BBC News with Neil Nunes.
The White House has voiced its concerns that pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine are using advanced weapons in the conflict. The comments followed the shooting down earlier on Thursday of a Ukrainian military helicopter brought down near the town of Slaviansk by a Russian made anti-aircraft missile killing 12 soldiers. Mark Lowen has this report.
“This is a significant loss of live for the Ukrainian military and a major blow as Kiev pursues what it calls its anti-terror operation here. The helicopter was shot down by rebel fighters as it transported troops to a military base around the town of Slaviansk. There was also an admission today by one of the leaders of the South style Donetsk People's Republic, Ukraine's breakaway eastern region that some of his fighters who died in a battle at Donetsk airport earlier in the week were Russian, fueling accusations that Moscow is playing a larger part in the conflict than it says.”
Turkey's highest court has ruled that restrictions imposed on access to YouTube be lifted. A judgment that is likely to be seen as a setback for the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He advocated banning the video sharing website. James Reynolds is in Istanbul.
“Turkey's constitutional court has ruled that the ban on YouTube violates the right to freedom of expression. It ordered the site to be unblocked. The court's decision will now be sent to the government. The authorities here first blocked YouTube in late March in order to prevent internet users from listening to secret recordings which claimed to show senior Turkish government officials discussing their options in neighboring Syria.
Christian youths in the Central African Republic have barricaded streets with burning tires and attacked a Mosque in protest at a Wednesday's assault by gunmen on a church. More than 10 people died in the attack on the church in a Muslim neighborhood of the capital Bangui. Our West Africa correspondent is Thomas Fessy.
“The attack on the church compound, home to thousands of displaced people, triggered further violence in the capital city. At least one Muslim woman was killed when she ventured out of the only Muslim neighborhood left in Bangui. She was reportedly beheaded. The last tenure mosque outside this area was burned down by angry Christian mobs seeking revenge. Hundreds of youths erected barricades and blocked major streets forcing people to stay in home.”
The Vatican has announced that the Israeli and Palestinian presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas will join Pope Francis to say prayers for peace on Sunday, June 8. The Pope invited both leaders to visit his home to pray for an end to the conflict between their peoples during his recent trip to the Middle East. Pope Francis has said the Vatican isn't seeking to get involved in peace negotiations between the two sides.
World News from the BBC.
The African Union has begun a major campaign to end child marriage in Africa. Experts say underage marriage cut short the childhood of all the 17 million girls or one in three across the continent. Here's Richard Hamilton.
“Activists say child marriage jeopardizes girls' rights, such as access to education, because new brides are forced to drop out of school to their children and provide household labour. There are significant health risks if very young girls get pregnant. Young brides also often live as virtual prisoners with few social connections hardly any power in their new homes and frequently suffer domestic violence. The country with the highest percentage of underage marriage is Niger.”
Extracts from sensitive communications between British and US leaders in the runup of the Iraq War will be made public in Britain but the full versions will remain secret. The Chilcot Inquiry into the origins of the conflict heard from its last witness more than 3 years ago, but its conclusions have been delayed as Norman Smith reports.
“Although a deal is not being struck between the Chilcot Inquiry and the government, it’s likely to prove hugely controversial. Under the deal, the full Blair letters will not be published, instead only what described as list of the content will be released. Direct quotations from the letters will also be kept to a minimum. President Bush's responses will not be included and still no timetable for publication.”
The US car maker Ford has announced that it is recalling almost 1.4 million vehicles because of potential defects. More than a million sports utility vehicles or SUVs are being returned over a possible loss of power steering. In addition, nearly 300,000 cars are being recalled, because their floor mats could interfere with the operation of the accelerator.