21/01/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me Nuala McGovern.

The murder of a former Russian spy in London -

an official report points the finger at the Kremlin.

Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with a radioactive substance -

Russian president Putin probably ordered the assassination.

Brazil struggles to contain a mosquito-borne virus thought

to cause a rare brain defect in babies.

How US doctors brought this man back to life,

after he was frozen for several hours and believed dead.

He was tipped for a nomination - now he's not even going

Will Smith is the latest start to boycott this year's Oscars.

This is about children that will down, watched the show, and they're

not going to see themselves represented.

Alexander Litvinenko died from poisoning nearly a decade ago

And they are politically explosive. an inquiry into his death

is 'likely' to have sanctioned the former Russian spy's poisoning.

It matches the accusation made by Litvinenko himself,

Our Security Correspondent Gordon Corerra reports.

Today a judge concluded he was killed in an operation

by the Russian security service, the FSB, likely authorised

The FSB operation to kill Mr Litvinenko was probably approved

by Mr Patrushev, then head of the FSB, and also by President

Litvinenko was a former Russian intelligence officer,

who had spoken out about corruption, and then fled with his

Former FSB officer Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun both caught

In the Pine Bar Litvinenko was served a drink from this teapot

which was laced with radioactive polonium.

Police would be able to follow a trail of radioactivity

across London, from restaurants to football stadium,

It took Litvinenko himself three weeks to die.

There were audible gasps here in court when the judge said

responsibility probably lay at the highest levels

And this report argues the motive was that Litvinenko was viewed

Litvinenko was so hated that Russians special forces

Today's report says his accusations that the FSB was behind these

bombings of apartments in Moscow to justify a war

as well as his disclosure about corruption and a personal

animosity with Vladimir Putin all made him a target.

And then there was also the fact that the Russians learned he had

begun working with Britain's intelligence service MI6.

Today, his widow who fought for years for this inquiry told me

the British Government should now expel all Russian spies

in their London embassy, and impose travel bans and sanctions

I believe only these things might help Russian people one day

Today in the Commons the Government said it would consider

The conclusion that the Russian state was probably involved

in the murder of Mr Litvinenko is deeply disturbing.

It goes without saying, that this was a blatant

and unacceptable breach of the most fundamental tenets of international

But the opposition criticised the Government's response.

I am not sure it goes anywhere near enough in answering

the seriousness of the findings in this report.

Indeed it could send a dangerous signal to Russia that our response

Today, two of the most powerful men in Russia were named as likely

responsible for what has been described as an act of nuclear

A murder which a decade on remains a defining issue

Now there's mounting pressure on the government here in Britain

to take further action against Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has once again denied any involvement

in the assassination and said the inquiry had been politicised.

Our Moscow Correspondent Sarah Rainsford looks at where today's

report leaves relations between Britain and Russia?

You wouldn't know Russia's President has just been implicated

People here are more worried about and economic crisis,

That is partly down to the message they are getting

It is reporting the inquiry into Alexander Litvinenko's murder,

as a farce, biassed against Moscow from the start.

Reporters are playing down the conclusion,

that President Putin probably approved the killing.

And in public at least, Russian officials are unflustered.

At the foreign ministry the spokeswoman deflected my

question over the trail of deadly polonium, dismissing the whole

We take it as a step towards to discredit Russia,

and Russian official, Russian leaders, as we understand

it was not a legal process, it was an imitation

Russia has become the master of denial.

Of painting the most serious accusations as part

of an international political campaign against Moscow.

That may work with the audience here at home, but the conclusions

of the Litvinenko inquiry have the potential to plunge

relations with the west to a new low.

Despite calls to extradite the chief suspects to the UK,

they are still here in Russia, today Andrei Lugovoi

He has become a minor celebrity here.

The murder of Alexander Litvinenko had major repercussions

Contacts between security services cut.

But five years on, David Cameron was in Russia, encouraging trade

Then came the conflict in Ukraine and the annex casing of Crimea

The inquiry into Litvinenko's killing was announced.

Now it its damning conclusion is out Russia's ambassador has been

But some argue Russia's role in Syria makes it risky

Since it began air strikes there, Moscow has become central

I personally do not think we should be concerned about deepening the row

as such, the Russians themselves ought to have some consideration

for that, and whether it is the, there is any sense in having

a bigger bust up than the one we are having already.

Tonight the Kremlin was sounding defiant.

President Putin's spokesman call the murder inquiry a joke,

and insisted that Moscow will not accept its findings.

A car bomb has exploded in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu. It

was in the city's popular live goat destination beach. Explosions and

gunfire have been heard nearby. We will bring you more on that

developing story as we get it. Brazil says thousands of babies have

been born with abnormally small The health system is struggling

to cope with the outbreak linked to the Zika virus -

which is spread by mosquitoes. The rare brain defect affects

the babies' physical The disease has spread across Brazil

- with close to 4,000 It is now showing up in other

South American countries. The Zika virus appears to have the

ability to cause birth defects, when the baby is born to other infected

pregnancy. Camilla Costa from BBC

Brazil is in Sao Paulo. It is difficult to

are still being investigated point, how widespread the cases are.

The Zika virus is quite detect right now, we still don't

have specific tests to detect detect right now, we still don't

mothers. Silas the bit about detect right now, we still don't

they have told you? There is a lot of anxiety, when

they have told you? There is a lot news, the mothers feel sad

they have told you? There is a lot do about the

they have told you? There is a lot cannot predict

they have told you? There is a lot know what exactly awaits them. What

is the government saying they will do, in particular to help these

mothers? State governments are actually trying to increase the

number of centres they have, which are prepared to give orientation to

those mothers, and to start a rehabilitation sessions with those

babies. This is one thing you can do to help stimulate some areas of the

baby's brains. The budget for city governments to tackle the mosquito

that transmits the Zika virus, to prevent another epidemic next year.

We are hearing them may have been a couple of cases in Colombia? Is that

something the government is talking about, prevention to normal people

as well as attacking the mosquito? Definitely. The mosquito has been

constant in Brazil and most countries in Latin America for

decades, since we are tropical countries, something we have dealt

with for a long time. It is a mosquito that transmits at least

seven diseases, quite urgent to tackle the situation. Just as the

Zika virus came, and may have caused those cases of malformation, other

cases could come. In Britain David Cameron has said a referendum on

membership of the good, sinister, if they deal can be negotiated with the

rest of the EE members by the end of next month. In Davos, the

Netherlands' Prime Minister said the deadline is doable. He spake to Abba

economics editor, who asked him what the EU's most pressing issue is

right now? Clearly the refugee crisis is the most pressing issue.

We need to bring numbers down through Turkey and Egypt, coming to

Europe. This is not sustainable. The main issue. At the same time even to

drive growth, improve the common market, particularly in digital

services, capital union, energy. There is enormous room for

improvement. 1.25 euros trillion in extra GDP to get. For Britain, one

of the major issues is the renegotiation, that the Prime

Minister is attempting. When you look at what the Prime Minister is

putting on a table, DEC the chance for radial by February? Yes, I am

relatively optimistic we can get a deal, and we could get a deal in

February. There is still work to be done. He has put on the table wishes

in various domains. For me, I think it is crucial become to an agreement

on the 28th, for all 28. So you make maximum use of the UK referendum to

improve your for everybody, particularly in the areas of growth,

how to deal with countries in the Eurozone and outside the Eurozone.

It is doable, but still work to be done. Lex ability necessary? Yes,

that everybody will acknowledge we have Europe that has different

speeds. Already there, the Eurozone, Schengen, some countries having

country specific opt outs. It is not new in itself. For me, the nation of

ever closer union, this was putting in the past, it is history. Ever

closer union, not of the People's of the European Union, but I know for

him, it is important, so we have to deal with it.

Now to a remarkable story about a man called Justin Smith

The 26-year-old was walking home from a local bar when he fell

in the snow and was knocked unconscious.

He was found hours later in freezing conditions and paramedics concluded

Justin was then taken to hospital where doctors thought his life

I started shaking his head, no, you can't leave me.

I have never even heard anything like this, amazing. Something I have

not heard of, can't thank everyone enough.

Dr James Wu was one of the doctors involved in the procedure to revive

He says this procedure is not actually new to health care

professionals. It is an older technology, it is a

heart and lung machine, and can be used outside the body, for different

purposes. Most recently, it has been used for the flu epidemic, causing

severe lung problems, what we call ARDS. It is done great job in terms

of saving those patients who would be dead. The technology has

involved, with better Jew being and cannulas, we can drain blood out of

the patient and put it back in. -- better Jew being. We are moving to

the forefront of recess at a science. Cardiac arrest,

hypothermia, and other uses. What is PE? Pulmonary images. -- embolism. A

police officer said he was dead for many hours, what with the chances

for revival? Truly incredible. When we saw him at the hospital, he had

no vital signs. No pulse. No electrical activities. This is what

they saw, when he was there. The chances of a patient surviving from

those set of conditions is extremely low. But there were two things going

for Justin, one was hypothermia, a lot of the metabolism of his brain

and other bodily functions were kept to a minimum. Did not need to use a

lot of energy or oxygen. Another thing was he was 25 years old, young

patients can survive a great deal of trauma, and still do OK. As a

doctor, what did this procedure mean to you? To bring someone phrasing

back to life? Furious for your personal take? He was not completely

frozen. Once you are truly completely frozen, your body and

cells were crystallised. His lowest temperature was 18 degrees, the

blood was still flowing, albeit very sluggishly. Again, under those

circumstances, looking at getting the heart function back, and the

organs, and then the brain, we were not sure about. Remarkably it came

back almost completely. Incredible job done by this doctor.

He was tipped by some for an Oscar nomination -

now he's not even going to the ceremony.

Will Smith, who had the leading role in film Concussion,

is the latest star to boycott this year's Academy Awards over

That was sparked by all 20 of the main acting

Let's hear what he's said on US TV in the last few hours.

This is so deeply not about me. This is about children that are going to

sit there on, they are going to watch this show. And they are not

going to see themselves represented. We heard your wife says she was not

going to be attending, nor will she be watching? Will you be attending

the Oscars? No, it would be awkward for me to show up with Charlize! We

have discussed it, we are part of this community at this current time,

we're uncomfortable to stand there and say this is OK. I asked Neal

Smith, our entertainment reporter, how significant this boycott is?

He's by far the biggest Hollywood start to turn his back on the Oscars

this year. His worldwide fame will really bring even more attention to

this issue than there has been already. It is odd, the film he may

have been nominated for was called Concussion. I imagine the academy

are feeling something similar foot of it seems to grow and grow. The

awards are not until the end of February, at about one month ago. Do

you think it will continue to gather steam, or get more names? Already

some big hitters? Absolutely, Spike Lee, various other people. A lot of

pressure on the house, Chris Rock. People saying he should be pulling

out. -- host. Not dealing with this slightly tainted ceremony. The

Justin Kemp will be the next week, the Academy will have a board

meeting. Standard board meeting. Now, I think people will look at

this, and for something concrete to come out of it. If something

concrete does come out of it, they may be able to nip this in the bud.

Can you tell us what the Academy has said a fire in response to people

speaking out? Everyone from Whoopi Goldberg to Idris Elba. They said

more must be done to broaden Goldberg to Idris Elba. They said

Now they need to see something more concrete. Talking about radical

changes, possibly more acting nominees. A limit of ten films every

year, as opposed to the sliding scale between 5-10. Talking about

some quite seismic changes. What do the Academy say so far about why

there were no people of colour in the nominations? The Academy

president has said she's very disappointed, that unfortunately you

can only nominate what is out there. There were far stronger candidates

last year, in terms of critical support, groundswell of popular

opinion. Selma, for instance, some thought they were robbed. No

high-profile candidates this year. It's possible that there is a huge

ninth planet on the outer edge of our solar system -

and it may be ten times But for now from me and the rest

of the team goodbye.