The United Nations Conference on Climate Change has opened in Paris with world leaders all describing global warming as an urgent threat. Leaders of the countries, most vulnerable to drought and rising sea levels said immediate action was required to prevent catastrophe. Negotiators have 12 days to reach agreement on limiting the rise in global temperatures to two degree Celsius about pre-industrial levels. Nigeria's environment minister Amina Mohamed said there was an air of optimism around the conference on its first day. Everybody is pretty upbeat here. The pressure is to keep the momentum and the ambition and I think people are hopeful. And certainly we are having conversations here in Paris that haven't happened over the last few years. A lot is already on the table. It is really for us to try to put that into agreement.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has accused Turkey of shooting down a Russian warplane last week in order to protect oil supply provided by the Islamic State Group. Speaking at the Paris climate conference, Mr.Putin said the downing of the Russian jet by Turkish fighter planes last Tuesday was a huge mistake. In response, the Turkish President Racep Tayyip Erdogan strongly denied his county was buying oil from IS and said Russia should provide proof on its allegations. We are active on the patience. It's not positive for two countries which reached a position which could be regarded as strategic partnership to make emotional statements. If you allege something, you should prove it. You should put your documents on the table if you have any.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron says parliament will vote on Wednesday on whether to improve airstrikes against Islamic State group in Syria. Our political correspondent Ian Watson reports. David Cameron said the group calling itself Islamic State was a threat to this country behind his calling to British strikes to be extended from Iraq to Syria. It is right for us when the action we have taken has been successful in Iraq. It shrunk ISIl territory by 30%. It damaged their infrastructure. It sets them back. It is right to extend that action to Syria. Downing Street is now confident of a clear majority. The decision by the anti-war Labour leader to give his MPs free vote has made this possible. It's expected that their own 50 labor MPs could back the prime minister rather than Jeremy Colburn.
The man accused of shooting dead three people outside the Family Planning clinic in the US state of Colorado on Friday has made his first appearance in court. Robert Luis Deer appeared by video link from jail alongside his lawyer. He was told by the judge that he was being held on a murder charge. Mr. Deer spoke only to confirm that he understood the charge.
The Brazilian health ministry says the country is facing an unprecedented surge in the number of babies born with birth defects recently linked to the presence of a mosquito born virus Zika. It's said almost 1300 cases of micro-encephalitis have been registered in 13 Brazilian states this year. You are listening to the world news from the BBC.
A former prime minister Roch Marc Kabore appears to be on course to win the presidential election in Burkina Faso without the need for a secondg round. Provisional results from around three quarters of the come-ins gave him 54% of the vote. His closest rival Zephirin Diabre, a former finance minister was on 29%. Fourteen candidates contested the presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday which is seen as a chance for real democracy to take hold.
Jury selection has been begun in the trial of a police officer charged in connection with the death of a black man in Baltimore, which sparked riots earlier in the year. William Porter is one of the six police officers charged over the death. Rajini Vaidyanathan reports from Baltimore. The 26-year old charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault and misconduct over the death of young black man Fred Gray. Gray was transported in the back of a police van in April of this year without a seat belt. He sustained unexplained spinal injury and died a week later after sleeping into a coma. Porter who is also a black was traveling in the police van and has pleaded not guilty. Five other officers have been charged and will be tried next year. Prosecutors hope to use porter as a witness against some of them. Fred Gray's death led to violent riot in Baltimore.
The Venezuelan authorities have arrested three people suspected of murder of a regional opposition leader at a campaign rally last week a head of parliamentary elections next Sunday. Opposition leaders blame the shooting of Luis Manuel Diaz from the ruling Socialist Party, but the party has denied the allegation.
Transport police in London has begun investigating a group handing out abusive cards on the London underground network to people they consider fat. The abuses calling themselves Overweight Haters Limited, gave out cards bearing massages such as It's really not glandular, it's your gluttony. It seems it have posted message on social media denouncing the campaign as hateful and cowardly. BBC news.