hello, bbc world news. our top stories. iraqi government forces backed by shia militia finish their push into tikrit forcing islamic state militants back. >> we are determined to beat the terrorists of islamic state. this burial cloth is ready for my coffin. red alert issued to the issued to the residents of van knew due islands as a storm hits the south pacific nation. swedish prosecutors agree to travel to london to travel the wikileaks founder julian assange for allegations of sexual assault. scientists could be closer

to discover a vast ocean on one of jupiter's moons. we begin in iraq where government-backed troops seem to be gaining the upper hand in the biggest defensive so far against the group that calls itself islamic state. i.s. militants are being pushed back into the center of tikrit. you can see it above baghdad as the battle for the city continues. the bbc's reporter has been on the front line with iraqi forces and sent us this report. >> reporter: advancing into tikrit. iraqi army soldiers have mounted the largest offensive against islamic state to date.

after months of false starts, progress is now being made. the top army generals to the battlefield is a short force and a message that won't be lost on the iraqi people. last year the army collapsed in the face of the well-armed jihadists. now they are regaining confidence. >> translator: deliberation of this city and province will serve as a launch pad for reclaiming the north and the west of iraq. if islamic state is defeated here, they'll be defeated easily in other regions. >> reporter: the militia is over a week to enter the city of tikrit. the battle is still far from over as we can hear the sound of gunfire where the militants show resistance resulting to roadside bombs and suicide bombings. losing the city to the shia-led

fighters will be a major blow to the islamic state. the heavier the lines of the shia militias and fight in the sunni areas is a rescue movement. but they have emerged as an effective fighting unit in the war against i.s. >> translator: i'm ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice for my homeland. we are determined to defeat the terrorists of islamic state. this burial cloth is ready for my coffin. >> reporter: despite the small victories here, celebrations might be premature. it seems like it was back to the islamic state is only just beginning. bbc news, tikrit. >> a little earlier i spoke to him, and he's now baghdad. i asked him just how close the government troops are to actually taking the town.

>> well, the army general's saying that it's about a matter of hours to recapture the city of tikrit, the entire city of tikrit. so they have already conslated their control over several parts of the city. especially in the north and in the south. however, they are still facing fierce resistance from, as they say, few hundreds of islamic state militants. we went yesterday, and visited with the army to the northern parts of the city just to see it away from the main districts of the city where the islamic state militants are entrenching their possessions, but true, as you said, the battle is still raging. it's still far from over. over this strategic city. and even if they won the battle in tikrit, they haven't won

the war, the real war and the real battle is further north to the city of mosul. the main stronghold of the self-declared islamic state. >> that's exactly what i was going to ask next. how likely are they to hold on to tikrit if they manage to retake it and the big price is mosul, how close are they to that? >> well, yes, this is the real concern, really, among the army generals and the shia militia leaders. of course how to hold on to hold on to their territorial games. there are a couple of examples further in the west and the western province. they managed to dislodge i.s. militants, however, after a couple of weeks, the i.s. militants again recaptured two or three districts. so how to hold on to tikrit as they manage to control the whole city, this is the big challenge because they are overstretched despite the fact that the army

is supported by dozens of shia militias, about thousands if not tens of thousands of fighters. but mosul is a completely different story. mosul is iraq's second largest city, compared to tikrit, tikrit is just 15 or 20 kilometers, mosul is about 400 kilometers. and it is the main stronghold of i.s. >> well still in iraq the countries are training themselves in combat to help protect their towns and villages against islamic state. now, the first christian-only brigade of regular forces has graduated. its mission is to retake communities taken by i.s. militants. it's made up sbeerly of volunteers it and they'll answer to the kurdish region who playing a leading role in the fight against the jihadists. the south pacific islands of van knew due are bracing themselves as a category five

tropical storm crosses the country. it has hit the north of the island chain and bringing winds of up to 185 kilometers an hour. now the popular holiday destination is 82 islands. and it's issued a red weather alert across the nation. across the south pacific, the storm has already caused flash floods, you can see right there at the center of the storm and you can see the strength of the winds going around that center point there. now, the strong winds have already hit islands, causing significant damage. earlier, i spoke to alice clemons from unicef who's there. >> right now the situation is dangerous. there is incredibly strong winds racing around the capitol here. which is the city of about 45,000 people. the trees are blowing, all foliage is going everywhere and i'm in a very strong hotel, but

even this is getting shakes when the wind gusts are coming through. i'm in a very, concrete block hotel, i'm on the third floor of a big hotel and even this is shaking. any preparations should have been completed by now because we're in the middle of it. the national office has done a great job of trying to get everyone ready. 82 islands and the y-shaped chain. communication is difficult. there's many islands that don't is telecommunications or weak telecommunications. the national development office from the government has been doing a telephone relay to those very remote islands. relaying to the community disaster committees, the key information that people need to know. there's also been text messages updates, alerts ranging from a blue to a yellow to a red alert. the entire country is currently under a red alert. which means that everybody must seek shelter immediately.

everyone is under threat from this cyclone. in addition, you have people who are especially vulnerable. people affected by poverty who don't have adequate shelter. there are people who, children under the age of five, pregnant mothers, breastfeeding mothers, people with disabilities and the elderly are especially vulnerable. they may not be able to run, climb, or swim. and who, who really need additional support, and definitely afterwards. after an emergency, children in particular have really particularly needs that the unicef always tries to accommodate in planning with the government as part of any response. let's look at other news now. oscar pistorius lost a court bid to prevent the state from appealing his conviction. the judge says he's not satisfied that this was the correct court to hear the application. prosecutors have wanted him to be convicted for murder. south korea's defense

ministry says that north korea has fired seven short range surface to air missiles into the sea from a site near the eastern coast. this exercise comes at a time of heightened tensions in the peninsula as south korea and the united states carry out their annual military drills. now, seoul and washington say they're from defense, but he says it's for an invasion. iceland announced it's dropping his bid to union the european union has promised by the government when it came to power two years ago. the country first applied for membership back in 2009. but this was now withdrawn. they already have a free trade arrangement with the block and it's part of the travel zone. jamie's here is all the business news now, jamie. >> thank you, indeed. let's start with greece. this is edging ever-closer to some sort of financial brink. prime minister alex tsipras is holding meetings in brussels at the moment with the president.

here are the latest pictures. we got some pictures of he and tsipras together. negotiations about the country's bail yut. the european commission. they have a agreed in principle to extend greece's bailout until june, but getting access to more money is dependent upon athens implementing reforms. which are far from popular. just remind ourselves to greece's financial position. it's debts are 324 billion euros. some say even higher. six billion euros of that has to be paid back in the next two years. and they're funding day-to-day by borrowing from its own banks. issuing bonds in order to repay the old ones as they become due. and this is known as rolling over. the greek banks are in turn being propped up by morning lending from the european central bank. now on thursday prime minister tsipras warned that the only option really is to restructure greece's debts. it'll raise tensions with the

lenders even further. we'll keep across the developments throughout the day as we hear what happens out of brussels. germany's second largest bank agreed to pay a toeflt $1.45 billion to the u.s. authorities. this is for violating economic sanctions against businesses in iran and sudan. the penalty also includes charges relating to money laundering carried out on behalf of a japanese firm. regulators say that commerce bank has turned a blind eye toil legal practices. let's have a quick look at the markets. remember, we have real roller coaster activity here. sharp fall on tuesday, sharpest fall in five or six months. it was down about 2.5% then. down a bit, it was beginning to recover this morning, then fell away again. i think it's really going to be a bit of a go nowhere day. euro dollars at 1.05 weak euro down at 105. i think towards parody that's the way it looks at the moment with the dollar.

but the other markets all negative, but not extraordinary so. that is the business news back to you. >> thanks. now, the prime minister modi promised closer economic ties with sri lanka. speaking of the talks with the new president, mr. modi said he would address trade concern and help with some key projects including the development of the islands railways. mr. modi is the first indian prime minister to make an official visit to sri lanka in almost three decades. he spoke of sri lanka's and india's shared history and shared future. >> being in the region out on the same journey, the lives of our people.

when we work step in step. >> you're watching news day on bbc. still to come on the program, what does this mean to modern day india? we'll find out. bring the delicious taste of hershey's chocolate to anything - everything. with hershey's spreads, the possibilities are delicious.

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this is bbc world news. the latest headlines. iraqi government troops backed by shia militias are consolidating their control as a large part of tikrit in an operation to recapture the city from i.s. militants. the south pacifics islands of van knew due are bracing themselves for a category five tropical storm. now swedish prosecutors say they're ready to travel to london to question the wikileaks founder julian assange where he's been staying for three years. the australian arrived at the

embassy back in june 2012 and went to political asylum them. he's wanted for questioning in sweden over sex allegations. mr. assange fears that if he leaves the embassy, he'll be extradited to the u.s. where he could face trial over the publication of intelligence documents. well the bbc's world affairs competitor responsibility mike water has been following developments. >> this is a change of position on the parts of the swedish prosecution. in that they had always said that they would not come to interview him in connection with these allegations in the embassy in london. you need to be present in sweden in any case should there be a trial in the future. the reason though they have compromised if you like in change their strategy here is

that these investigations and potential charges in connection with its, it involves two women, this case, allegation of sexual misconduct molestation, and rape during the visit that he paid in swooeden in twen. he's always denied it. the reason they changed their position is because of the statute of limitations. it would not have been possible for them to bring prosecutions in at least around some of these charges after august of this year. they said time is of the essence. so ian if there are deficiencies in the investigation, we are prepared to come to london to conduct the interview. and indeed also say they would want to take a dna specimen from julian assange as well. >> as you said the statute of limitations runs out in august for julian assange, is it better to question him now or wait for the limitations to run out? >> we haven't heard from him directly, but lawyers say they welcome it. that's what we have.

presumably because he believes that the prosecution will accept his version of events. there is no case to answer. so that's what's being said on his behalf. so because of all that even though he still has to have the approval, the cooperation obviously of the british authorities who will commandeer this and the ecuador embassy, we don't know their stance. there's a speculation that this could lead to a breakthrough in this long-running saga to end possibly to end here. >> that was the bbc's mike water talking about attempts to question julian assange. now, we often think of firearms used to commit crimes but this next story, they're being used to solve them. on a military base in virginia the fbi keeps a collection of around 7,000 guns which provide essential clues to help crack active cases. the bbc's thomas sparerow had a look. >> each with a murderous

history, the .45 caliber. >> a lot were seized during the '30s and early '40s, and the crime sprees brought on by pretty boy floyd by baby face nelson, john dylan jer and his hang. >> reporter: for over 80 years, the fbi maintained one of the biggest gun collections in the united states. now located in quantico virginia, the collection contains around 7,000 weapons. most of which were recovered from closed investigations. but this is not a museum. >> every one of weapons here from the very small pistol to the big rifles can be used at any given point as part of a criminal investigation. >> reporter: scientists here are testing new weapons all the time. the fbi uses this collection to solve important questions about the guns that were used in major crimes both in the united states and in other parts of the world. >> one of our diplomats that had been killed overseas in that firearm had been left behind in a vehicle in the subjects had

set that car ablaze. we were able to get that firearm here into the laboratory and rebuild it with parts so the bullet that was recovered from the diplomat we were able to generate test fires here in the laboratory and make an identification to that firearm that was in that burned out vehicle. >> reporter: with as little as a single part of a gun recovered from a crime scene. fbi scientists can identify whether a particular firearm was used. they analyzed a specific marks on bullets and shell cases under the microscope and compared them with samples in the vast reference library. >> we want to be sure that we have firearms that can support forensic case work in all aspects. both in forensic crimes, such as bank robberies, homicides, driveby shootings, assault with a deadly weapon and intelligence purposes from some of our battlefields, in particular things are being scene. we want to provide an intelligence element if called

upon. >> reporter: and while it prides itself in weapons, the millions of new guns solved every year ensure that the fbi will be constantly adding to its collection. thomas sparrow, bbc news. a statue will be unveiled near london's parliament square on saturday. the leaders of freedom move to force the british to quit india will now stand across the way from the great defenders. south asia correspondent justin rolland asked how relevant the philosophy is to modern india. >> at museum new delhi, they keep the statue clean. the new statue had muddy origins. the british government announced its plans to erect a statue the day after the indian government awarded a quarter of a billion pound contract. the british defense contractors. the new memorial for the great

pacifist was more about carrying favor with india as it upgrades weapons of war than celebrating non-violence. not so say britain's foreign secretary. >> it's fitting that the founder of the father of the world's largest democracy should there's a look over the world's oldest parliaments. >> and look across at winston churchill, the great defender of the british empire who called him a half naked man. nauseated him, do you think that's good company? >> i think gandhi would take it in his stride frankly. >> and then came the little man. still scantily clad -- >> reporter: the little man was always a famously shrewd political operator but one would decidedly excentric attitudes to food, medicine sex, and economics too. scientists at nasa say they have new compelling evidence that the newest moon has an ocean beneath the icy crust

meaning there could be liven to. we report. >> reporter: could there be life on jupiter's moon? using the hubble space telescope, scientists have compelling evidence that it does have an ocean beneath its icy surface. like earth, it has a liquid iron core that generates a magnetic field. by studying its activity and analyzing the changes in its colorful auroras, scientists have deduced the presence of the electrically conductive ocean. according to nasa, this raises the prospects for life. compared to earth, jupiter is much further away from the sun, and so temperatures are well below freezing. the planet has more than 60 moons that orbit it including the largest moon in the solar system. now scientists estimate that its ocean is 100 kilometers thick. lies ten times deeper than earth's ocean, and buried under a thick icy crust.

it's a phenomenon that's gripped and intrigued scientists for years. >> if you think about it to have life, you need to have water. and so where else to go in the solar system other than places where we know there is liquid water underneath the surface? that's where we would like to search for life. >> reporter: in recent years, the focus for finding life has shifted to the moons of the alpha solar system. jupiter, saturn and neptune. on wednesday, scientists reported that saturn's moon have hot springs beneath it's icy crust. other water rituals include another of jupiter's moons and there's a possibility of water on triton which orbits neptune. the european space agency are planning to send a re bot to explore in 2022. thus, it will take eight years to get there. understanding it's ocean will be one of its primary objectives. it now joins a growing list of

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i'm here with bbc world nudes. our top stories. iraqi government forces backed by shia militia continue their push into tikrit forcing islamic state militants back. we are determined to defeat the terrorists of islamic state. this burial cloth is ready for my coffin. a red alert's been issued to the residents of the islands to take shelter as tropical cyclone hits the south pacific nation. oscar pistorius's lawyers failed to block an appeal against the olympian acquittal for murder charges.

and we take a look at the exhibition in london commemorating the work of fashion designer alexander mcqueen. hello, and we begin today in iraq where government-backed troops seem to be gaining the upper hand against their biggest, in their biggest offenses so far against the group that called itself islamic state. i.s. militants have been pushed back to the center of tikrit. a battle for the city continues. the bbc has been on the front line with iraqi forces. and he sent thus report. >> reporter: advancing into tikrit. iraqi army soldiers have mounted the largest offensive against islamic state to date.

after months of false starts, progress is now being made. the visit of top army generals to the battlefield is a short force and a message that won't be lost on the iraqi people. last year the army collapsed in the face of the well-armed jihadists. now they are regaining confidence. >> translator: deliberation of this city and province will serve as a launch pad for reclaiming the north and the west of iraq. if islamic state is defeated here, they'll be defeated easily in other regions. >> reporter: the militia is over a week to enter the city of tikrit. the battle is still far from over as we can hear the sound of gunfire where the militants show resistance resulting to roadside bombs and suicide bombings.

losing the city to the shia-led fighters will be a major blow to the islamic state. the heavier the lines of the shia militias and fight in the predominantly sunni areas is a rescue movement. but they have emerged as an effective fighting unit in the war against i.s. >> translator: i'm ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice for my homeland. we are determined to defeat the terrorists of islamic state. this burial cloth is ready for my coffin. >> reporter: despite the small victories here, celebrations might be premature. it seems like it was back to the islamic state is only just beginning. bbc news, tikrit. >> staying in iraq the country's christians are training themselves in combat to

protect their towns and villages against the islamic state militants. the first christian-only brigade of regular forces has graduated. it's mission is to retake and decease i.s. it is made up entirely of volunteers. they are faithful to the kurdish region. they are playing a leading role in that fight against the jihadists. now the south pacific island of vanthe area. it is bringing winds of up to 185 kilometers an hour. now the popular holiday destination of vanaurtu is 82 islands. and issued a red weather alert nationwide. across the south pacific, the storm's already caused flash flooding and strong winds. you can just see there the red is the center of that storm. and you can see that winds circling around that red center there.

it's already hit islands near causing significant islands. we have more. >> reporter: red alerts have been issued for parts of the island and thousands of people have been advised to seek shelter in evacuation centers. many have sought rescue in churches and schools or the campus, the early signs offer have rosty. shops have been boarded up as the population waits and hopes for the best. cyclone pam has intensified into a category five system the most severe. and although it's expected to pass about 100 kilometers off the islands, it will still pack a destructive punch. the south pacific area is bracing for winds of 165 kilometers per hour. along with torrential rain, that's likely to cause flooding and landslides. while the seas will be wild and dangerous. >> drop tropical cyclone pam is

a category five. at the moment we have winds of 220 kilometers now at the center. what we're really worried about is that wind can do extreme damage, rip roofs off, pulls trees out, power lines down and there's the storm surge that can come in. >> reporter: the australian foreign minister urged citizens to reconsider traveling to the island. the tropical storm has already caused damage elsewhere in the south pacific. charity work as the weather is getting wilder by the minute as cyclone pam moves closer. >> right now the situation is incredibly dangerous. there's incredibly strong winds racing around the capitol here which is the city of about 45,000 people. the trees are blowing, all foil i can't imagine is going everywhere, and you know i'm in a strong hotel, concrete block hotel, i'm on the third floor and even this was shaking. >> reporter: many of it's

267,000 people will be exposed to a terrifying cocktail of howling winds, rough seas and heavy rains. bbc news sydney. so south africa now where oscar pistorius lost his request to appeal against his conviction for killing his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. now the judge said there was nothing new in his submission so a reveal would be her own decision. pistorius is serving a five year jail sentence after being convicted last october. we are in johannesburg now, how much of a blow is this for oscar pistorius? >> well at the moment it doesn't mean that he's lost or won anything at the moment because the state prosecutor is still going to go to court to appeal the original conviction of coupleable homicide and the sentencing because the national prosecuting authority believes that oscar pistorius should have been charged with murder for killing his girlfriend reeva

steenkamp in 2013. >> so he was due to he's serving five years, he could have been released later on this year, but, he has to stay in prison while the appeal's process and the various le galties carries on. how likely is this to affect his release? >> well at the moment the state prosecutor is saying that the papers that will be filed in connection with the appeal against the coupleable homicide conviction will only be filed in may this year and that the appeal itself could be heard two or three months later. and oscar pistorius as you say was given a five year jail term. he is eligible for parol in eight month's time from since the day of his conviction it will be in august when he is eligible for parol. chances are the appeal will be heard, even after he has been released from prison. >> i know this happened just a short while ago, but has there been any reaction from reeva's parents yet?

>> not at the moment but we have heard from the national prosecuting authority saying that they are happy with the judge's decision to dismiss the appeal by the oscar pistorius legal team and that we also do know that the oscar pistorius legal team can also approach the supreme court of appeal for a full bench of judges to hear this appeal that was dismissed by the court today, but then the prosecution will also be in a position to reply to that. >> okay, thanks for that update. president obama has condemned the shooting of two police officers in a midwest town of ferguson. describing those who fired the shot as criminals who needed to be arrested. he said he recognized that oppressive oofs in a town were worthy of protests but there was no excuse for criminal acts. the offenses have -- officers have been discharged from hospitals. the president wants the gunman brought to justice. >> you know i think what had been happening in ferguson was

objectionable and worthy of protests, but there was no excuse for criminal acts. and whoever fired those shots shouldn't detract from the issue, they are criminals. they need to be arrested. and then what we need to do is to make sure that like-minded, good-spirited people on both sides of law enforcement who have a terrifically tough job and people who understandably don't want to be stopped and harassed just because of their race that we're able to work together to try to come up with some good answer. >> well it's been relatively quiet overnight in ferguson itself the bbc's reporter is there and she's been watching events. >> reporter: this group of protesters is gathered in ferguson, missouri tonight, almost 24 hours after those two police officers were shot here. the protesters are being watched not by police officers from ferguson city police department

but in an attempt to diffuse tensions officers from elsewhere in the state are here. now, so far, everything is peaceful. the protesters are saying that even though the shooting is important for them to come out once again and to demonstrate because they say that what they need is wholesale reform in the wake of that devastating justice department report into the counter of policing here in ferguson after the death of that unarmed black teenager michael brown, back in august. the protesters are saying even though top officials have resigned and the police force and the city they need to change to the entire system here. a system of what they say is state enforced police brutality. so this is a pivotal moment for ferguson in the aftermath of that report and the aftermath of the resignation of the police force. this is a moment for the city to move forward to try and heal. the shootings of both police officers last night has meant the city is still on edge.

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and they'll even call your old provider. it's easy. even she could do it. whatever, janet. for all the confidence you need td ameritrade. you got this. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines. iraqi government troops backed by shia militia are consolidating their control over large parts of tikrit in their operation to recapture the city from islamic state militants. residents from the pacific islands of vanuatu are bracing themselves from a category five tropical storm. in syria, a small number of forest fighters have traveled there to join the fight against

islamic state militants. and they include british and american nationals, some of who have never picked up a gun before. what happens when they return home? we traveled to meet them and sent this exclusive report. >> reporter: soldier back in britain then an english teacher. he had never picked up a gun before, he was a city trader. now their fighters facing up to the islamic state in syria. >> what particularly brought me here was holding a severed head of a woman and grinning at the camera. when i saw that although i didn't know it was possible then to come here and make a contribution, i felt great. >> i was trained by my colleagues, some of whom are

u.s. rangers, french foreign legion, you name it. and obviously there's an element of throwing yourself into the deep end. i have done some work in parts of the pa and the united kingdom, not a full-time soldier. >> reporter: they've fought together on the front lines. alongside eric's scarfield. he was the shaken foreigner to be killed here in only a week. this was his last operation, a bold assault on an imt s. village. eric stirfield and one of these armored vehicles was killed when it was hit by an i.s. rocket. >> the fact that he put himself in that situation to fight, to be where he was shows exactly what kind of person he was. >> he was an extreme fighter. >> reporter: it's kurdish women and men doing the fighting here.

this proclaims the islamic caliphate. here the fight has torn the life from the town. the battle has been hard which has meant foreign fighters once in the background were pushed to the front lines. at this attack unit i met a former u.s. marine. how did he respond i asked to claims that foreign fighters are no better than her centuries or terrorists. >> well i'm not a terrorist because i haven't killed any children lately i haven't enslaved any females, and i haven't killed any innocents. so am aterrorist? absolutely not. i'm wearing a uniform. terrorists don't wear uniforms one, two, mercenary, i don't get paid. how am i a mercenary? i'm a volunteer. everyone here is a volunteer. >> reporter: when it comes to foreign fighters and battles or

fights across syria, with the islamic state have the advantage. they have tens of thousands. the contribution and of the likes of eric scarfield are welcome, but what they really need are more air strikes and heavier weaponry. not extra foreign boots on the ground. taking up arms in someone else's war is risky. the volunteer fighting here alongside the kurds could be arrested when they return home. >> i think it's very important to make a clear distinction in the law between those who are coming here to fight against isis, and those who are coming here to join isis. it's not foreign difference, it's absolute. >> reporter: there aren't many places more dangerous for foreigners than syria. especially those taking on the islamic state. it's a hard truth not lost on jim or mesa. with the toughest fighting still ahead, they know that not all their comrades will make it home.

bbc news northern syria. the author terry pratchett has died at the age 66. he sold more than 17 million novels worldwide. seven years ago he was diagnosed with early onset alzheimer's disease. we look back at his life. >> drifting onwards through space, atop the shell of the great turtle are four giant elephants. upon whose broad shoulders rests the diskworld. >> reporter: terry pratchett's discworld filled more than 50 books. it started as a parody of fantasy novels and became a vast satire on modern life and the human race. sort of middle earth. 500 years after the end of lord of the rings. >> the big battles were all over, and the cities have grown. the trolls and the dwarves and the elves of, you know, are now

citizens, by large, politics have taken the place of warfare. and everyone is chasing a dollar. >> reporter: in the 1990s, he was the u.k.'s best-selling fiction writer. >> wrote a book every six months and sold three million copies a year. he was a press officer for the central electricity generating board when he wrote the first book. the series popularity meant he could become a full-time writer and join the frits of success. until in 2007 he was diagnosed with a rare form of alzheimer's. >> things like putting on a jacket or tieing a tie. >> reporter: it didn't affect his writing to begin with but he could no longer tie a tie or type. >> fold it over nope. >> reporter: he became a campaigner for more spending on research into alzheimer's, making a television documentary about his own search for treatment. >> if you'll excuse me for hoping that when my memories eventually go they'll take me

with them. >> reporter: in another documentary, he visited switzerland where the terminally ill are helped to die. he wanted the law on assisted suicide changed. in one of his last sbrinterviews, he had arrangements for his own death in hand. >> a person should be allowed to go to their rest in comfort. >> reporter: in fact his publishers today said he died unassisted of natural causes. in bed, surrounded by his family. alzheimer's patients gradually lose their sense of themselves. terry pratchett, the light died slowly, and very publicly. and a special tragedy in a man who was once so brilliant. >> the writer for terry pratchett died at the age of 66. now, the streets of johannesburg have been turned into a walking art gallery as

camera-ready enthusiasts flocked to check out the photos. so much sew that a local tour company has inundated with requests for graffiti tours. >> i'm the author of the book africa, and i'm a photographer and documenttarian and i've been following graffiti for about ten years. i have a passion to photograph the work before it disappears. it's very come and go. and i thought, you know, it's really needed in the world's map of the graffiti world. i had my book launch and there's an exhibition running with artists featured in the

book. there's street art of past experiences that takes interest of a band of graffiti around to see where it is on the streets where it belongs. >> people have a different view of graffiti which is that illegal stigma to it. so we try and let people know or understand what the whole movement is about. yeah, we're trying to offer a gallery in a sense. there's a whole new movement to make it an outside gallery. it's a very vital point that tourism industry stopped recognizing. >> graffiti is very important for social media because artists can paint wherever they want. and work can be seen by thousands of people. they can paint it an underground tunnel that maybe only five people would ever come across but you can post it on instagram and get thousands of people to

like the photo. so that changes a lot, but still now, compared to music, cds and digital downloads, the same thing as having a physical copy of something in hand just feels better and so you can look and pace through it and having that connection. and see people who were getting a come pewlation of the last few years of it. alexander mcqueen was arguably the king of british fashion. in london this weekend, we have more and just to warn you, there's flash photography in the beginning. >> reporter: supermodels stocked the glamour of the steps of the museum. for a few with alexander mcqueen. the sthoe is as theatrical romantic, and extravagant as the late designer. it is a celebration of his famously vivid imagination and

entree into his fan it's a call world. >> he really did have an extraordinary mind and it's not really about clothes. i mean it became about clothes, but to some extent you can see here, it could be about anything. you could call this art. you could call this theater. >> reporter: the exhibition starts with alexander lee mcqueen going from degree show sensation to international fame in the early '90s, having disrupted the world of fashion with his dark meets gothic provocative collection. he made dresses from layered silk, glass, wood metal, and mussel shells. and access rised them with head gear and shoes. this is perhaps the most theatrical room in when is a theatrical show. it's the cabinet of curiosities. . features many of mcqueens wilder experiments, collaborations, and in the case of this dress, creations, this was made by two

robots sprays paint. the shows are now considered to be legendary pieces of drama, but at the time they were an intrinsic part of their creative process. >> generally, we used to have to get the show in a collection used to work alongside each other. so, we have a lot of show ideas. and sometimes would design the collection. and put her in a world and have an idea for show and then that often brought ideas to the collection. >> reporter: alexander mcqueen the taxi driver son from south london would surely have been delighted with this show. he loved the place. said it was an inspiration. >> walking through the galleries, i realize how much he liked history and particularly the 19th century, and it's a very strong 19th century gothic strand in most of his collections. his specific attention to detail makes his work attractive to

curators such as myself. >> reporter: his final show it imagined the futuristic world of melted ice caps and underwater living were for which as ever he prepared a wardrobe. bbc news. stay with bbc world news. you total your brand new car. nobody's hurt,but there will still be pain. it comes when your insurance company says they'll only pay three-quarters of what it takes to replace it. what are you supposed to do, drive three-quarters of a car? now if you had liberty mutual new car replacement, you'd get your whole car back. i guess they don't want you driving around on three wheels. smart. 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. there's

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