this is bbc america, and now, live from london, "bbc world news." >> hello, i'm alice baxter with "bbc world news." our top stories. two deadly attacks in three days against the military and parliament in canada. the prime minister steven harper addresses the nation. >> let there be no misunderstanding, we will not be intimidated. canada will never be intimidated. the red cross in sierra leone's capital freetown says it's recovering up to 100 bodies a day of people who have died of the ebola virus.

tesco, britain's biggest retailer, the boss is about to step down after the supermarket announces a bigger than forecast hole in its profits. our correspondent climbs onboard a train to kiev to find out what passengers there are thinking of ukraine and where it should be heading. hello there. a very warm welcome to you. now, the cold-blooded killing of a canadian soldier followed by the attack on the country's national parliament has shocked authorities. investigators are now focusing their attention on the gunman and his possible motives behind the attack. it all started just before 10:00 a.m. on wednesday morning when a man shot and killed a guard at the national war memorial in the

city center. from there, he stormed the nearby parliament building in a dramatic attack. but the gunman was reportedly shot dead by the ceremonial sergeant at arms, kevin vickers, who's now being hailed as a hero. so what do we know of the attacker? he's known as michael zehaf-bibeau, a canadian citizen in his early 30s who converted to islam. he was a suspected jihadist sympathizer whose name was on a terrorist watch list. he was labeled by authorities as a high-risk traveler and had recently had his passport taken away. our correspondent nick bryant sent us this report from ottawa. >> reporter: ottawa remains a city on edge, with the kind of heavy security presence that canadians normally associate with america. the police still haven't ruled out the possibility that the gunman who attacked the country's war memorial and parliament had accomplices. they don't want to be caught out again. the police believe that the man who carried out this attack on

parliament was a muslim convert in his early 30s who had his passport taken away because of suspected jihadist sympathies. before being shot dead, he killed a canadian soldier, on guard at the country's war memorial. 24-year-old nathan cirillo. addressing the nation, canada's prime minister steven harper said the attacks were a reminder that the country wasn't immune from terrorism. >> we will not be intimidated. canada will never be intimidated. in fact, this will lead us to strengthen our resolve and redouble our efforts, and those of our national security agencies, to take all necessary steps to identify and counter threats and keep canada safe here at home. >> even as the prime minister was speaking, parliamentary staff were finally being allowed to leave their locked down buildings. they'd spent almost 12 hours inside. parents could also retrieve their children from parliament's daycare center. >> we just got an e-mail saying

that the daycare opened, is open, so the parents all just rushed there, picked up their kids and hugging them close. it's been quite the day. >> reporter: with two attacks on canadian soldiers in three days, the nation is on a high state of alert. earlier this month, the canadian government announced it was joining the u.s.-led coalition against islamic state in iraq. the police will now be investigating whether that was a possible motive behind these attacks. nick bryant, bbc news, ottawa. >> earlier, i spoke to the international security director for the asia pacific foundation, and i asked him whether having the government under surveillance was enough. >> certainly, it was important. the canadian authorities were able to identify that he was expressing extremist views on internet blogs to the extent that they took away his passport. but that isn't where the problem

ends, because it's one thing stopping the problem from leaving the country, but then they need to be followed up with monitoring surveillance operations, because those individuals may still harbor very extremist views and want to try and carry out more attacks, as unfortunately we witnessed yesterday. >> because, of course, as terrorism has evolved, so has one's access. taking away someone's passport doesn't take away their access to the internet, for example. so what else could authorities have done to keep an eye on him? >> certainly, this is now going to require reevaluation, gone are the days where you have individuals traveling to countries like pakistan, linking up with al qaeda, coming back to pull off major pullouts. terrorism becomes smaller, it's not necessarily large. mass casualty attacks. that means that counterterrorism agencies need to keep monitoring the internet because that has become the publicity for groups like isis who issue messages. only on sunday, isis issued a

message to carry out attacks against canada. you've seen two plots now against the armed forces of canada. so this illustrates that the dynamic has altered substantially. >> it does beg the question as to whether counterterrorism is evolving at the same pace, which increasingly media-savvy terrorist outlets are. how do you think i.s. will use this incident? for propaganda purposes? >> certainly this will become a very powerful piece of propaganda for groups like i.s., isis, whatever it now calls itself, because they have used new media very successfully. it's become one of the most powerful narratives. one dynamic that took place with the attack is that okay, collaterally, only one person may have been killed, but propaganda-wise, they were able to strike in the heart of canada's democracy. the citadel seeing shots being fired inside the chamber of the house of commons, and the other dynamic is the disruption it created. ottawa was on lockdown. this shows that they are able to

strike anywhere at any time. >> and what does an incident like this do to a city like ottawa? does it just create panic or does it go deeper? >> it creates a lot of panic, it creates uncertainty, fear, doubt. it also means there is that fear of uncertainty. canadians, who have never been used to these types of incidents, are very uncertain about their own personal security. but canada has not been immune from terrorist plots. there was the toronto 18 cell in 2006 which involved a number of a nad ycanadians, including tryo attack the canadian prime minister stephen harper. so they have faced problems but they're mostly been disrupted. we're only now beginning to see actual forms of violence taking place in the country. >> we've also just got this footage in to show you. the video was submitted by a viewer to canada's broadcasting corporation showing the alleged shooter leaving the war memorial shooting site after killing the

guard. he's getting into his illegally parked vehicle on wellington street before heading for the parliament building. for more on these stories, you can visit our website, where we are all the latest information as well as a time line of events and how the news broke. we also have analysis of whether this shows a growing extremism inside can dach that's all for you at bbc.com/news. a number of people with ebola is set to hit 10,000 in west africa. that's according to the world health organization, which is coordinating the search for a cure. representatives of some of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies are meeting in geneva today with the w.h.o. and aid agencies involved in tackling the current ebola outbreak. the european union is set to allocate a quarter of a million dollars for the development of ebola vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tests. the outbreak is one of the main points on the agenda when eu

leaders meet later. the bbc's europe correspondent ben wright is in brussels and he told me more about the eu's plans to help tackle ebola. >> eu leaders are focused on it. they're trying to get a fund together of up to about a million euros to tackle ebola, but separately, the european commission is working with many drugs companies to try and find a vaccine, fast track clinical testing, and it seems, according to reports this morning that they have agreed that they will have a joint fund between the commission and drugs companies of the tune of about a quarter of a million dollars to fund the sort of clinical testing, because the hunt really is on for a vaccine. there isn't one available. and until now, drugs companies have always been fairly reluctant to invest heavily in ebola, because until now, outbreaks have been very small, and it wasn't considered to be worth their while. so the race is on. the european union are doing

their bit. we expect that will be confirmed during the course of the next day or two. >> ebola dominating the headlines, but climate change is also on the table. >> climate change, energy security, also will be topping the discussions that they're having here over the next two days. energy security, of course, for europe now a really big issue. not just the environmental aspect of it. but after the events in ukraine, i think there's a real feeling across the european capitals that europe has to be more energy self-sufficient. it has to reduce its carbon footprint. they're going to harmer out today the european union's target for reducing carbon greenhouse gas emissions, so quite a big step they're expected to take today. >> you can also get more information on ebola on our website. there are maps of the hot spot and the outbreak and a feature.

the surprising numbers on the fight against the virus. that's all online for you at bbc news. one of the world's biggest retailers has announced a big fall in sales and profits. shares in the british-based supermarket opened sharply lower after the company said profits had always halved in the first half of the year and sales had fallen in britain. the rest of europe and also in asia. the latest figures come a month after the company said it had misinformed investors by overstating its expected profits. our reporter is at a tesco store in west london for us. the bad news just keeps oncoming for tesco at the moment. >> reporter: it does, alice. for the past few years, tesco has been a byword for tesco. but its fall from grace has been

pretty spectacular. the figures you've just reeled off, 90% fall in profits. big falls in like for like sales. and all against this background of an impossible criminal investigation. now, we spoke to some of the shoppers here today. and although they come here -- many say it's only because it's their local store. they weren't exactly brimming over with enthusiasm. the big issue for tesco has been the battle with the budget retailers. certainly here in britain, there have been other companies such as little and aldi which have got a real foothold in the market, by offering much lower prices. analysts say that tesco certainly has not been known how to respond to that. they've been too slow to really get a strategy in place to deal with that sort of competition. well, as we've heard, the chief executive is stepping down, and the company has announced it will have a full review of its business as it tries to find a way out of what is frankly a bit

of a mess. >> yes, they seem to be losing out to both the budget and the luxury retailers, don't they, jon. and to cap it all off, chairman has just announced he's going to quit as well. is that a surprise in light of the bad news you've just reminded us all of? >> reporter: well, probably not that great a surprise. a question of taking accountability, so as the chairman, he obviously feels he has to fall on his sword, as the man ultimately responsible for the problems at the tesco group. so a lot of work to do to restore what was an absolutely growing reputation, but it may be a long haul to get back to where this company was just a few years ago. >> jon brain, many thanks for keeping us up to speed with all of tesco's latest woes. do stay with us here on "bbc world news," because still to come, general john allen, the head of the u.s.-led coalition against islamic state speaks to the bbc about why there's no

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hello there, this is "bbc world news," with me, alice backster. the latest headlines. the canadian prime minister stephen harper says his country will not be intimidated by the attacks on which two soldiers have been killed and the national parliament infiltrated by gunmen. the red cross says it's recovering between 70 and 100 bodies a day of people who have died of the ebola virus in the sierra leone capital freetown. now, fighting has resumed in the syrian town of kobane this morning after a brief lull. there's been heavy fighting and intense shelling throughout the night where kurdish fighters are holding out against islamic state militants. we're told by syrian kurdish sources that the islamic state fighters are trying to gain access to the town center.

i.s. appears to be back and forth in a number of key areas of kobane, which is located just south of the turkish border. a medical source there has reported casualties, but wasn't able to give a number. meanwhile, the head of the u.s.-led coalition against islamic state extremists, that's general john allen, has told the bbc that the air campaign against i.s. has been a success so far. his comments come despite criticism from turkey, which said recent air drops of military supplies into the syrian town of kobane were a mistake because some of the u.s. weapons have been seized by militants. general allen spoke to the bbc. >> general, thanks for being with us. let me start specifically with the military strategy. we've had weeks of bombing, and yet i.s. has made gains around kobane and anbar province. is it working? >> i think it is. the purpose of the air strikes was to buy time. ultimately to begin the process

of refurbishing and regenerating the iraqi security forces. and to buy time ultimately to get those forces into the field, to begin to confront the isil forces and begin to push them back. what this has done is it's created an opportunity for us to have that time. >> you had arms drops to kurdish fighters. there is video showing that some of it may have got into i.s. hands. how concerned are you that you've ended up arming the very people that you're fighting? >> well, it's a very small amount. it may have been one bundle out of 28 bundles. and if any of those weapons or any of that material got into their hands, it would have been a relatively small amount. we have a very accurate method of delivering that system and delivering those weapons and we think that the vast majority of that got into the hands of the defenders of kobane. >> the border strategy that you outlined is to degrade i.s., to provide the space of the iraqi army, the peshmerga fighters to

actually battle this on the ground. what happens if they can't do that? >> i won't attempt to comment on the negative apoth sis here. i think what we speak to do here is to give them the capabilities of doing it. it's not something that's going to happen tomorrow. it's not something that's going to happen in the next several months, but we do expect that over time, with right kind of train and equip and advisory and assistance capacity and building into the capabilities of the ministries, that we can provide -- >> you said for about ten years before america left iraq and we saw the iraqi army turn and run. if the second part of that equation doesn't happen, and given the threat that has been outlined by your president, if the second part doesn't happen, it has to come back to american coalition boots on the ground, doesn't it? >> well, at this point, we believe that it will happen. we believe that we have the capacity over time working with the iraqis to build the capability of recovering the territorial integrity of iraq and ultimately the sovereignty.

>> but that doesn't sound like you've got a plan b at all. >> we don't need a plan b at this point. at this point, we believe that we're going to have the capability of building up those forces over time. look, we've just had quite a political breakthrough in baghdad. prime minister abadi has taken very important steps to form a government. it's the first full cabinet that's been formed since 2010. >> but these are all hopes, aren't they? about what it might lead to. >> well, it's planning. it's not hopes, it's planning. we ultimately expect that as we commit the kinds of resources necessary to the training and the equipping of the iraqi security forces, that those forces will be able to accomplish the objectives of the iraqi government and also the objectives of the coalition. >> let's bring you some other news now, because up to eight people have been killed in pakistan when gunmen opened fire in balachistan. all of those killed are thought

to have been from a predominantly shia community. the driver of a snowplow who was involved in a plane crash which killed the boss of total has appeared in a russian court. on tuesday, his vehicle collided with a private jet as it was taken off at moscow's airport. russian prosecutors have also detained four other workers in connection with the crash. an arrest order has been issued in mexico for the mayor of the town where six people died and 46 students disappeared after clashing with police. he is accused of ordering police to stop student protesters for disrupting an event hosted by his wife. the couple are said to be on the run. ukrainians go to the polls this weekend, and a key parliamentary election. a vote dominated by the ongoing military conflict in the east of the country. this week, our correspondent

steve rosenberg is reporting from right across ukraine. and on wednesday, he was in rebel-held territory. today, though, steve takes the train to the ukrainian capital kiev. >> reporter: this is the train station about 500 kilometers from the ukrainian capital. we're about to take train 732 to kiev. and along the way, i'm going to try to talk to people on the train about where they think their country's heading.

>> reporter: this is sherry, the dog? the yorkshire terrier, who has taken quite a liking to me, actually. >> reporter: tatiana says that ukraine has been battling for

its independence for 300 years and her country should look to the west and not to the east. >> reporter: he says he was on independence square during the protests a year ago, and he says he had hopes then and in some ways his hopes have been realized, but in other ways, he said things have stayed much as they were before.

>> reporter: as we rumble through the ukrainian country side, the one thing that strikes me is just how peaceful everything looks. a total contrast from the conflict that continues in the east of the country, in donetsk and luhansk regions. on this train, we're heading west. we're heading towards kiev. and the ukrainian government says that ukraine now is heading west, moving closer to europe. but there are clearly lots of problems still on the way. >> now, a huge gold nugget goes on auction in san francisco later. this large piece of gold is one of the largest ever found. it's estimated to be worth between $350,000 and $450,000. the nugget was found in california's bute country mountains bay prospector earlier this year. just got this footage in to show you now.

the video was submitted by a viewer at canada's broadcasting corporation, showing the alleged shooter leaving the war memorial site after killing the guard. of course, this relates to our top story here on "bbc world news." he was then seen getting to his illegally parked vehicle on wellington street. more on that story on our website, of course. do stay with us. [ salesman ] congrats on the new car. [ woman ] thanks. the dealership reviews on cars.com made it easy, but... [ man ] we thought it might be a little more tense. you miss the drama? yeah.

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of peppermint oh, happy birthday. applebee's. where fans know best. our top stories. two deadly attacks in three days against the military and parliament in canada. the prime minister stephen harper addresses the nation. >> let there be no misunderstanding, we will not be intimidated. canada will never be intimidated. the red cross in sierra leone's capital freetown says it's recovering up to 100 bodies a day of people who have died of the ebola virus.

the chairman of tesco, britain's biggest retailer, is to step down after the supermarket announces a bigger than forecast hole in its profits. >> reporter: ethiopia is turning into the worst human disaster in a decade, begun by nature, but compounded by man. >> 30 years since the bbc reported on the famine that killed up to a million people in ethiopia. we return to one of the worst affected areas to see what's changed. hello. a very warm welcome to you. the cold-blooded killing of a canadian soldier followed by the attack on the country's national parliament has shocked authorities. investigators are now focusing their attention on the gunman and his possible motives behind

the attack. it all started just before 10:00 a.m. on wednesday morning when a man shot and killed a guard at the national war memorial in the city center. from there, he stormed the nearby parliament building in a dramatic attack. but the gunman was reportedly shot dead by the ceremonial sergeant at arms, kevin vickers, who's now being hailed as hero. so what do we know of the attacker? he's been named as michael zehaf-bibeau, a canadian citizen in his early 30s who converted to islam. he was a suspected jihadist sympathizer whose name was on a terror watch list. he was labld by authorities as a high-risk traveler and had recently had his passport taken away. our correspondent nick bryant sent this report from ottawa. >> reporter: ottawa remains a city on edge, with the security presence that canadians normally associate with america. the police still haven't ruled

out the possibility that the gunman who attacked the country's war memorial in parliament had accomplices. they don't want to be caught out again. the police believe the man was a muslim convert in his early 30s who had his passport taken away because of suspected jihadist sympathies. before being shot dead, he killed a canadian soldier on guard at the country's war memorial. 24-year-old nathan cirillo. addressing the nation, canada's prime minister stephen harper said the attacks were a reminder that the country wasn't immune from terrorism. >> we will not be intimidated. canada will never be intimidated. in fact, this will lead us to strengthen our resolve and redouble our efforts, and those of our national security agencies, to take all necessary steps to identify and counter threats and keep canada safe here at home. >> reporter: even as the prime minister was speaking, parliamentary staff were finally

being allowed to leave their locked down buildings. they'd spent almost 12 hours inside. parents could also retrieve their children from parliament's daycare center. >> we just got an e-mail saying that the daycare opened, is open, so the parents all just rushed there and picked up their kids and hugging them close. so it's been quite the day. >> reporter: with two attacks on canadian soldiers in three days, the nation is on a high state of alert. earlier this month, the canadian government announced it was joining the u.s.-led coalition against islamic state in iraq. the police will now be investigating whether that was a possible motive behind these attacks. nick bryant, bbc news, ottawa. earlier, i spoke to the international security director for the asia-pacific foundation. i asked him whether having the gunman under surveillance was enough. >> certainly, it was important the canadian authorities were

able to identify that he was expressing extremist views on internet blogs to the extent that they took away his passport, but that is where the problem doesn't end, because it's one thing stopping the problem from leaving the country, but then they need to be followed up with monitoring surveillance operations, because those individuals may still harbor very extremist views and want to try and carry out more attacks as unfortunately we witnessed yesterday. >> because, of course, as terrorism has evolved, so has one's access to it. taking away someone's passport doesn't take away their access to the internet, for example. so what else could authorities have done to keep an eye on him? >> certainly, this is now going to require reevaluation of how counterterrorism works. gone are the days where you have a cluster of individuals traveling to countries like pakistan, linking up with al qaeda, coming back to carry out major plots. nowadays, terrorism becomes more instantaneous. it's smaller. it's not necessarily large, mass casualty attacks.

that means that counterterrorism agencies need to keep monitoring the internet because that has become the publicity for groups like isis who issue messages. only on sunday, isis issued a message to carry out attacks against canada. you've seen two plots now against the armed forces of canada. so this illustrates that the dynamic has aerltered substantially. >> it begs the question whether counterterrorism is evolving at the same pace which increasingly media savvy terrorists outlets are. how do you think i.s. will use this incident for propaganda purposes? >> certainly this will become a very powerful piece of propaganda for groups like i.s., isis, whatever it now calls itself, because they have used new media very successfully. it's become one of the most powerful narratives. one dynamic that took place with the attack is okay, collaterally, only one person may have been killed, but propaganda-wise, they were able to strike in the heart of

canada's democracy, the citadel was shot being fired inside the chamber of the house of commons. and the other dynamic is the disruption it created. that ottawa was in lockdown. so this shows that they are able to strike anywhere at any time. >> and what does an incident like this do to a city like ottawa? does it just create panic, or does it go deeper? >> it creates a lot of panic. it creates uncertainty, fear, and doubt. and it also means that there's a fear of uncertainty. canadians now who have never been used to these types of incidents are very uncertain about their own personal security. but keep in mind, canada has not been immune from terrorist plots. there was the toronto 18 cell in 2006, which involved a number of canadians plotting attacks, including targeting canada's parliament and even trying to attack the canadian prime minister stephen harper. so they have faced problems, but they've mostly been disrupted. we're only now beginning to see actual forms of violence taking place in the country.

>> one of the clues being looked at by security experts in canada is this footage that we can now show you. the video was submitted by a viewer to canada's broadcasting corporation that appears to show the alleged shooter leaving the war memorial shooting site after killing the guard. he's then seen getting into his illegally parked vehicle on wellington street before heading for the parliament building. for more on this story, you can, of course, always visit our website, where we have all the latest details as well as a t e timeline of events and how the news broke. we also have analysis of whether this shows growing extremism inside of canada. that's all for you at bbc.com/news. some other news for you now. up to eight people have been killed in pakistan, when a gunman opened fire in the southwestern province. all of those who were killed are thought to have been from a predominantly shia community.

the driver of a snowplow who was involved in a plane crash which killed the boss of the company total has appeared in court. his vehicles collided with a private jet as it was taking off at moscow's airport, killing christoph demarjorie and three crew members. russian prosecutors have also detained four other workers in connection with the crash. an arrest order has been issued in mexico for the mayor of iguala, where six people died and 43 students disappeared after clashing with police last month. he is accused of ordering police to stop student protesters from disrupting an event hosted by his wife. the couple are said to be on the run. one of the world's biggest retailers tesco has announced a big fall of sales and profits. shares show an opening sharper lower after profits almost

halved in the first half of the year and sales had fallen in britain, the rest of europe, and asia. the latest figure comes a month after the company said that it had misinformed investors by overstating its expected profits. a little earlier, the bbc's jon brain gave me his analysis on tesco's predicament. >> reporter: for the past few years, tesco has been a byword for success in the retail sector, not just here in britain, but in many parts of the world, of course. its fall from grace has been pretty spectacular. the alleged accounting fraud that you mentioned there, and the figures you've just reeled off, 90% fall in profits. big falls in like for like sales. and all this against this background of an impossible criminal investigation. now, we've spoken to some of the shoppers here today, and although they come here -- many say it's because it's their local store, many aren't brimming with enthusiasm. the big issue has been the

battle with budget retailers. certainly here in britain, there have been other companies such as little and aldi which have got a real foothold in the market, or by offering much lower prices. analysts say that tesco certainly has not been known how to respond to that. they've been too slow to really get a strategy in place to deal with that sort of competition. as we've heard, the chief executive is stepping down, and the company has announced it will have a full review of its business as it tries to find a way out of what is frankly a bit of a mess. 20 people were killed in the recent shelling between pakistan and india in kashmir. it was the worst violence in a decade with hundreds of villagers displaced on both sides of the border. both countries blame the other for starting it. but daily life and trade is continuing despite the uncertainty. if bbc has been finding out in pakistan administered kashmir.

>> reporter: this 73-year-old is traveling to kashmir with his family to see his seven siblings. it's only his second time making the journey since he left in 1958. unlike many others, he didn't flee his home, but left of his own free will, little realizing that he would struggle to return for visits. for him, the weekly bus service between the capitals of pakistani and indian-administered kashmir is a lifeline. >> translator: the bus service is very important for divided families. it shouldn't be stopped, even if there is unrest. kashmiris on both sides want to live with peace. >> reporter: it's what many people here hope for. but the recent upsurge in silence between pakistan and india and kashmir has created uncertainty. the bus is normally packed, but today it's only half full.

it looks like business as usual, waiting to cross to india, but traders are nervous. cross-border trading in kashmir is expected to be worth nearly $90 million a year, but it's fragile. >> translator: kashmir's economy depends on this trade. it creates a lot of jobs. if it is stopped, we'll lose all our money and we won't be able to start again. >> reporter: in a pakistani village right on the border, this woman can't start over either. a few days earlier, she was feeding her children their evening meal in the courtyard when a shell struck a tree in the compound, sending splinters everywhere and injuring her children. some villagers have left, but she is staying.

>> translator: we are very scared. whenever i hear a gunshot, i gather my children and take them inside. i can't bring water, cook meals, or work in the fields due to the constant shelling. but this is our home and our land. where else can we go? >> political tensions between india and pakistan are always felt in kashmir first. it's where the two nuclear powers size each other up. the recent fears that efforts to end tensions would end. a permanent peace seems as elusive as ever. do stay with us here on "bbc world news." still to come. the great barrier reef is one of australia's most precious treasures, so why are vast areas being destroyed? our correspondent investigates. some come here to build something stronger.

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hello there. very warm welcome back. this is "bbc world news" with me ali ali alice baxter. the national parliament infiltrated by gunmen. 30 years ago, the bbc broadcast the first television reports of a devastating famine in ethiopia. up to a million people died in the disaster. but the reports prompted a huge international response, including the live aid concert. our correspondent mike waldridge

was part of the report. earlier i asked him how much has changed there. >> reporter: the most remarkable change is what we see here, the fact that they've already started harvesting some of the crops at the moment. others waiting to be harvested. and we've seen that among most of our 600-kilometer journey. that's not true of all areas of ethiopia at the moment. some are under greater pressure, but nevertheless, it is such a difference from that terrible year of 1984 when in this area it was so parched, and in particular this area around the town there. there was no production and there hadn't been for two or three harvests. many people after arriving here making that extremely difficult

journey then died. and indeed, it was months before things were turned around. >> mike, what was it like to report on a story like that, and how do you think we as the media have been able to change the way that we now report on stories like this? >> reporter: one of the things i'm very struck by is just how traumatic those events still are in the minds of many people here. those we've been talking to here and elsewhere who witnessed them at firsthand. they really can't believe that they survived it. they said that they thought they were going to die. i think that is a very important factor in the reporting of this in terms of explaining how people need to find some hope, ideally confidence that in future when ethiopia has

droughts, for surely it will, this is a country very vulnerable to natural calamities of that kind, that it will not be turned into any kind of deadly famine. all sorts of people are working with them to enable ordinary people here to find the kind of strategies that will defend themselves against that sort of prospect. fighting has resumed in the syrian town of kobane this morning after a brief lull. there's been heavy fighting and intense shelling through night where kurdish fighters are holding out against islamic state militants. we're told by syrian kurdish sources that the islamic state fighters are trying to gain access to the town center. i.s. appears to be back and forth in a number of key areas of kobane, which is located just south of the turkish border. a medical source there has reported casualties, but wasn't able to give a number. the great barrier reef off the northeast coast of australia is seen as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, but scientists say that half the

coral has been destroyed over the past three decades, and the united nations said that the site may soon be listed as endanger endangered. it's worried about the expansion of coal mining operations close to the reef. our sydney correspondent reports. >> reporter: the big blue. an underwater wonder land. the great barrier reef covers an area larger than britain. a massive, multi-colored jewel off australia's eastern seaboard. environmentalists fear in just 20 years, the reef could be all but dead. >> i'm convinced the great barrier reef is dying. i've been convinced for many years. i've been back to some of my favorite spots that i filmed originally many years ago to capture the new material on definition and and found waste lands out there. >> reporter: scientists say more

than half the coral has been destroyed in the last 30 years. an aggressive star fish called the crown of thorns has killed much of it. the star fish have flourished because of fertilizers seeping into the ocean from farm runoff. tropical storms are also to blame. rising sea temperatures are damaging. and increased carbon in the atmosphere has made the water too acidic, and there's also another threat. coal. queensland is australia's biggest coal producing state. each one of these wagons contains around 80 tons of coal. we haven't got long enough to wait for the whole train to pass, but they're rolling down these tracks 24/7, 365 days a year. every day, australia exports around a million tons of coal. and a good portion of that heads out through the great barrier

reef. environmentalists say dredging shipping lanes so bigger boats can pass through is also damaging the reef. but the coal industry says it's here to stay. >> while the rest of the world, particularly asia, demands our coal our or gas, we will supply it. and if we don't, one of the other hundred countries in the world that produce coal will supply the coal. >> the great barrier reef is one of australia's most precious treasures. it brings in more than $6 billion a year in tourism. but coal exports account for $40 billion a year. the challenge is whether the two can exist side by side. bbc news on the queensland coast. >> the number of people with ebola is set to hit 10,000 in west africa. that's according to the world

health organization, which is coordinating the search for a cure. representatives of some of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies are meeting in geneva today with the w.h.o. and aid agencies involved in tackling the current ebola outbreak. with me here in the studio is ibrahim from bbc africa. 10,000. that's a big number, isn't it? >> it is. and if you imagine half of that number have died from the virus, then you estimate how huge this joe tor outbreak is. then you also imagine this country with rural, remote areas. people may miss some of the people who are infected or who have died from the disease. i think the importance now is there's international attention and mobilization, and the worst

affected. >> from your reporting from your contacts on the ground, how would you describe the current situation in west africa? >> i think it's better than six or seven months ago, or even eight months ago when i was in guinea, where even the knowledge, the admission of the fact that there is this outbreak wasn't there. now i think the officials and some populations are getting to understand that this is a very serious outbreak, and they need to be aware of it. i think that's the difference. but you can see, beds to receive patients are still missing. so we still need to follow this very closely if people want to contain it. >> because, of course, we've been reporting about this meeting taking place in geneva. several pharmaceutical companies as well as representatives of the world health organization talking about the search and the need for money for a cure. but you're also talking about

education about how ebola is spread and how people can best protect themselves from it. do you think that message is getting through? >> it's starting to get through. you know, you may remember in southeastern guinea where the team were attacked and some killed at some point. but that's changing a little bit. we had riots in sierra leone sometimes and liberia, too. these things are starting to change. people didn't understand what was happening. the fact that now, because ebola -- we know about ebola since 1976, but now this outbreak, pushing the word to kind of find a cure. that's a thing that is also a big, positive that we are getting now. the way things are going, they collect hundreds of bodies in

some of the countries. that means that they need to be as quick as possible. >> many thanks for coming in and talking. you have been watching "bbc world news." don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. we always love to hear from you. thanks for watching. [ male announcer ] some come here to build something smarter. ♪ some come here to build something stronger. others come to build something faster... something safer...

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