. >> so in your view, no sentence whatever by the end of the week? >> no, definitely not. the judge will not be in a position, and they'll argue tomorrow. i think they gave us an indication just now. you have to put up legal argument, consider the evidence, precedent case law, and what your submissions are as to a suitable and appropriate sentence. the judge will have to consider all of this, and then decide in their own mind and arrive to proper judgments, arrive to judgment after taking all the evidence into account, what is appropriate for someone in this position. >> mannie, thanks very much for now. the sentencing hearing continues here in pretoria, but we're not quite at the end of the process. >> indeed, could take many, many more weeks to come. as always, thank you very much. do follow her and the team in pretoria on twitter. lots more still coming up on this program, so do stay with us. hong kong's chief executive

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hello, you are watching "bbc world news." i'm kasia madera. let's bring you up to date with our headlines. the world health organization says that a major outbreak is unlikely in north america and western europe, as president obama orders a more aggressive response to future cases. and after an early recovery, european stock markets are falling following slumps in japan and the u.s. now, blizzards and avalanches in the him leias have killed up to 30 hikers and three farmers. authorities are still trying to make contact with 70 other trekkers who may have been caught up in one of the deadliest spells of bad weather the region has ever seen.

>> reporter: these mountains attract more than 100,000 visitors to nepal all over the world. but in the high himalayas, weather can be deadly. a rescue operation is now under way after blizzards and several avalanches struck the region. the nepalese government has rescued dozens, but many trekkers are still missing. the mountains that dominate central nepal are the annapurn a&m anaslu. it's the most popular time of year to visit the year and weather is usually fine, but freak snowstorms triggered by cyclone hoodhood caught many off guard. a facebook page has been set up. it's quickly filled with concerns posts from all around the world as people search for news on their friends and relatives. it comes just months after an avalanche on mount everest

killed 16 sherpas. trekking and mountaineering are vital to the country's economy. many feel this latest tragedy will badly hurt those that rely on these mountains for their livelihood. laura westbrook, bbc news. >> a little earlier, i asked a man from the trekkers association of nepal how many people have been rescued so far. >> just now, we've got nine of them rescued, to the airport. we have information that a group is waiting in three different places. 24 people waiting, 16 in italy.

and we hope to bring them to the airport. if they are in critical conditions, we have asked th them -- first find out the whereabouts of the people there. >> so that's an update on the rescue operation there for you. seven police officers in hong kong who were seen on film beating a democracy protester have been suspended. the incident has caused widespread outrage. there were more scuffles overnight, but officers using pepper spray. earlier, hong kong's leader c.y. leung said they are ready to start conversations with protesters. >> yes, we are ready. we're prepared to start a dialogue and maintain a dialogue.

and this is why over the last few days, and including this morning, through third parties, we expressed the wish to the students that we'll start the dialogue to discuss universal coverage, and hopefully within the following week. >> hong kong's chief executive there. the american envoy coordinating the air campaign against islamic state militants says air strikes on the syrian town of kobane are being carried out for humanitarian reasons. general john allen said the american-led attacks on the jihadists were intended to relieve kurdish forces defending kobane and give them time to reorganize. meanwhile, the u.s. says that it has launched five more strikes against i.s. targets in iraq, north of the capital baghdad. as the fighting and air strikes continues, the iraqi army says it's deploying more heavy weaponry to support the military

campaign against islamic state. reports say that i.s. fighters in iraq are now in control of towns as near as 40 kilometers from the capital. our correspondent jim muir is in erbil in northern iraq. he gave us an update on the situation. >> since june, they've taken a lot and held parts of ramadi. now ramadi is becoming increasingly targeted and there's an increasingly sharp struggle going on for ground between fallujah and baghdad itself. but the americans seem fairly confident that the capital is not actually at risk itself, although there's a bit of anxiety about the isis forces becoming close enough to that, for example, to be able to send rockets or missiles on to baghdad airport, which is on the western approaches to the city, just a little further to the south. so there is, you know, a background concern about baghdad. anbar province itself has been

largely controlled by the rebels and isis for some months, but they do seem to be pressing forward, and that is obviously a source of ongoing concern. >> and jim, focusing on kobane now, the syrian town that islamic state have made very apparent that they want to get hold of it. it seems that kurdish forces are somehow clawing back control of this particular town. >> reporter: well, they're certainly pushing back. whether they've actually got full control, that's not clear. they have certainly made some progress in pushing i.s. out of parts of the city on the west and now increasingly on the east parts of the town or city of kobane. and i've sensed among pyd people, the kurdish group defending kobane, are growing confident, that they could actually hold out an enormous win. this has become a symbolic struggle. it's not that strategic, but because i.s. has chosen to make a target of it, pushed very

hard, lost a lot of people in the process. the americans say they believe they've killed several hundred i.s. fighters. because they've chosen as it were to make an issue of it, it's become important symbolically for the two sides equally to win. >> jim muir reporting there from erbil. all this week, our north america correspondent has been traveling down the so-called blues highway looking at some of the big concerns ahead of the u.s. midterm elections. on day four of his journey, he's reached mississippi, the birthplace of the blues, but also the poorest state in america with startling issues of child poverty. >> one, two, three. ♪ before i was born >> reporter: it's day four of our road trip and we've made it to clarksville, which is the town known as the birthplace of the blues. if that wasn't exciting enough,

we're hear to meet a brilliant blues musician, 10-year-old aaron wilkins. ♪ >> when i was around the house when i was little, my granddad just kept playing and then it just kind of caught on. and then it was in my blood. >> reporter: we were traveling through mississippi, and it was along this route that in the 1930s and '40s there was a mass migration of african-americans out of this area. they went to try and search for what were there scarce opportunities, and of course, they took with them the music into which they poured all of their burdens, all of their troubles, the blues. >> pass the biscuits. biscuit time. >> reporter: this is where the longest-running blues show in the world has been hosted since 1941, and for over 60 years, the man who's been hosting it is right here, sunshine sunny

payne. ♪ >> years ago, your african-american people couldn't communicate with white people, so they'd sing about it. >> reporter: and what about artists coming through? >> you've got some great artists today. these kids learned their lesson well from the old-timers. ♪ everybody knows me >> reporter: people in mississippi today know all about the blues. theirs is the poorest state. child poverty has reached shocking levels. ♪ i'm going to detroit, michigan ♪ >> reporter: and there are other problems here. 10-year-old aaron lives in one of the roughest neighborhoods in clarksdale with guns and drugs and gangs. >> the biggest issue to me is the stuff that happens in the streets. i want to stay away from that. you'll never see me in the streets no matter what. because blues is what i play,

and it's what i'm gonna do for the rest of my life. >> whoo! >> the blues highway there. lots more, as always, on our website, for me and the team. thank you very much for watching "bbc world news." bye-bye. getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label and it's automatic. we save time and money. time? money? time and money. awesome. awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! (all) awesome! i love logistics.

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ur doctor. for free home delivery, enroll in nexium direct today. i'm kasia madera with "bbc world news." our top stories. the world health organization says a major ebola outbreak is unlikely in western europe and north america, as president obama promises a rapid response to future cases. >> we're going to make sure that something like this is not repeated, and that we are monitoring, supervising, overseeing in a much more aggressive way. rescuers in nepal are trying to locate 70 trekkers caught in

deadly blizzards, which have killed up to 30 people. indications from the oscar pistorius hearing that it may be several more weeks before the judge sentences the athlete. and with its parliament holed up in a hotel 1,000 kilometers from the capital, is libya on the verge of becoming a failed state? we have a special report. hello, and welcome to the program. the world health organization has said that a major outbreak of ebola in the u.s. and elsewhere in the west is unlikely, given their strong health systems. president obama also said that the risk of americans getting the virus was extremely low. although he ordered a much more aggressive response. now, the u.s. is investigating how a nurse infected when treating a victim in texas was

allowed to then travel on a plane. from dallas, alistair leithead has this report. >> reporter: america's latest ebola patient being taken from dallas to a specialized unit in atlanta. amber vinson, like the other nurse who was infected with the virus, had been caring for thomas eric duncan, the liberian who developed symptoms after arriving in texas. protective measures were apparently not properly taken. she was infected and developed symptoms of the virus. president obama cancelled a trip to deal with the increasing concern over the way the texas health presbyterian hospital has been dealing with the virus. >> if we do these protocols properly, if we follow the steps, if we get the information out, then the likelihood of widespread ebola outbreaks in this country are very, very low. >> reporter: this is not a hospital that specializes in contagious diseases like ebola. but so far, its record on the

outbreak has not been good. first, a misdiagnosis left mr. duncan contagious and in the community for four days. then a breach in protocol led to two nurses being infected, dozens more now under observation. and what's more, a nurse who is under quarantine was able to travel on a commercial flight. it doesn't inspire confidence in the promise that everything will be done to prevent the spread of ebola. the nurse was in self-monitoring quarantine, but flew to ohio to visit family. she flew back the day before degree diagnosed with ebola, and doctors are trying to trace 132 passengers on her flight for monitoring. the risk of transmission is said to be low. >> we spoke to her family members, and we're looking at getting information. now, the thing is that we're looking at being able to construct a good time line of where the health care worker was when she was here and where she

traveled and who she was with. and that takes a little bit of time. >> reporter: she arrived in atlanta and was taken to the emery hospital, one of four in america which is a specialized unit to deal with highly infectious diseases. a fast response team has now been set up for future ebola cases. to ensure the procedures are followed to the letter, to prevent medical workers from being infected and to restore confidence in america's ability to control what began as one single ebola case. >> so alistair updating us on the situation in the united states. here in europe, health ministers are meeting in brussels. the issue of introducing screening at airports is expected to be top of the agenda, but as the bbc's chris morris in brussels says, not everyone thinks that it is a good idea. >> reporter: we know that britain, for example, has already started skreeting at heathrow airport and that will be extended to gatwick and eurostar train arrival terminal. we understand that paris in

france, airports in paris will start screening on saturday. but on the way into the health minister's meeting today, for example, the finnish health minister said finland doesn't believe this is a good idea. people are already screened on their exit from west africa. it's a bit of a waste of time and money to screen them a couple of hours later when they arrive in europe, because the chances of ebola symptoms suddenly emerging in that two-hour period are pretty slim. i think the alternative argument is yes, but the useful thing about entry screening is that information can be given. if you experience symptoms after you arrive in europe, here's the number to get hold of. this is what you do. make sure you know the medical route that you need to take if you're worried about ebola in any sense. so differences of opinion. and i think also a more general focus on the understanding that europe probably can cope with a few cases of ebola and the concentration, the focus in europe needs to be how to get more help to where it's really

needed in west africa. >> exactly. and on that point, eu leaders are under pressure to actually follow america's example and send troops to the affected region. >> reporter: well, it's something people are talking about. i suspect that's beyond the pay grade of a meeting of health ministers. they're not going to be able to deploy troops from europe. but overall, the eu has already sent about 180 million euros worth of material and help to the affected countries. but next week, there will be a meeting of eu leaders. perhaps that higher level of meeting, there will be a more concerted discussion about what more practically they can do to get medical teams on the ground where they're needed. >> so chris morris reporting about that eu health minister's meeting in brussels. the situation is, of course, changing. if you want more on the unfolding developments of ebola, do make sure that you do join us on "bbc world news" at 1830 gmt, we will bring you a special

program with the very latest on this outbreak. that program will air daily all this week right here on "bbc world news." do join us for that. blizzards and avalanches in the himalayas in nepal have reportedly killed up to three hikers and four farmers. the nepalese authorities say they have rescued more than 100 trekkers stranded in snowfall in various parts of this mountainous district, but many trekkers and their guides are still out of contact. laura westbrook reports. >> reporter: these mountains attract more than 100,000 visitors to nepal from all over the world. but in the high himalayas, unpredictable weather can be deadly. a rescue operation is now under way after blizzards and several avalanches struck the region. the nepalese army has rescued dozens, but rough terrain and snow is hampering efforts, and many trekkers are still missing. the mountains that dominate central nepal are the annapurna

and manaslu. hundreds of hikers were trekking on these mountains when all were hit by the severe weather. it's the most popular time of year to visit the area, and weather is usually fine, but freak snowstorms caught many off guard. a facebook page has been set up by the brother of a missing hiker. it's quickly filled with concerned posts from all around the world, as people search for news on their friends and relatives. it comes just months after an avalanche on mount everest killed 16 sherpas and resulted in a big drop in the number of expeditions to the world's highest peak. trekking and mountaineering are vital to the country's economy. many fear this latest tragedy will badly hurt those that rely on these mountains for their livelihood. laura westbrook, bbc news. let's get the latest update from the bbc world service

environment reporter. he joins us live. before we talk about the weather conditions there, just bring us up to date, do we know how many people are still trapped up the mountains? >> reporter: officials who are involved in this rescue operation tell me that the weather has been favorable. they still are trying to rescue. they said they have rescued 140-plus people today and some dead bodies. but the figure is still not confirmed, how many still remain, the dead bodies buried there. they're still continuing and we are still trying to get more updates here. >> normally this is a good time to do this. >> i couldn't get you quite clearly. >> i know the difficulty -- our viewers appreciate the difficulty with this line. but normally, the weather conditions are okay. this is quite freak weather that they're experiencing there. >> reporter: yes, the weather has been quite -- this came all of a sudden. but the bbc has also learned

that the office here could not predict this correctly. they thought that this storm would head off further west and to kashmir in india, whereas what happened was it headed to the mountainous region, which is the most trekked region in nepal. there's been a mistake here, which officials have admitted to us. >> now, you mentioned that at the moment, conditions are okay for rescuers to access those potentially trapped. just tell us and bring us up to date with the rescue operation currently then. >>. >> reporter: so what they're doing is using hospitals in the circuit. they've managed to get as many people as possible. other side has been quite tricky. below the mountain. they fear that some dead bodies are still buried in the base camp there. that has been a challenge. and what is also adding to the challenge is this westerly distance coming from the western

side. so they say they better do it as soon as possible before the weather worsens. >> yes, indeed. for the time being, navin joining us live. thank you very much. and apologies to viewers for a slight breakup in the line there. three years after the revolution that drove colonel gadhafi from power, is libya on the verge of becoming a failed state in the country's elected parliament was driven from the capital tripoli earlier this year by militants and is now based in a hotel in the eastern port from where it is desperately trying to hold the country together. here is a report. >> reporter: libya, a country the world helped free from dictatorship, has now descended into chaos. just a few hours sailing time from europe, this navy patrol vessel daren't venture far for

fear of militants. >> translator: they're outlaws, extremists, and militias. >> reporter: this stretch of coastline is one of few bits of libya its newly elected parliament still controls. three years after the overthrow of colonel gadhafi, much of the country is in the hands of rebel militias. some of them linked to al qaeda. libya's elected parliament has fled to this remote port, tobruk, a thousand kilometers from the capital tripoli. it's been forced to stay in a huge 1970s hotel. many here say they had to be smuggled out of the capital tripoli after they and their families were attacked by islamists militias. the militias seized the capital in august after islamists lost the elections and set up a rival government. it says it's defending the revolution to stop gadhafi-era figures regaining power, but it admits that it's allies to an

extremely group and shari'a, which partly controls the second city benghazi and was involved in an attack on the u.s. consulate there two years ago. >> translator: there are two forces in benghazi and they are working together now. some are alshari'a and revolutionaries from 2011. they are fighting together now. >> reporter: in tobruk, they hope the revolution will bring freedom and opportunities. now they're terrified by the growing power of the jihadis. >> to be honest, i am talking with you, i am afraid for myself. because i was talking about jihadism. and if they watch, maybe they're going to catch me. >> reporter: he's depending on the politicians now trapped in their hotel to save the country. but they in turn are depending on the outside world to come to

their aid. >> let's look at the worst case scenario. yes, the islamic militants take over libya one day. what will happen? if somebody has the means to deliver the rockets or whatever, the means to deliver destruction to europe, they can do frit this side if they have control. >> reporter: in tobruk, they say the threat of extremism in libya is as great as that posed by islamic state militants in syria and iraq. but the world, busy now with those places, is looking the other way. bbc news, tobruk. >> and tim will have more from tobruk in this weekend's edition of "our world" right here on "bbc world news." still lots more to come right now here on "bbc world news." do stay with us, including hong kong's chief executive proposing talks with students after another night of clashes on the city streets. and concerns of food shortages in west african countries hit by ebola.

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hello. welcome back to "bbc world news." our kasia madera. our main headlines this hour. the world health organization says that a major outbreak is unlikely in north america and western europe, as president obama orders a more aggressive response to future cases. a search and rescue operation is looking for 70 missing trekkers in nepal after up to 30 are killed by avalanches in the himalayas. oscar pistorius is back in court for a fourth day to hear the arguments about what kind of sentence he should be given for the killing of his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. the south african athlete could be jailed for up to 15 years, or he could stay out of jail and be given a sentence in the

community. a cousin of ms. steenkamp finished her testimony today by saying that she wanted to see pistorius go to prison. my colleague karin giannone is outside the court in pretoria, and karin, it's been an emotional time for reeva steenkamp's cousin. >> reporter: it has. the whole steenkamp family. we've seen barry and june steenkamp in court in a very advanced state of grief. barry steenkamp really looking devastated all the way through kim martin's evidence. and today kim martin continued on the witness stand. after a day when she outlined yesterday the emotional impact of reeva steenkamp's death on the family. today talked about their view of what sort of punishment oscar pistorius should receive. >> i really believe the accused, mr. pistorius, needs to pay for what he has done. my family are not people who are

seeking revenge. we just feel that to take someone's life, to shoot somebody behind a door that is unarmed, that is harmless, needs sufficient punishment. >> so that was one of reeva steenkamp's cousins. karin, we were under the impression that we'd get a sentence by the end of this week, but actually that is not the case now. >> reporter: it seems that the court has simply run out of time this week. judge masipa yesterday told both sides she's not available next week, and for the following three weeks. suggestions are now that we will wind up with all the evidence in this pre-sentencing argument tomorrow, friday, and then the judge will adjourn until probably november. so it seems because the mitigation of sentence has taken so long, there's been such lengthy cross-examination of some of the witnesses by

gerrie nel by the prosecution. now only yesterday afternoon beginning with their witnesses. still one or two more state witnesses to come in aggravation of sentence. this really is going further than we thought and it will not be wrapped up by the end of friday. >> okay, for the time being, karin giannone at the courthouse in pretoria. thank you very much. it's possible to monitor all of the trial on twitter. all of our colleagues out in pretoria are on twitter, and karin there very much. @bbckarin, so do follow the team out in south africa. seven police officers in hong kong who were seen on film beating a democracy protester have been suspended. the incident caused widespread outrage. there were more scuffles overnight between police and demonstrators trying to reoccupy a main road near government buildings with officers using pepper spray. a little earlier, hong kong's leader c.y. leung said that the

government is ready to start talking with protesters. >> as long as the students are prepared to focus on this issue, yes, we are ready. we are prepared to start a dialogue and maintain that dialogue. and this is why over the last few days, and including this morning, through third parties, we expressed the wish to the students that we'd like to start the dialogue, to discuss universal coverage as soon as we can and hopefully within the following week. >> hong kong's chief executive speaking earlier today. almost 4,500 people have now died from ebola, most in west africa. it is prompting fears of food shortages. according to the united nations, nearly half of all farmers in sierra leone have abandoned their land. from there, our correspondent

has sent this report. >> reporter: sewing the seeds of a growing economy, farmers in sierra leone going about their business just a few months ago. today, though, fear and panic is threatening their crops and the country's food security. the u.n.'s international firm for agricultural development says because of ebola, fields have been desserted and the warehouses like this could soon follow suit. >> new guinea, liberia, sierra leone, farmers are leaving their crops to rot as they stay home in fear. in sierra leone, up to 40% of farms have been abandoned in the worst affected areas. meanwhile in senegal and other countries in west africa there are already food shortages because regional trade has been disrupted. >> reporter: as this epidemic deepens, so too do concerns about a wider humanitarian crisis. here in sierra leone, though,

the government says steps are being taken to shore up food supplies. >> what we have done is appeal to the farmers, to compel them to go back to their farmers. you can stick with your farm work while you observe the precautions. so we have seen a return to the farm by the farmers, and they've been working. so some of them are now being attended to and as i am speaking to you, most of the farms are ready, especially the rice farm, a very major source of rice in the country, it's now ready for harvest, so the farmers are listening that they can go and do their work despite the ebola outbreak. >> reporter: the security issue and the negative economic impacts have hampered the most vulnerable households. this means less food on the plates of many people from sierra leone.

assistance should be given to those who can farm in areas not badly affected by ebola. unless that is done, the food security issue is set to continue. most of the produce sold in markets like this is sourced locally, but with claims the country's main harvest is now at risk, they can add feeding their families to the list of challenges this unprecedented outbreak has brought. the parents of the burmese men charged with killing two british citizens in thailand say that their sons are being made scapegoats. speaking exclusively to the bbc, the mother of one of the men said that stress from the case had made her suicidal. the bodies of the british tourists were found on a beach on the island last month. our myanmar correspondent jonah fisher reports. >> reporter: a double murder in

thailand has broken hearts, both in britain and here in myanmar. i'm showing the families of the two men accused of murdering hannah withridge and david miller footage of their sons taking part in a thai police reconstruction two weeks ago. both men faced the death penalty and were paraded on the beach where they allegedly killed the british tourists. his mother tells me news of his arrest has broken her heart, leaving her suicidal. you know how much i love you, she says. tell them the truth. you're not guilty. the case has been rigged against my son, the other's mother says. it's not particularly surprising that the families of the two accused men should think that they're innocent, but there are plenty of experienced, independent observers, including british diplomats, who have

serious concerns about the way the thai police have handled this investigation. this man is part of a burmese support team and he firmly believes the men are scapegoats. he cites the treatment of a witness, mongmong, the man in the blue shirt here. i just spoke to him ten minutes ago on the phone. he says the police stood on his arms and legs and stamped on his chest, but he still refused to change his story. the thai authorities may have thought that by charging two poor burmese men with murder, this case would quickly disappear from public view. if that's the case, they were wrong. both here in myanmar and furd abroad, efforts are continuing to stop one tragedy beingther abroad, efforts are continuing to stop one tragedy being followed by another. jonah fisher, bbc news. queen elizabeth has paid tribute to british and commonwealth first world war dead by visiting a unique poppy

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