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BBC news 2014-10-22

BBC News with Julie Chandler.

Reports from Sierra Leone say riots have broken out in an eastern town after a medical staff tried to remove a 90-year-old woman from her home because she was suspected of having Ebola. At least two people are reported to have been killed when police opened fire when local people joined the disturbance in the town of Koidu. Our correspondent M. F. who was in the capital Freetown has been speaking to police about the woman's case.

Her son refused to have her taken away, and when police and soldiers went there to forcibly remove her as well as quarantine the house as something that was required, the youth, and according to the police local unit's commander super intendant David Kuruma, the youth had started pelting stones at them, and they also have to defend themselves; it led to serious riots in Koidu, which have led the police imposing a daytime curfew.

The family of the South African model killed by the athlete Oscar Pistorius have welcomed his five-year jail sentence. Reeva Steenkamp's parents said justice had been done and they were relieved the case was over. Oscar Pistorius was cleared of murder but found guilty of culpable homicide. From Pretoria, Andrew Hardy.

Judge Thokozile Masipa took her time; she rejected the defence's argument that prison would break the disabled athlete emotionally and physically. But she also declared that she wouldn't be swayed by an angry public outcry for vengeance. The five-year sentence means the athlete could be released after serving just 10 months. Outside the courtroom I asked Reeva Steenkamp's parents June and Barry for their reaction.

Satisfied with that.

You are?

Yes.

He could be out after just a year or so.

Doesn't matter; he is gonna pay something.

Do you think justice has been served?

Yes.

It's not yet clear whether the prosecution would try to overturn the manslaughter verdict on appeal in favor of murder.

Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has reached an all-time high according to a US report, despite the fact that Washington had spent more than 7.5 billion dollars over 13 years trying to eradicate it. Afghanistan produces about 80 percent of the world's opium, J. G. reports.

The US report describes the level of opium poppy cultivation last year as uNPRecedented. It predicts that this year, given what it calls 'deteriorating security' in many parts of the country and low levels of eradication, the figure is likely to be even higher. Provinces such as Nangarhar in the east previously hailed the poppy-free marvelous success have also seen a surge in production. The value of the crop was nearly three billion dollars last year, an increase of 50% in a single year.

The Canadian Minister of Public Safety Steven Blaney had said hit-and-run attack on two soldiers in Quebec on Monday was clearly inter-terrorist ideology. One of the soldiers died, the driver Martin Rouleau, who recently converted to Islam, was shot dead by a Canadian police.

World News from the BBC.

The United States has confirmed that North Korea has released an American man Geoffrey Fowle who had been in detention since April. His release was negotiated by Sweden which represents the American interests in North Korea. Mr. Fowle was arrested for leaving a bible in a nightclub.

The Pentagon says it's examining a video posted by Islamic State militants which appears to show the group's fighters in control of a bundle of military aid airdropped by US-led forces for Kurdish fighters in Syria. From Washington, Rajini Vaijinason reports.

The video shows a fighter, his face covered with a black Bali-cover, rifling through boxes containing hand grenades and mortars. The backdrop is a barren landscape and it's unclear where the video was shot. US officials say they've seen it but aren't yet in a position to confirm its authenticity. On Sunday night, US planes dropped parcels containing small weaponry for Kurdish fighters around the Syrian town of Kobani. The Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby confirms that the vast majority of these had ended up in the right hands but said he was aware of one which hadn't.

The board of control for cricket in India says it's planning to take legal actions against the West Indies for canceling a Tour of India on short notice. The series was called off last week because of a pay dispute between the West Indies cricket board and its players. Here's Alex Capstick.

 India's hard-line stance is no surprise; the richest and most powerful governing body in world cricket was furious over the West Indies' abrupt departure halfway through the series. But it's a decision which could have severe ramifications for the game in the Caribbean. India's next trip to the region was scheduled for 2016. But unless the situation changes, it won't happen and the cash-drought West Indies board will lose the whopping sponsorship and broadcast revenues it generates.

BBC News.