hello. you're watching "gmt" on bbc world news i'm lucy hockings. our top story, skepticism and dismay from the relatives of those missing on mh370. the officials declare that the crash was an accident and those missing are dead. the hostage standoff continues. jordan under huge pressure now to save the lives of a jordanian pilot and a japanese journalist held hostage by islamic state. we'll bring you the latest from tokyo and amman on the negotiations. and a look at the measles outbreak in the u.s. that began

in disneyland. why has the disease made a comeback 15 years after it had been eradicated? also a shake up of british airways' frequent flyer scheme. >> we all love to collect those points. easy to get from either flying or buying anything from petrol to a loaf of bread. but what's not easy is trying to use them, right, to get a free trip? now they're following an industry trend and flipping things around. yes, making it easier for us to use our points, but more expensive to collect them. it's 12:00 noon here in london 7:00 a.m. in washington and 8:00 p.m. in kuala lumpur where the malaysian authorities have declared the disappearance of malaysian airlines flight mh370 an accident and said there are no survivors. the government did add that the

search for the missing aircraft remains a priority. this stipulation will now allow compensation payments to relatives of the victims. just to remind you, that airline disappeared in march of last year, en route from kuala lumpur to beijing with 239 people onboard, most of them from china. it's believed to have crashedover the southern indian ocean after exhausting its fuel. the civil department of aviation made this statement on the missing flight. >> after 327 days and based on all available data as well as sensors mentioned earlier, survivability in the defined area is highly unlikely. it is therefore, with the heaviest heart and deepest soul that on behalf of the government of malaysia we officially declare malaysia airlines flight

mh370 an accident. >> well let's take you to jennifer pak. i know you've been speaking to some of the relatives of those who are missing. what's their reaction been to today's statement? >> reporter: well, a lot of them are skeptical, and one relative told me that they believe the malaysian government is not giving all of the information. remember this announcement does not answer the basic questions that the families had ten months on which is where is the plane and why did it disappear in the first place? as you mentioned, it does move the compensation process ahead, but some of them don't want and have refused to even start the process, simply because they don't trust the malaysian government, despite its assurance that the search will go on some of them believe that they need to keep the pressure on officials. they don't want the compensation to be paid out, and suddenly the authorities may then declare that they have they are unable

to find any sign of the aircraft and then stop the search. these families have had an agonizing ten months. they have not received any kind of closure. this announcement itself was highly anticipated by them. some of them a handful of them even showed up a at the briefing, and then the civil aviation department then canceled the briefing and then aired a prerecorded statement instead, declaring that the plane was an accident and that there were no survivor uhs. some of the relatives, especially the chinese ones, have said that the malaysian government has been very insensitive to their feelings especially since they are preparing for the lunar new year. >> thanks so much for updating us. with me now is our transport correspondent, richard wescott. there are so many questions. first of all the government says they'll continue to search. what's that going to mean? what's that involve? >> basically, at the moment there are three ships going up and down, looking on the seabed in the southern indian ocean.

and that is going to continue. there's a priority search area. they're quite a ways through that now. they should finish looking in may. the weather's about to get bad, about to be weren't down there and the winter gets very bad in that part of the world as well. but effectively, you've got these three ships going alone towing sonar along them and searching the seabed. all of that continues. basically, this doesn't actually change anything in terms of do we know where the aircraft is do we know what happened on board? >> we know that most of the passengers on board and many of them were chinese, and we've just had some reaction to the statement today from lee kachallenge, the chinese premiere. he was called on malaysia as well to settle claims with passengers. we're hearing about huge pressure because everyone wants to know. are we any closer to knowing? >> in a word no. and we won't be until they find a little piece of the aircraft. because then you have to go on the internet and you can see the

theories that it did end up in that part of the world, that it landed elsewhere, that it was shot down you name. there's every kind of theory you can imagine. even when you speak to experienced pilots they still can't agree on whether this was done intentionally by somebody on board or whether it was an accident, a catastrophic event, that basically meant the aircraft was flying effectively with no one at the controls for seven hours. even the experts, even the guys who fly these routes every day don't know what happened. >> because remind us of what we doe know when the plane took off. there is some information there about what happened in those few hours. >> we know it took off, we know it turned we know that the pieces of equipment on board that tell the ground where it is and what's going on were switched off. we don't know whether they were switched off because of a fire or something or whether someone intentionally set those things off. and then what we have is the sort of ping data, which is effectively the aircraft checking in with the ground station, giving it no information at all but we know that effectively, it flew for an additional seven hours, we are told. and that's how we got to area

just off the coast of australia, which is where they're looking now. but that data comes from the tiniest of little handshakes between the satellite and the aircraft. so effectively, people don't even believe that. so until they come up with something, if they ever come up with something, you've got to feel for the families because these things drag on for years. even the compensation claims drag on for years. everyone will be guessing and theorizing. >> richard, thank you so much. everyone feeling for the families of those who died in the air asia accident as well. in the past few hours, we've had some more information about what happened in that disaster just off the coast of indonesia. a preliminary report says the co-pilot was flying the plane, just before it plunged into the sea. investigators say voice and flight data recorders show the plane was flying within the parameters before the accident. the search for victims will carry on now, we understand, for at least another week. 73 bodies have been found so far of the 162 people on board. let's get to some other news

now. the flag-draped coffins of more than 40 philippine police commanders killed by muslim rebels sunday have been flown to manilla. weeping relatives of the dead were joined at the airport by cabinet ministers and senior police officials. a prehistoric skull fragment discovered in a cave in israel has shed new light on the migration of modern humans out of africa. the fossil dates from around 55,000 years ago and it matches the period when scientists think our ancient ancestors were moving through the region to populate asia and europe. and the third time in the tournament's 58-year history to decide the runners in group d. the decision comes after wednesday's match proved inconclusive. guinea and mali in a dead level after drawing all three of their games, 1-1. well let's update you now on the ongoing hostage situation

in jordan. the government is still trying to negotiate a prisoner swap with islamic state. a new audio tape is being released, apparently by islamic state, saying the deadline for the swap is sunset on thursday. negotiations are centered around these three people. first, a female would-be suicide bomber sajida al rishawi, who's at a prison in jordan. they have demanded her release, otherwise they say they will kill this man, maw@u'ath al kaseasbeh. and then there's kenji goto. how he fits into any potential exchange is not clear. rupert wingfield-hayes has been following the story for us from tokyo. >> reporter: these are not happy days for prime minister shinzo

abe and his government. another morning has brought another audio tape apparently from japanese hostage, kenji goto. in parliament, mr. abe said, he is still not entirely sure that the tape is from mr. goto. we are currently urgently analyzing the new message released on the internet he says. due to the nature of the issue, i cannot tell you exact details, but the government will continue to do its utmost to gain the early release of mr. goto. but in a briefing a short time later, japan's chief cabinet secretary appeared to contradict the prime minister. >> we are currently trying to confirm the authenticity of the latest audio message. we think there is a high probability that thitss is the voice of mr. goto, based on various information. >> reporter: in the new audio tape the voice thought to be mr. goto says in return for his life, this woman, convicted suicide bomber sajida al rishawi, must be brought to the

turkish-syrian border by sunset this evening. if not, it says this man, jordanian air force pilot mu'ath al kaseasbeh, will be killed immediately. the jordanian government says it's ready to do a prisoner swap, but it first wants proof that its pilot is alive. in the jordanian capital, the pilot's father told a crowd of supporters that he has been personally assured by jordan's king abdullah that his son will be brought home alive. >> translator: his majesty sends his greetings and he reassures us, i delivered your message to him and he read it carefully and put it in his pocket. please rest assured. >> reporter: in japan, there is no such certainty that this is going to end well. the japanese government is now effectively a spectator in this drama, while the life of kenji goto hangs in the balance. rupert win opheliagfield-hayeswingfield-hayes,

bbc news tokyo. >> now our correspondent joins us from the jordanian capital, amman. good to see you. you were just here us yesterday. now you're in amman. give us a sense of the pressure that the jordanian government is under right now to resolve this. zblr >> reporter: hi, lucy. i would say that the situation is waiting. because two, three hours now from the new deadline and the people are waiting. jordanian government are under pressure. we just heard that the tribe of the jordanian pilots are gathering and they will be setting events in a show of demonstration and solidarity with their son and they are putting pressure on the jordanian government. they need answers. yesterday, the king has met with the father of the pilot and the father said that the king assures us it's a jordanian priority to release the pilot. but so far, all eyes are going

to the border of turkey, and two, three hours from now on we'll be hearing, it should be breaking news both snarecenarioscenarios. however, until then the pressure going. jordanian government officers are holding meetings but no access for media whatsoever, and this is leaking from them apart from an official statement from the armed forces saying again, their priority is their son to return to home. >> murad, obviously everyone in jordan holding their breath but so too are those in japan. mr. abe promising he's doing everything they can, but obviously his hands are tied there. is anyone there talking about the japanese hostage as well? >> reporter: it seems to me that japanese and jordanian are on one team in one way or another. however, both parties saying that their citizen is the priority. jordanians being placed in a

very difficult situation to choose one of the biggest donor of this poor country in the middle east as well as to release their citizen, who's become a man fst of the jordan taking part in the international alliance the war against the is. it's a very difficult position although there's a movement in the japanese embassy here in amman, same as the jordan government and everything is going in a very tense meetings ongoing. so far, there's no leaking whatsoever. we don't know what the final position, still waiting. but it seems that there are men from iraqi are taking part in mediation between both parties so far. >> murad, thanks so much for that. and a quick update to bring you that we are hearing from the information minister in amman.

the government are following this case 24 hours a day and are still trying to verify the authenticity of recent video recordings. we'll keep you ahead of all developments from amman. stay with us throughout the day. still to come on "gmt." the mysterious death of the state prosecutor found dead this his apartment last week. u drop 40 grand on a new set of wheels, then... wham! a minivan t-bones you. guess what: your insurance company will only give you 37-thousand to replace it. "depreciation" they claim. "how can my car depreciate before it's first oil change?" you ask. maybe the better question is why do you have that insurance company? with liberty mutual new car replacement, we'll replace the full value of your car. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. i've been called a control freak... i like to think of myself as more of a control... enthusiast. mmm, a perfect 177-degrees. and that's why this road warrior rents

from national. i can bypass the counter and go straight to my car. and i don't have to talk to any humans, unless i want to. and i don't. and national lets me choose any car in the aisle. control. it's so, what's the word?... sexy. go national. go like a pro. shopping online is as easy as it gets. wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list now it is. start shopping online from a list of top-rated providers. visit angieslist.com today.

we start with a bit of breaking news for you from the australian open in mall vin. it's good news for british tennis fans because we're just hearing that andy murray has advanced to his fourth final. he will now face novak djokovic or the defending champion in the final in melbourne. now to argentina, where the funeral is taking place of a special prosecutor whose

mysterious death has gripped the country. alberto nisman was found shot to death in his apartment last week. he had been veginvestigating the bombing of a jewish center in 1984 which killed 88 people and had accused the government of a cover-up. will davis has more for us. >> reporter: alberto nisman knew that his life might be in danger, but said he was looking forward to testifying in congress on his damning report into one of the worst crimes in argentine history. hours before he was due to take the stand, nisman was found dead in his flat. 85 people died when the jewish cultural center was destroyed by a huge car bomb in 1994. suspicion long focused on iranian involvement, but nisman went further, accusing senior argentine officials of seeking to absolve iran of any blame, in exchange for lucrative trade

agreements. president kirchner went on the offensive, representing nisman's conclusions. she said it was part of a plot to undermine the government by argentina's powerful internal security service, which she vowed to dismantle. still seeking justice for those killed in the '94 attack, argentina's jewish leaders accused the president of self-interest, showing little concern for the dead prosecutor or his investigation. >> translator: this was the first of many such global terrorist attacks, followed by 9/11, london, and the recent case in france. so if there's no justice in this case, there'll be impunity to continue. >> reporter: a congressional committee looking into nisman's report denounced the failure of government officials to appear before them since his death. many questions remain unanswered.

why was his security team absent? and was the prosecutor suicidal like the government initially claimed? >> he was not depressed. he was confused of what he was doing and he said to me that if he have in his hands all this proof, he have to present it. >> reporter: an aide who may have been the last to see the prosecutor before his death, has also come under scrutiny, for lending him a gun, but said he only did so because nisman no longer felt he could trust his body guards. this is a case of espionage and an international conspiracy that has divided an already polarized nation. a country where many people have lost faith in their government and its institution. bbc news buenos aires. a funeral is underway a prive service, but this is a case that's really gripping argentina. we can take you to buenos aires

now and talk to ignacio who is there for us. are we any closer to knowing who killed him and why? because it seems if you go online, there are so many conspiracy theories. >> we don't seem to be any closer really. the prosecutor in charge of this case focusing on the building the apartment where mr. nisman used to live. she's trying to find out whether there was any place where someone could hide in the building without being noticed. we hoped about three of the in charge of the security have been dismissed, sanctioned to alert the bureau but mr. nisman wasn't answering their calls for an hour. but a lot of murky detail ss, would speak yesterday, one of

the most relevant men in this case, who used to work with mr. nisman. and the last man to see him alive, gave a press conference and gave some details about the last hours of mr. nisman. he said that he had asked him for a gun. that he had feared his safety and this is probably one of most important parts of the case so far, that he didn't trust his own bodyguards. >> we'll have to leave it there. we apologize for the sound on our live to buenos aires, ignacio talking about the testimony. we've got more of that testimony which is proving crucial right now on the website, bbc.com/news. now, the u.s. was declared free of measles 15 years ago, but now it's back. there's been an outbreak of the disease in california and it began at disneyland. its reappearance had been blamed on parents who have chosen not to vaccinate their children

against the disease. a study has linked the disease with autism but that has been widely discredited. parents in orange county california, or the areas worst-affected by the outbreak. >> a few tears now for protection later. >> reporter: most mums in california vaccinate their children against measles, mumps, rubella, and other illnesses, but especially now. this latest measles outbreak started here at disneyland california at the end of december, brought in by a visitor from another country. but now it stems dozens of cases against seven states and mexico. but the worst affected is california, despite having a comprehensive vaccine program. for many years, the number of households opting out of vaccines has only increased, and looking at the figures, the richer and more upscale the neighborhood, the lower the vaccination rate. less than half the children at this school have had the mmr jab, and there are some strong

opinions to be heard at home time. >> i felt like the worse of the two evils was to vaccinate them and have them have a negative reaction versus not vaccinate them and have them get sick for a week. now that the measles is coming back, i will vaccinate my children to keep them safe from whatever's going on. >> a friend of mine her daughter developed autism shortly after her measles vaccination. so i did a lot of research and ultimately made the decision that the risk factors of getting the vaccination outweigh the risk factor of a measles outbreak. >> i vaccinate. vaccination is on par with parenting and religion. i think there's a lot of heated debated that happen around that. and i think a lot of misinformation. you know, we get this information, especially like this autism link with vaccinations and when that information gets out there, whether it's mis or not, people hang on to it. so i think you have to debunk those myths. >> reporter: the measles are so contagious, expected patients come to the hospital car park.

it's dangerous, but no longer a common illness. here, it's taken extremely seriously. >> nowadays people and even doctors rarely see cases of measles. so out of sight, out of mind. it really isn't a problem anymore. you combine that with fact that there's a lot of information out there, an awful lot of it misinformation, not based on science, that makes people worry that, in fact, there are dangers to these vaccines. >> reporter: airborne viruses love places like disneyland, which has been praised by health officials for its response. the outbreak comes down to people's right to choose about vaccinations, for themselves and for those around them. do stay with us here on "gmt." coming up in the next half hour we report from the east of ukraine. the fighting is getting worse and worse. there are more talks today on europe's leaders on how to resolve the crisis in an

emergency meeting taking place in brussels right now. live to brussels as well. but that meeting was called in mariupol last weekend. a huge pressure on eu ministers now, discussing whether to impose more sanctions on russia. we'll bring you the latest. ♪ ♪ ♪ you're only young once. unless you have a subaru. (announcer) the subaru xv crosstrek. symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 34 mpg. love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru.

♪♪ the adventures you've been imagining. the heroes you've been admiring. the worlds you've been dreaming of. the thrills you've been craving. the moments you've been missing. the vacation you've been looking for is here. come and take it. universal orlando resort. when i feel a cold coming on... (achoo) i hit it hard. new zicam cold remedy nasal spray shortens colds. and it reduces symptom severity by 45%. so when a cold hits, shorten it with zicam.

you know, if you play football for a long time like i did you're gonna learn to deal with alot of pain. but it is nothing like the pain that shingles causes. man when i got shingles it was something awful. it was like being blindsided by some linebacker. you don't see it coming. boom! it was this painful rash of little blisters. red, ugly stuff. lots of 'em. not a good deal. if you've had chicken pox uh-huh, we all remember chicken pox. well that shingles virus is already inside of you. it ain't pretty when it comes out. now i'm not telling you this so that you'll feel sorry for me. i'm just here to tell you that one out of three people are gonna end up getting shingles.

i was one of 'em. take it from a guy who's had his fair share of pain. you don't want to be tackled by shingles. so please go talk to your doctor or pharmacist. talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your risk. ♪ it was the best day ♪ -[ laughing ] -y

this is "bbc world news." i'm lucy hockings. this half hour as europe's foreign minister try again to resolve the ukraine crisis we report from the war-torn east where many civilians are caught up in the cross fire. the world health organization says new cases of ebola in west africa has fallen below 100 a week for the first time in six months. also on the program, aaron joins us with the first major oil giant to el us its numbers. >> and it's lucent royal dutch shell, and it's claimed the role of the canary in the coal mine or on the oil rig. but, look no surprises that the plunge in the prices of the

black stuff is having a major impact. in fact, shell tells us it's cutting its spending by $15 billion over the next three years. welcome back to "gmt." they've tried before now they're trying again. europe's foreign ministers holding an emergency meeting shortly on the situation in ukraine. so far, the existing sanctions haven't had much effect. so the talking continues as well. the situation for those living in eastern ukraine deteriorates. for months now, much of the fighting has continued around the regions of donetsk and luhansk in the east. some of the worst fighting has been in the town of debaltseve.

our reporter reports from where many of the injured have been taken. >> reporter: the war wounded have been pouring in here from the front line. ukrainian troops fighting in the town that prof h russian rebels have vowed to surround and then capture. 40 men were injured just yesterday, resisting them. alexander was hit by shrapnel. he says the clashes have been fierce for several days now. if we have the kit, we'll win, but with only one vehicle working, we can't last long. he tells me the troops need spare parts. everything's broken. we met some of the civilians caught in the cross fire. it took doctors here four hours to remove all the shrapnel from arena, after a shell landed meters from her home. she'd just come back to the east, because there was meant to be a cease-fire. instead, the fighting has

escalated, putting hospitals here under serious strain. support is now vital, with more wounded and fewer doctors, as they fled for safer ground. while the cease-fire has collapsed, medical supplies are increasingly important. the number of casualties in this region is mounting. but along the front line not far from here there are now communities that are completely cut off by the fighting. the supplies can't get in and the people living there can't get out anymore. >> reporter: >> we are very worried, we're trying to contact them to see how we can support them but for now, phone lines are down and luxury is electricity is down, and we're telling those on the front line that we're working closely, but we're not able to provide medical care. >> reporter: the refugees themselves now helping a second wave of people displaced by the latest fighting. they're worried the front line is moving west now.

and while these people are safe katrina's mother is forced to shelter in a basement. >> my mother says she can't bear it anymore. there's been shelling all the time, children killed. she says she wants to kill herself. it's impossible it's very scary. she can't take it. >> reporter: their town has become a key battle ground as ukraine's war rages once again. government troops insist they will hold the line against separatist rebels but the cost to soldiers and civilians is mounting. >> what those civilians going through are putting pressure on eu foreign ministers meeting today in brussels. let's take you to a senior analyst at the eu institute for security, joining me now from brussels. we're just seeing there this huge suffering that civilians are going through. we also saw that attack in mariupol last weekend, 30 people killed there.

enormous pressure now on eu foreign ministers, but is there any point on slapping more sanctions on russia when clearly that tactic hasn't worked so far? >> actually the sanctions have worked, so far, and they put quite a lot of strain on the russian economy, coupled with oil prices and pushed and kicked the situation around ukraine, from a russian perspective, where the eu and ukraine would actually be more successful if they managed to stop russian attempts -- >> -- seem to be working when you have nato saying hundreds of nato tanks and armored vehicles and soldiers still in eastern ukraine. >> when you look at what russia call, several times bigger than the current territory in which the conflict takes place, these two regions are just two out of eight regions. so the conflict zone had been contained, partly because of the fear of sanctions.

and now this attempt to precipitate a kind of ukrainian surrender before russia can -- before russia can -- the russian economy has seriously to suffer. >> what else should the eu be doing, then? the lithuanian foreign minister says values are under attack in ukraine and europe can't afford to just remain a spectator? what other measures should they be looking at? >> well the primary goal and mechanism of eu intervention is diplomacy. and even the war situation and the installation that we witness around mariupol and about are still supposed to feed into the diplomatic effort. if russia wants to create new on the ground some of them can trade them for concessions in ukraine. they want ukrainian civilization. they want ukraine to continue paying for these in the region and they want ukraine to basically stop the process of association with the eu and with

nato. and ukraine has been trying to report new on the ground and we get to territory. so basically, whatever happens, this is not a war for the sake of war. both russia and ukraine on the ground in order to stand from their diplomatic bargaining power. and what they can do active pressure on russia and go back to the negotiating table, and give ukraine more time to focus on its economy and reform process. >> thank you for joining us from brussels. time to catch up with the business. aaron is with us now. things looking better for me? >> if you want to use the miles. i need to get my miles. build them up. the problem is when we go to use them there's never any space on the plane that allows us to use those miles. so that's what's changing. some other changes. i'll explain. thank you, lucy. hello, there. so as loyalty schemes go many of us bought into the idea of

collecting miles, collect those miles or points to get a free flight in the future. but it does seem that the programs and the bonuses, they are all changing and british airways is the latest airline to announce a shake up of its program. it's called the avios program and it's sparking the changes from april the 28th. let me just show you some of the details. british airways is slashing by 75% the air miles you collect for the cheapest economy class tickets. but they're also adding more guaranteed frequent flyer seats to each flight. there's a bonus there. let me show you what that means about the cheapest. the cheapest economy ticket from london to new york from the 28th of april, will only just 865 air miles. that is down from what you would have normally collected, but close to 3.5,000 miles. business and first class passengers are some of the big winners in the changes. yes, travelers complain less

when they bought a change and have that flat bed experience. they'll see their points rise by as much as two-thirds, but let me stress depending on the price of the ticket they pay for that first or business class seat. british airways is also introducing peak and off-peak pricing for reward flights, for periods such as christmas or during the summer school holidays. it's all fascinating stuff. let's go to the editorial director of business and joins us. great to have you on the program. we always say, they're so easy to collect nowadays. you can collect hundreds of thousands if you spend or fly. difficult to use them. is ba flipping that making it easier to use them but more expensive to collect them. >> i think that will be one of the effects. what they're trying to do and following many other airlines in this, is trying to reward their best customers. and they're defining their best customers as though people who buy the most expensive tickets or spend the most money with

them. and i think that's to be expected. there, some very complicated rules up until now on who -- how you earn these various miles or avios, as they're called in the ba program, and how you get to different tier levels. in a sense, it makes it simpler that there will be winners and there are definitely losers. >> talking about some of the losers, i've been getting some tweets over this. especially if you look at the economy class cabin, because you can pay different prices for that same economy seat right? you can pay a flex fare or one of an online you know, special price. so you can pay 300 bucks, i could pay 100 bucks. we used to get the same miles, didn't we? not anymore. >> that's right. i think as far as that goes, that's fair enough. you have difficulties when you have business travelers who buy their company travel policy especially since the recession, are forced to fly economy by their company. they might fly every week and might be in that economy cabin, but if their on a restricted ticket, they will suffer you should the new rules.

if someone has the flexible ticket, which might cost three times as much they will get a lot of miles and they'll quickly work their way up the different tier levels from silver to gold and through. >> tom, how important are these programs, because i know that some of these programs are worth a small fortune. there was a time not that long ago, for example, where american airlines, its loyalty scheme was actually valued at more than what the airline was valued at. >> they are very valuable. they're a source of great interest for travelers. and it becomes a hobby with many of them trying to collect different points and different ways of redeeming them and different promises. it can also be a headache as had been seen with these particular changes. i think british airways is right to make the point that they're just looking to reward their most frequent flyers but they're also right to say that in the past those frequent flyers have been the first to complain when they go into lounge and there's nowhere to sit down because the lounge is

full, there's nothing to drink, nothing to eat, because so many people are going through. but by restricting access to those lounges, there will be people who are disappointed. and that's certainly been the case with these changes. >> it will be interesting to see if there is any fallout from all of this. tom, always appreciate your time. thank you very much. tom joining us from "business traveler." let's move on because the oil giant, royal dutch shell, is slashing its spending over the next three years, as no surprise, it is grappling with the plunging price of oil. the cost of brent crude at the moment around $49. but the company says it's going to cut its spending its expenditure. it's going to go down by $15 billion between now and 2017. it also says that its profits in the fourth quarter, that last three-month quarter, were up on the year $4.2 billion, and it's on a current cost-applied basis. but it's not as much as some of the experts were expecting. and shell, like many of its rivals have already announced

some cuts in exploration and production projects because of falling revenues. jeremy howler, or very own, sent us this report. >> reporter: in 2014 shell made a profit of $19 billion. but towards the end of year crude prices started tumbling and its earnings for the first quarter came in far short of investor expectations. it priced shell by 4% after the results were announced. until response shell says it will cut its spending for the next three years by $15 billion. britain's bp have also announced similar cutbacks. >> today we are taking steps to preserve shell's financial flexibility, and this includes a freeze in dividends, but also a slowdown in spending capital spending in 2015. we're creating some tough choices on shell's rich portfolio funnel. opportunities to take our cost because there are really

multi-billion-dollar opportunities in our own cost as well as in the supply chain. >> reporter: there's one major project that shell is not deferring. this year, it says it will press ahead with exploration in the arctic. its plans to drill off the coast of alaska have been delayed by numerous legal disputes and protests? but under the ice, it's estimated there's enough oil and gas to supply the united states for three whole years. jeremy howl bbc news. >> okay that's it now with the business. plenty going on. follow me on twitter, i'll tweet you back. i'll tweet you @bbc aaron. >> thanks very much. do stay with us here on "bbc world news." still to come we report from nigh jeereria on the importance of religion in the country's upcoming elections.

this is a pip. it's part of a hershey's bar. we break it. we bite it. we sneak it. we smoosh it. we savor it. we love it. hershey's is mine, yours, our chocolate.

. i'm lucy hockings. thanks for being us. our top stories this hour. malaysia officials declare the disappearance of flight mh370 was an accident and there were no survivors. but the search for the missing aircraft will continue. jordan's king is under huge pressure to secure the release of a hostage. hours earlier, those holding the pilot issued a new threat and an ultimatum that sets a new deadline of sunset tonight for a hostage deal. now some good news on the ebola outbreak in west africa. the world health organization says the number of new cases has fallen below 100 per week for the first time in six months. they say that that means they can now shift their focus from slowing down the epidemic to ending it altogether.

scientists are looking at how the ebola virus is mutating and whether or not it's becoming more contagious. >> reporter: some infected ebola patients in guinea to some of the world's most advanced laboratories here in paris, scientists are analyzing this genetic material from the virus that's been made safe for them to study. they are trying to find out why this particular outbreak has killed so many. one possible answer the virus is mutating but it's unclear how. >> now we've seen this. and this may be the one who can spread. we don't know that yet. but it can turn from more deadly into less deadly but more contagious. and that is something we're

afraid of. >> reporter: one concern is that ebola could eventually become airborne but there's no evidence to suggest that's happening. it's still only passed through direct contact with infected body fluids. >> as a scientist, you cannot predict this. but for the moment the behavior of the virus remains the same. >> reporter: the researchers are using this method of genetic sequencing to track changes in the genetic makeup of the virus. it will also give them a clearer insight into why some people survive and others don't, which in turn will help develop vaccines? here scientists are trying to modify the measles vaccine, so it can be used to protect against ebola? >> we're going to have another infectious outbreak at some point. because the reservoirs the places where the virus is able to hide in nature be it in you

know, small animals or in other contacts, is still a threat for humans in the future. so the best type of response that we can think of in terms of dealing with reservoirs is to have vaccination of you know, global population. >> reporter: as the number of new infections continues to fall in west africa scientists are trying to use this tragedy as an opportunity to learn all they can about the virus. it was scientists here at the institute who identified the outbreak in guinea back in march. they say there will be another ebola outbreak, but they hope some of the works that are happening here now will help ensure it's nowhere near on the scale of what we've seen in west africa. well just over two weeks to polling day. election fever is gripping nigeria. the current president, goodluck

jonathan is a christian from the south. his challenger is a muslim from the north. our correspondent will ross looks now at how important religion is in the election race. >> reporter: jos is really a microcosm of the whole of nigeria. it's a religiously mixed city. it's also in some ways divided along religious lines. and this part of the city, the vast majority of the population follows a muslim faith. a few minutes drive to the other side of town it's a largely christian area. you can see it in the way people dress. the question is when it comes to voting how much attention do people pay to the religion of the candidate when they cast their ballots? back home after a long day in the office aromi tells me his christian beliefs will have some influence when he helps select nigeria's next president. >> if the christian leader does not have what it takes to provide direction, i may vote for him because he is a

christian and seeks elective position. however, i will make a choice between that leader and the other leader. >> he says he's worried if voted in the opposition would push a hardline islamic agenda something he's denied. a muslim wants a candidate who will end the insecurity in nigeria. she says many voters are starting to look beyond religion. >> you can never devote the religious precedence from nigeria. but also to tell you, that people are beginning to downplay the issue of -- the role of religion in deciding who you vote. so it's more about credibility than the state you belong. >> this city knows the danger of mixing politics and religion. there have been deadly clashes here. using the line from your religion, we're in this

together, so vote for me politicians have in the past deepened divisions. this man has played a key role diff fusing religious tension here, but he says many politicians use faith and money, not policies to get votes. >> religion and politics go together. you'll find unscrupulous politicians who are just desperate for office. and i must say that they're desperate for an office not what they will do for people. they just want the office what they can get for themselves and to retain the office at all costs. they will use anything. so they will use money and they will use the religious sentiment. >> there'll be plenty of prayers for peace during this tense election. it will be largely up to the politicians to ensure there's harmony across the religious divide of this diverse nation. will ross bbc news jos,

nigeria. men and women aren't that keen on speaking to the media, but they have an obligation to and most fulfill that obligation without too much complaining. but one american has apparently decided not to play ball. marshawn lynch has given two press conferences in the last two days in the run-up to the super bowl on sunday. this is what happened this week. >> sorry, nothing changed from yesterday. still the same person i was yesterday and i've got the same thing i had for you yesterday. >> marshawn are you worried about getting fined? >> you know why i'm here. you know why i'm here. you know why i'm here. you know why i'm here.

you know why i'm here. you know why i'm here. you know why i'm here. they know why i'm here. you know why i'm here. y'all know why i'm here. they know why i'm here. you know something? marshawn, you know why i'm here. you know why i'm here. thank you. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> have a great day. >> a man of few words. he's expected to appear again in front of the press today. we will keep you updated.

now it's time to cross over to karen to see what's coming up on "impact." karen? >> lucy thanks very much. we'll be looking at the continuing mystery of what happened to malaysian flight 370, officially declared an accident today. that doesn't help the relatives get any closer to knowing why it disappeared. and we're keeping a close eye of any sign for movement in the atlantic state hostage situation. mmm, a perfect 177-degrees. and that's why this road warrior rents from national. i can bypass the counter and go straight to my car. and i don't have to talk to any humans, unless i want to. and i don't. and national lets me choose any car in the aisle. control. it's so, what's the word?... sexy. go national. go like a pro.

when i feel a cold coming on... (achoo) i hit it hard. new zicam cold remedy nasal spray shortens colds. and it reduces symptom severity by 45%. so when a cold hits, shorten it with zicam. introducing twix bites: cookie, chocolate and caramel in a bite-size. why didn't we think of these years ago? i got a big meeting. i'm going to pitch my idea for bite-size twix. oh, that's a good idea! this could be my big... [ thud ] [ male announcer ] your favorite bars: bite-sized. introducing twix bites.

♪ (vo) love does not come first. first comes...nice meeting you. first comes...getting everything right. first comes...getting it a little wrong. love does not come first. first comes like.

picard: captain's log, stardate 42859.2. we are in orbit around antede iii awaiting the arrival of two dignitaries. our mission is to escort them to a conference on planet pacifica where they will be given the opportunity to join the federation. i thought you might find this interesting, mr. crusher. few humans have seen an antedean in the flesh. welcome. i'm jean-luc picard captain of the enterprise.