12/02/2017 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today, broadcasting in the UK

After the latest firing of a North Korean ballistic missile,

the US says it will reinforce its alliances in

Swiss voters decide in a referendum to make it easier for some

A 13th day of protests - tens of thousands of Romanians

demand their government's resignation.

The leadership says it's standing firm.

If we get a nonconfidence vote in the parliament, we go home.

But until that moment, we will do our job.

And the British Academy film awards are underway here in London with

Viola Davis, Casey Affleck and Dev Patel winning in some of the acting

categories. A senior advisor to President Trump

says the United States is going to reinforce vital

alliances in the Pacific region in order to deter increasing

hostility from North Korea. That announcement followed

North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile that's drawn

harsh international condemnation. It's the first such launch

since Donald Trump took The missile was fired from an air

base in North Pyong-an Province - and flew about 5000 kilometres east

into international waters Our Tokyo correspondent

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports. This is the launch of a Musudan

ballistic missile, the same type that was fired from North Korea

into the Sea of Japan Today's launch was almost

certainly timed so that North Korea's dictator,

Kim Jong-un, could crash a weekend party taking place

on the other side of the world. President Donald Trump

and Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, have been spending

the weekend golfing in Florida. Mr Abe was not amused

by the North Korean intrusion. TRANSLATION: North Korea's

recent missile launch North Korea must fully comply

with the relevant United Nations In his response, President Trump

seemed less certain. Even neglecting to condemn

the North Korean launch. Thank you very much,

Mr Prime Minister. I just want everybody

to understand and fully know that the United States of America

stands behind Japan, Kim Jong-un recently promised

to test a much more powerful President Trump has vowed

that will not happen, but it's not clear how he intends

to stop it. North Korea already has

short-range missiles capable of hitting South Korea,

and medium-range missiles The Musudan is an intermediate range

missile, which may be able The ultimate goal is a so-called

ICBM, able to hit parts For more than 20 years,

the outside world has been trying to stop North Korea,

with tighter and tighter sanctions. The border with China remains open,

and trade is flourishing. The US and its allies will now move

to tighten sanctions further, and accelerate the deployment

of new anti-missile systems in South Korea and Japan,

but no one seems to have any idea how to stop North Korea

from becoming a fully fledged Rupert Wingfield-Hayes,

BBC News, in Tokyo. David Willis is in

Washington for us now. Thank you for joining us. North

Korea has said some time that it's been threatening to launch a

missile, but do you get the sense that the Trump administration was

expecting this news? Were they prepared for this? It's interesting,

the Trump administration has been at pains to reassure its allies,

particularly Japan, that it has their back as far as North Korea is

concerned. But what precisely the Trump administration plans to do

about North Korea isn't precisely clear. We've had over the last

several presidencies talks, sanctions, we had what was called

under the Obama Administration, strategic patients. None of it has

calmed North Korea's nuclear ambitions. With every likelihood

that North Korea might actually develop a nuclear missile capable of

reaching the United States within the lifetime of this current

presidency, it becomes something of an urgency for Donald Trump to sort

some sort of policy out on this front. He has said on the campaign

trail that he would be willing to sit down and have a burger, as he

put it, with Kim Jong-un and negotiate directly. That's not

something the Obama administration wanted to do. But certainly, that

and all the other potential solutions to this, are being weighed

up now in the light of what's happened over the last few hours. It

was interesting to hear the statement from Stephen Miller today.

It seems to throw out the idea that talks with Kim Jong-un out of the

window. It seemed like they were more talking about reinforcing

alliances in the region. Do you think they are grasping at straws a

little bit? There is the thought that China could be a buttress, if

you like. That its influence over North Korea could be helpful to the

United States, could be leveraged in some way. North Korea relies on

China for most of its energy and food. Despite the fact China has

condemned this and other missile tests by South Korea, it doesn't

seem to have affected anything. North Korea remains committed to its

nuclear programme, no question about that. It really is a difficult

situation and one that has vexed presidents before Donald Trump,

going back several decades. In fact, to the time of George Bush senior. A

difficult situation indeed. Thank you to David Willis in Washington.

Voters in Switzerland have approved a plan to relax

Final results from the national referendum show just over 60%

of voters support measures to make it easier for third

generation immigrants to become Swiss citizens.

Vanja and Vanja, two young women with the same name,

Supporters of simplified citizenship argued this

We asked people, what's the difference between people born

here, went to school together, raised here, why should

they have a different set of rights at birth?

But the Swiss have traditionally been very protective

Opponents of changing the current strict rules tried to exploit fears

of increased immigrants from the Middle East.

Over 60% said yes to easier citizenship for

Now, on paper, this looks like a pretty minor change

in Switzerland's citizenship law, but actually it's very significant.

For around 25,000 people who were born here,

mainly young people, it will make a big difference.

Vanja from the campaign poster is among them.

The granddaughter of Italian immigrants born in Switzerland,

she cannot vote and is barred from some professions,

Because it shows that I'm a part of Switzerland.

But the vote also reflects a change in country.

But the vote also reflects a changing country.

Three previous attempts to relax the rules

Today, Switzerland has signalled a growing acceptance

German politicians have chosen the country's new President.

The former foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier,

was elected at a special assembly of both regional and

The German President has little executive power, but is considered

to have an important role in setting moral leadership for the nation.

Hamburg airport in Germany was temporarily evacuated

and flights stopped after an irritant gas caused

passengers to suffer breathing and eye problems.

Firefighters later said they had found an empty cartridge that had

likely contained pepper spray or tear gas, which is sold

Nine people have been taken to hospital.

In Greece, military bomb disposal experts have removed a huge second

world war bomb after it was found during construction work

Around 75,000 people were moved to safety

The device is now being taken to a military base,

Tens of thousands of Romanians have taken to the streets for a 13th day,

to demand the resignation of the government.

This was the scene outside the government's offices

The demonstrations have forced the government to revoke

a controversial decree that would have weakened the powers

of anti-corruption prosecutors, and caused the justice

The country's foreign minister has admitted that the government had

made mistakes in its handling of the corruption issue.

But he told our correspondent Nick Thorpe that ministers

If we get the nonconfidence vote in the parliament, we will go home.

But until that moment, we will do our job.

And let the others express their opinions.

And try to take into account, to the best of our abilities,

the opinions of those who are demonstrating.

Do you plan to introduce any similar legislation in future?

We decided to abbrogate the ordinance and to come back

to the previous situation, which does not mean

It will be solved in the parliament in the period to come.

And with a larger consultation, transparency and so on and so forth.

That's why, from my point of view, practically there are no reasons

And the second thing in which we were wrong,

was the way in which we communicated with the population,

How uncomfortable has it been for you and your government to face

these massive protests over the last weeks.

Of course it's an uncomfortable position when people

But at the same time, I have to tell you very bluntly,

we have the feeling that we did our best, whatever was in our power,

The biggest awards night for British film - the Baftas -

Guests have been gathering at the Royal Albert Hall.

The romantic musical, La La Land, leads the

The films Nocturnal Animals and Arrival both follow closely

We can go live to the BBC's Jane Hill.

Jane, who has been picking up Baftas so far?

The ceremony is continuing at the Royal Albert Hall. Until just a few

minutes ago, it really was looking like an evening of all must have

prizes. Almost every film nominated tonight was picking up something

along the way. A real scatter-gun affair. In the last little while

we've had a few more of the major categories through. Certainly La La

Land has done pretty well. Damien Chazelle's film has done well with

Emma Stone picking up the award for Best actress and Damien Chazelle for

best director. Also on award for cinematography. Certainly not

running away in terms of pure numbers. We wait still to find out

whether it picks up the award for best film. The film Lion, based on

the true story of a young boy adopted from India and taken to live

with a family in Australia aspect up a couple of awards including one for

its screenplay by Luke Davies and a big cheer for the British actor Dev

Patel, who picked up the acting award in that category. A couple of

awards that perhaps were expected, Casey Affleck has taken the award in

the last few minutes for his performance in Manchester by the

Sea, quite a bleak New England 's tale, but a very strong performance

from him. He won the Golden Globe for that award and has picked up the

Bafta here tonight in London. And best supporting actress went to the

very popular American actress Viola Davis for her searing role in

Fences, directed by Denzel Washington and based on a play by

August Wilson, who adapted the screenplay for Fences from his own

play. That was quite some years ago because he died in 2005. We wait

here at the Albert Hall to find out what has been selected as best film

and the Bafta Fellowship is still to come as well. There is more to come

tonight. Thank you, Jane. Stay with us on BBC

world news. Still to come... Catastrophic fire conditions in

parts of Australia. Bushfires take hold in dozens of places in New

South Wales. Nelson Mandela taking his first

three steps in a new South Africa. A death sentence has been passed on

Salman Rushdie, the writer of a book many Muslims say it is blasphemous.

The people of Haiti say thank you for the asking of their former

president, Doctor Valley. Shergar was kept in a special box in the

stud farm block. He was driven away in a horse box the thieves had

brought with them. Stepping down from the plane, a figure in

mourning. Elizabeth II, Queen of this realm and of all her other

realms and territories, head of the Commonwealth, defender of the faith.

The latest headlines... After the latest firing of a North Korean

ballistic missile out, the US says it will reinforce its alliances in

the Pacific region. Back to our top story and that

North Korean missile test that took It's received strong

condemnation from across Joining us is Professor David Kang

at the university of Thank you so much for joining us. My

pleasure. Off in the North Korean leadership and Kim Jong-un in

particular, is painted as this kind of insane figure who is building up

a missile programme with no real goal. Is that true, is that the

case, or does he have a real strategy and goal in mind? I think

that's one of the biggest misconceptions, is that it's random

and unpredictable. But in fact, the North Korean regime under numerous

leaders including his father and grandfather, have tested new

American presidents. We all expected some type of response from North

Korea to Trump, especially given how Trump is outspoken. In many ways the

missile test was carefully chosen, and the nuclear programme is very

deliberate in its planning in North Korea. What does North Korea

actually want? What does it help to achieve with its nuclear ambitions?

I think the nuclear ambitions more generally are a way to survive as a

country, as a regime, without the nuclear programme, I think the

leadership of North Korea would be very vulnerable. With the nuclear

programme, it makes people anxious about attacking them. It makes sense

for them to have one. It makes it harder for us to imagine the

denuclearisation of North Korea. Our sanctions having any effect? It's

hard to see the effect they have had. The latest UN sanctions from

last year when there were two nuclear tests were ostensibly the

strongest ever. And in response North Korea has still tested

Intercontinental ballistic missile Isles, and now the shorter missile

it tested yesterday. It's not clear that more pressure makes North Korea

back down. Pretty clearly, and pretty consistently, North Korea

meets pressure with pressure of its own. We always run into the problem

of, will we start a war? And then all sides decide, we don't want to

do that. We are stuck in a cycle of provocation and backing down. Thank

you, David, from the University of Southern California.

A bit of breaking news coming into us at the BBC. La La Land has won

best film at the Baftas. It was widely expected.

The emergency services in the Australian state

of New South Wales say a record-breaking heatwave has

produced the worst conditions ever seen for local firefighters.

The extent of damage inflicted remains unclear,

but the authorities say homes and livestock have been

As David Campanale now reports, the biggest blaze has been

near the town of Dunedoo in the centre of the state,

Ideal conditions are in place for these bushfires.

Temperatures in New South Wales have soared to record levels

Fanned by strong winds, the fires raging across the state,

and here in Dunedoo are threatening homes and closing roads.

More than 2000 firefighters, many of them volunteers,

The authorities have had to order the evacuation of some sparsely

And they admit many of the fires are uncontained.

Yeah, just there's nothing you can do.

The rural Fire Service in the state has issued a warning

of catastrophic fire conditions, declaring this to be the worst

day seen in the history of New South Wales.

Firefighters at the front line say conditions

We have got reports across a number of the fire grounds,

particularly those that are subject of emergency warning,

that we are seeing property impacted and we are expecting

The areas hit by fires are a long way from Sydney, the state capital,

where thousands of people have flocked to the beaches to cool off.

The heatwave and need for air conditioning in homes has put

Some businesses have reduced or halted operations

Wild bushfires are not uncommon in Australia's arid summer,

climate change has pushed up average land and sea temperatures

Australians are seeing a rising number of extremely hot days

But for this week at least, they are hoping that new cold

weather fronts will give some urgent relief.

Premier League champions Leicester City are facing a battle to remain

in the Premier League, one season on from lifting

the title, after being beaten 2-0 by Swansea City.

Claudio Ranieri's side are now just one point above the relegation zone

after slipping to their fifth straight league defeat.

Defender Alfie Mawson produced a striker's finish to volley

in the home side's first before Martin Olsson doubled their lead.

The result moves Swansea up to 15th, four points clear of danger.

It's unbelievable. We start well. We wanted to make a good result today

against our, another team in the battle of relegation. We start well,

we make something good. But at their first shot at goal, they scored. The

second action, they scored again. From that, it was very difficult to

go back. We had a chance at the beginning of the second half and

lost the chance, and then we tried to do our best, but it was very,

very difficult. League leaders Chelsea missed

the chance to extend their lead at the top to 12 points,

as they were held to a 1-1 They looked con course

for their 20th league win of the season after Pedro put

them in front. But the Republic of Ireland

international Robbie Brady produced a stunning equaliser,

his free-kick levellling Chelsea still have a sizable ten

point advantage over second placed Tottenham and remain on course

to win their sixth league title. Graf we all know that against

Burnley at home is not easy. They have taken 20 points before this

game, now 29 points. Now it's important to continue to work. There

are 13 games before the end of the league. We must be concentrated and

start again on Tuesday. In rugby union's Six

Nations Championship, Scotland were beaten 22-16

by France in Paris. It was a fiercely contested

encounter at the Stade de France and despite the Scots outscoring

France by two tries to one, five penalties and a conversion

from Camille Lopez gave France their first win

of the tournament. That result though leaves England

as the only unbeaten side It was a physical encounter and

quite a few times we came off second best. But I thought the boys stuck

in really well defensively, defended our line well and scored a couple of

tries, but we just at critical times, perhaps we were not accurate

enough. We will have a good look at that before moving to the next game.

Jordan Spieth took a six shot lead in the Pro-am

The two-time major winner was 16 under going into the final round,

which is now underway and he's currently on 18-under par -

four shots ahead of his nearest rival Brandt Schnedeker.

Earlier on, an eagle on the last hole gave Fabrizio Zanotti a one

shot win in the Maybank Championship in Malaysia on Sunday.

Zanotti had been eighth going into the final round,

but the Paraguayan, who has missed three

cuts in a row, produced an incredible final round of 63.

Seven birdies put him contention before a eagle at the 18th

9-under for the day and 19-under overall - one shot clear

of American David Lipsky for his second win

The US Tennis Association has apologised after a Nazi-era version

of Germany's national anthem was sung ahead

The soloist's version here included the words "Deutschland uber alles" -

which translates as "Germany above all else."

It's a version banned since the end of the Second World War.

While the singer continued, fans and players began a loud

rendition of the correct lyrics, to the same tune, when they realised

The latest news from the Baftas, best film has gone to La La Land.

From me and the rest of the team goodbye.

After the weekend which many of us have endured, I'm sure you watch

crying out for something more like spring.