:00:09. > :00:12.Syria's most powerful ally, Russia, is saying for the first time that
:00:12. > :00:17.President Bashar Assad is losing control of his country and the
:00:17. > :00:20.rebels might win. EU finance ministers agree to set
:00:20. > :00:24.up a banking union, in a significant step towards resolving
:00:24. > :00:29.the eurozone debt crisis. The controversial extraction of
:00:29. > :00:36.shale gas, known as fracking, is given the go-ahead by the UK.
:00:36. > :00:39.Welcome to BBC World News. Back on the map. Google launches
:00:39. > :00:44.its latest mapping software for the iPhone, after Apple's attempts at
:00:44. > :00:46.its own version backfire. Rocking and rolling for the victims
:00:46. > :00:56.of Superstorm Sandy. A sell-out concert in Madison Square Gardens
:00:56. > :01:12.
:01:12. > :01:16.The Syrian government may be defeated by opposition forces.
:01:16. > :01:19.That's according to Russia's deputy foreign minister. Russian news
:01:19. > :01:24.agencies are reporting that Mikhail Bogdanov says President Bashar al-
:01:24. > :01:27.Assad's forces are "losing more and more control and territory". I
:01:27. > :01:33.spoke earlier to our correspondents, Steve Rosenberg in Moscow, and to
:01:33. > :01:39.Jim Muir in Beirut. They gave me this update. For Russia's basic
:01:39. > :01:41.position hasn't changed in that Moscow still maintains that the
:01:41. > :01:45.ousting of President Assad would make the conflict worse.
:01:45. > :01:50.But this is the first public acknowledgement that things are
:01:50. > :01:55.moving against President Assad, and he faces the possibility of defeat.
:01:55. > :02:00.Comments coming from Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian foreign
:02:00. > :02:04.deputy minister, who says we have to face the facts. The Syrian
:02:04. > :02:08.government is losing more control over more territory. He said the
:02:08. > :02:13.victory of a Syrian opposition cannot be excluded. He made it
:02:13. > :02:17.clear that Moscow's belief, in that case, the conflict would grow worse,
:02:17. > :02:25.and tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands more people would be
:02:25. > :02:29.killed. He said that was not acceptable to Moscow.
:02:29. > :02:33.What is your reading of this from Beirut?
:02:33. > :02:40.It is obviously very significant this should come from the Russians,
:02:40. > :02:47.a statement of the very obvious. It can be seen that the regime is
:02:47. > :02:52.losing ground, but the Russians have steadfastly supported Bashar
:02:52. > :02:57.al-Assad. This is significant, a very strong straw in the wind, as
:02:57. > :03:02.it were. The prognosis, after he fell, there would be a huge amount
:03:02. > :03:07.of turmoil, that is a Russian reading. What the west wants is to
:03:07. > :03:11.get the Russians on board for what they call decapitation, President
:03:11. > :03:16.Assad and his top circle should be persuaded to get on an aeroplane
:03:16. > :03:20.and leave, as in Yemen, and the rest of the regime would negotiate
:03:20. > :03:24.a peaceful transition with the opposition who have more or less
:03:24. > :03:28.agreed to that scenario. The Russians are up in a position to
:03:28. > :03:35.play a positive role by persuading Bashar al-Assad to step down in
:03:35. > :03:44.that way. But there is no real sign they are willing to do that,
:03:44. > :03:53.falling in with Western plans. In Moscow, is a major development
:03:53. > :03:58.being anticipated here? Only yesterday, the Russian foreign
:03:58. > :04:02.minister expressed his surprise and a degree of irritation that Barack
:04:02. > :04:08.Obama had recognised the Syrian opposition coalition. He made a
:04:08. > :04:14.statement about that, and was quite angry. So, the Russians are one
:04:14. > :04:17.step behind, but preparing for a possible defeat of Bashar al-Assad.
:04:17. > :04:22.The deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov today it also said that
:04:22. > :04:29.Moscow was preparing, making contingency plans, for a possible
:04:29. > :04:33.evacuation. There are many of them, 5,000 Russian citizens registered
:04:34. > :04:39.in the embassy in Damascus. Many more who are not registered there.
:04:39. > :04:49.The Russians are trying to locate as many of its citizens as they can,
:04:49. > :04:49.
:04:49. > :04:54.with a view to a possible future evacuation by sea and by air.
:04:54. > :04:58.We have had news this morning of the banking union, getting the tax
:04:58. > :05:03.payer off the hook. The sole reason this has been
:05:03. > :05:10.developed. In 2000 and it when we had the financial crisis caused by
:05:10. > :05:15.the banks, they got in trouble. It was the taxpayer who had to bail
:05:15. > :05:21.out the banks. It didn't leave a lot of money left to the state. So
:05:21. > :05:26.then they needed a bail out. The idea is, in future, it will not be
:05:26. > :05:31.the state or taxpayer bailing them out, but support from the European
:05:31. > :05:37.Central Bank which has been given the sol supervisory role of 200 of
:05:37. > :05:43.the region's biggest banks worth more than $39 billion. It also
:05:43. > :05:49.means when a bank does get into trouble, the banks get direct
:05:49. > :05:54.funding from that European rescue pot. This supervisory role will
:05:54. > :06:02.monitor all these banks, implement the rules, it can close down a bank
:06:02. > :06:10.if it doesn't follow the rules. The question I have been asking experts
:06:11. > :06:15.today, if the tax payer and state is off the hook, who does? Who
:06:15. > :06:20.provides funding? It has not been answered to some degree, although
:06:20. > :06:25.the spirit of where this is heading is clear. That is, but taxpayers
:06:25. > :06:30.will know longer be on the hook to bail out banks, the bikes
:06:30. > :06:33.themselves should find away to resolve their problems. We are
:06:33. > :06:40.working on a resolution regime framework which will be agreed this
:06:40. > :06:44.Friday. But also were then that, there are ways to apply losses, to
:06:45. > :06:49.bond holders within a bank, shareholders potentially. And to
:06:49. > :06:54.isolate the banking system and his problem within the banking system.
:06:54. > :07:00.In the future, we paid a transaction tax, meaning every
:07:01. > :07:06.single deal by a bad will have a tiny feet attached, collected on a
:07:06. > :07:11.European-wide basis, to build up a pot, a defensive fund, to be able
:07:11. > :07:21.to help with a bag if it falls into trouble in future. Also, and your
:07:21. > :07:25.
:07:25. > :07:29.bike taxes should be something coming in future.
:07:29. > :07:32.The The other development in Europe today: Greece is due to receive the
:07:32. > :07:35.latest round of bailout funds needed to keep the economy afloat.
:07:35. > :07:37.After weeks of tough talks, eurozone finance ministers and the
:07:37. > :07:41.International Monetary Fund agreed last month to release 44 billion
:07:41. > :07:44.euros. Athens has been waiting since June for the money that is
:07:44. > :07:46.needed to help the government pay its debts, and to support the
:07:46. > :07:49.country's banks. Google has launched a new version
:07:50. > :07:53.of its Maps application for the iPhone. The growing rivalry between
:07:53. > :07:55.the search giant and Apple meant the most recent iPhone appeared
:07:55. > :07:59.with Apple's own mapping software. It's had some well documented
:07:59. > :08:01.problems, to say the least. This week, Australian police called it
:08:01. > :08:04."potentially life threatening" after its bad directions left
:08:04. > :08:07.drivers stranded in the outback. So, is this defeat for Apple Maps?
:08:07. > :08:15.The BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones says that the
:08:15. > :08:20.accuracy of Google Maps is what users want. This is quite a useful
:08:20. > :08:25.victory for Gogol, in this ongoing war. The mobile phone industry,
:08:25. > :08:34.which is where all the internet action is, it is now concentrated
:08:34. > :08:37.between Apple, and Gogol, the android system. -- Google. If
:08:37. > :08:39.you're travelling with the Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific over
:08:39. > :08:43.Christmas, don't be surprised if the staff seem unfriendly.
:08:43. > :08:46.Employees are threatening to go on a smiling strike, in a protest over
:08:46. > :08:49.pay, as well as possibly withholding food and alcohol. Cabin
:08:49. > :08:59.staff voted in favour of industrial action this week, they're demanding
:08:59. > :09:03.
:09:03. > :09:07.a 5% pay rise instead of the 2% offered by management.
:09:07. > :09:10.The US Federal Reserve has said it plans to keep interest rates at
:09:10. > :09:13.close to zero, at least until the US unemployment rate falls below
:09:13. > :09:17.6.5%. Previously, it had a date- driven target, rather than a data-
:09:17. > :09:20.driven one. The US central bank also said it will continue to buy
:09:20. > :09:23.$85 billion a month of government bonds and mortgage-backed
:09:23. > :09:33.securities, to try to boost the economy. But changes in the way it
:09:33. > :09:37.
:09:37. > :09:41.does this will mean more money is pumped into the economy.
:09:41. > :09:47.And we expect to continue our purchases until we see a
:09:47. > :09:50.substantial improvement in the Labour market in price stability.
:09:50. > :10:00.The committee will evaluate a range of indicators including
:10:00. > :10:03.
:10:03. > :10:05.unemployment, pay Royal -- payroll employment. As increases are
:10:05. > :10:10.precursors to Labour market conditions, we will look at the
:10:10. > :10:15.pace of economic activity more broadly.
:10:15. > :10:21.The reason I messed up on that story is because we were chuckling
:10:21. > :10:25.about this! I put the blame on to you. The Australian police, this
:10:25. > :10:32.warning. People were using this device and getting stranded in the
:10:32. > :10:40.outback. One policeman said, one fellow got trapped, he saw a snake,
:10:40. > :10:50.a goat and a fox, and he wouldn't get out of his car! He must have
:10:50. > :11:00.
:11:01. > :11:10.been a tourist! And as we heard, it is a difficult
:11:11. > :11:12.
:11:13. > :11:22.business, making and designing Max -- maps. You have to be accurate.
:11:23. > :11:23.
:11:23. > :11:26.Can you find your way out of the studio OK?
:11:26. > :11:29.The British government has approved the resumption of fracking, a
:11:29. > :11:32.controversial technique which could release stores of shale gas deep
:11:32. > :11:35.below the Earth's surface. A firm was stopped from using the
:11:35. > :11:38.controversial method, after it caused two minor earthquakes last
:11:38. > :11:44.year. Fracking works like this. The drill bores 8,000 feet down, then
:11:44. > :11:47.turns sideways into the shale. Tiny explosions fracture the rock.
:11:47. > :11:51.Millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are forced in to make
:11:51. > :11:54.space for the gas to flow back up the shaft. Joining me from our
:11:54. > :11:57.Westminster studio in central London is the Green Party Member of
:11:58. > :12:02.Parliament, Caroline Lucas. Is this good or bad news? I think it is bad
:12:02. > :12:07.news, it will lock us into prices which are likely to rise in the
:12:07. > :12:12.future when it comes to our energy bills. If we go down this route, we
:12:12. > :12:22.will not be able to keep within our climate targets when it comes to
:12:22. > :12:27.the emission reduction targets. And it will cost us four. What is the
:12:27. > :12:31.alternative? Energy costs are going up, inflation is going up, wages
:12:31. > :12:39.are going down. Reports say elderly people are heading towards
:12:39. > :12:44.Christmas are spending money on fuel, and not on Christmas, because
:12:44. > :12:50.people are worried about the cost of staying warm? Absolutely, that
:12:50. > :13:00.is why it is important not to go down the gas brood which has led to
:13:00. > :13:00.
:13:00. > :13:07.the big increase in our fuel bills. -- gas route. If we look at
:13:07. > :13:11.renewable energy and efficiency, but will help with fuel bills. As
:13:11. > :13:16.well as investing, we need to put real investment into energy
:13:16. > :13:22.efficiency. The government is not doing that properly. They will not
:13:22. > :13:25.make the impact they need to. You are right to say it is a scandal
:13:25. > :13:31.that in the 21st century, we have people dying prematurely because
:13:31. > :13:35.they cannot afford to keep themselves warm. So we have to go
:13:35. > :13:40.down the route of properly insulating our homes, and renewable
:13:40. > :13:46.energy. Would you and the committee feel more comfortable with this, if
:13:46. > :13:51.the reserves of what the scientists think he is down there, it is as
:13:52. > :13:59.big as they think? It might be on the part -- on a par with those
:13:59. > :14:05.reserves in Canada and the United States? It may be huge but it will
:14:05. > :14:10.also be expensive and will bust our planet targets. There are
:14:10. > :14:17.environmental impacts to be concerned about as well. To forget
:14:17. > :14:22.about previous concerns. I do not think many people will be delighted
:14:22. > :14:29.to have a shale gas drill just down the road from them. This is fraught
:14:29. > :14:32.with complications. It will lead to higher energy bills, and we cannot
:14:32. > :14:36.stay within our legally binding climate targets. You're watching
:14:36. > :14:44.BBC World News. Coming up: Can you teach manners to teenage boys?
:14:44. > :14:47.We're at the school which thinks it Now, to a bone-chilling expedition
:14:47. > :14:51.being carried out in the Antarctic. A team of British scientists is
:14:51. > :14:54.there to explore a vast sub-glacial lake buried two miles beneath the
:14:55. > :15:02.ice. They're looking for signs of life in the waters which have been
:15:02. > :15:06.cut off from the rest of the world for half a million years.
:15:06. > :15:09.In the bitter cold of one of the most remotest corners of Antarctica,
:15:10. > :15:15.this British team is trying something extraordinary. To explore
:15:15. > :15:18.a hidden world that lies beneath the ice. These are the latest
:15:18. > :15:23.pictures from the British Antarctic Survey. Everything about this
:15:23. > :15:29.project is a challenge. All the equipment is sterilised. The
:15:29. > :15:39.plastic keeps it clean. Because the aim is to search for life under the
:15:39. > :15:42.
:15:42. > :15:47.I am close to the centre where the ice beneath me is two miles thick.
:15:47. > :15:53.It is 10 kilometres in length, and the three kilometres wide.
:15:53. > :15:58.lower this, what is in the lake? The strange body of water isolated
:15:58. > :16:02.from the outside world for two half-a-million years. The
:16:02. > :16:07.exploration is about understanding the limits of were life is possible
:16:07. > :16:13.and it is ambitious. They have fired up a drill which uses hot
:16:13. > :16:18.water to push through the two miles of ice. When that is done, a camera
:16:18. > :16:23.will be lowered into the lake to collect samples. When they are
:16:23. > :16:28.brought back to the surface, we will find out if there is life. To
:16:28. > :16:33.keep the drill and running, snow is needed ready to be melted and
:16:33. > :16:39.pumped down towards the lake. The fuel supply is limited. There is
:16:39. > :16:43.only one chance to get this right and it has now started. This is an
:16:43. > :16:48.important step. This is what the last three years have been building
:16:48. > :16:54.up to, burning fuel and melting snow. I did not get much sleep last
:16:54. > :16:58.night, so we are a bit tense that this morning. What is driving this
:16:58. > :17:02.effort is basic exploration, to see if there is anything alive under
:17:02. > :17:06.the eyes in total darkness and under immense pressure. If water
:17:06. > :17:11.samples to make it back up, they will be checked for microbes,
:17:11. > :17:21.bacteria, evidence of life in the most extreme conditions. We will
:17:21. > :17:30.
:17:30. > :17:35.hear what they discover next week. Russia's deputy foreign minister
:17:35. > :17:42.says Bashar al-Assad is losing control of Syria. Art is that the
:17:42. > :17:46.first acknowledgement by a Syria's Allied he is facing a likely defeat.
:17:46. > :17:56.A banking union has been agreed for the eurozone ahead of a summit in
:17:56. > :18:04.
:18:04. > :18:13.Brussels. Japan has said it Chinese airplane
:18:13. > :18:17.has entered their airspace over Senkaku. I spoke to our Tokyo
:18:17. > :18:22.Correspondent and asked him if this was a signed the dispute had
:18:22. > :18:27.escalated? It is a carefully calibrated escalation of this
:18:27. > :18:32.dispute by the Chinese side. The plane was a small, twin propeller,
:18:32. > :18:37.civilian aeroplane belonging to be Chinese Government organisations.
:18:37. > :18:41.It was not a military aircraft. Provocative but not terribly
:18:41. > :18:48.provocative. Japan responded quickly and this time with military
:18:48. > :18:53.aircraft. We understand either six or eight F fifteens were sent up to
:18:53. > :18:58.intercept his aircraft and audit out of Japanese airspace. What it
:18:58. > :19:05.shows his china is gradually, gradually asserting its claim, its
:19:05. > :19:10.control, its territorial claim over this area around these islands
:19:10. > :19:15.called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. And the rhetoric
:19:15. > :19:18.from the Chinese Government is strong. They said it is normal for
:19:18. > :19:23.China to do, and the Japanese should stay out of this airspace
:19:23. > :19:28.and out of the waters around the islands. They are trying to remind
:19:28. > :19:34.Japan there is unsettled history between the two countries?
:19:34. > :19:38.Absolutely. The significance of the day it is important. 13th December
:19:39. > :19:46.is the 75th anniversary of the start of what China calls the
:19:46. > :19:55.massacre, after managing by Imperial soldiers during a six-week
:19:55. > :20:00.period following the 13th December, 1937. Perhaps as many as 200,000
:20:00. > :20:05.civilians and demobilised soldiers in the Chinese capital. They were
:20:05. > :20:11.systematically murdered by Japanese troops. This is a very sore point
:20:11. > :20:16.to this day between China and a pan. China is saying, remember history,
:20:16. > :20:19.remember what you did in the past, it is not over.
:20:19. > :20:24.More details are being released about the death of the nurse who
:20:24. > :20:28.apparently killed herself after being duped by a hoax call at a
:20:28. > :20:31.London hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge. I spoke to
:20:31. > :20:38.our Correspondent at Westminster Coroner's Court in London and he
:20:38. > :20:44.told me about the hearing. What happened was, the coroner in London,
:20:44. > :20:48.Dr Fiona Wilcox, opened and adjourned the in Peck's -- inquests.
:20:48. > :20:55.It is routine in the UK when there is a sudden or unexplained death,
:20:55. > :20:59.for burning quest to be opened. The police officer who was here told
:20:59. > :21:03.the inquest there were no suspicious circumstances
:21:03. > :21:08.surrounding the death of Jacintha Saldanha, whose body was found last
:21:08. > :21:13.Friday at her nurses' quarters in London, by a colleague and also a
:21:14. > :21:18.member of the security staff. She was found hanged. She also had some
:21:18. > :21:23.injuries to her wrists. The police officer said three nodes or
:21:23. > :21:28.discovered, although the contents of those notes or not read out.
:21:28. > :21:32.Also e-mails of interest and phone calls are being tracked. The
:21:32. > :21:36.investigation of police are carrying out his continuing. That
:21:36. > :21:41.is why one reason the inquest was adjourned until March to allow more
:21:41. > :21:45.time for that to be concluded. It will also involve the police
:21:45. > :21:49.talking to her colleagues in New South Wales, where the radio
:21:50. > :21:54.station that carried out of that hoax call is based.
:21:54. > :21:58.Bruce Springsteen, Alisha Keys, Bon Jovi and the Rolling Stones were
:21:58. > :22:04.among those performing in a concert last night to raise money for the
:22:04. > :22:13.victims of Superstorm Sandy Sunday. Organisers say it has already
:22:13. > :22:17.raised $32 million. Kicking off the concert, Bruce
:22:18. > :22:22.Springsteen in a line-up of legends from the music industry, supporting
:22:22. > :22:26.the victims of Superstorm Sandy Sandy. Nearly �20 million has
:22:26. > :22:34.already been raised through ticket sales and sponsorship. The event is
:22:34. > :22:42.a sell-out. # You Give Love a bad name.
:22:42. > :22:47.Prices range from �100 to 1,500. The 13,000 tickets were snapped off.
:22:47. > :22:52.The truth is, it was easy to put it together because the artists or
:22:53. > :22:57.wanted to come together and create a community of caring. The artists
:22:57. > :23:00.have been extraordinary. More than 120 people were killed and
:23:00. > :23:06.thousands were left homeless when Superstorm Sandy Sandeep ripped
:23:06. > :23:10.through areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in October.
:23:10. > :23:15.It made an impression around the world and on global music stars
:23:15. > :23:20.closer to home. I was born and raised in New York. I was here
:23:20. > :23:25.during everything that happened, to win this nicety and the tries state
:23:25. > :23:29.area going through something that nobody could control. Donations
:23:29. > :23:36.will go to the Robin Hood relief fund, which provides money and
:23:36. > :23:41.materials to those who have been hardest hit. An audience of 2
:23:41. > :23:44.billion was expected around the world. Organisers hope that their
:23:44. > :23:54.donations will go some way to helping thousands of people rebuild
:23:54. > :24:03.
:24:03. > :24:07.their lives. Getting teenage boys to open doors
:24:07. > :24:11.for you or polish their own shoes is not easy. One school in the
:24:11. > :24:16.south-west of England is trying to change that by teaching male pupils
:24:16. > :24:20.the art of a ticket. The girls at the school have complained the boys
:24:20. > :24:30.in their classes are rude and mercy. Now the boys have started a six-
:24:30. > :24:31.
:24:31. > :24:41.month course in manners. They don't use correct language at
:24:41. > :24:46.times. It is quite rude. Things like swearing and spitting. When
:24:46. > :24:54.they don't shave and wear white socks. They are never quite clean,
:24:54. > :24:59.are they? The girls have had enough. They have sent the boys from their
:24:59. > :25:05.class for some extra tuition. Over the next six months, these teenage
:25:05. > :25:12.boys will be turned into young gentleman. Or, at least that is the
:25:12. > :25:18.idea! You have got it on your shirt. It is on my tie as well. Get right
:25:18. > :25:24.up to the top. Lesson No 1 is personal grooming. Mark is learning
:25:24. > :25:33.how to use an iron. Have you ever done this before? No, I haven't.
:25:33. > :25:41.Never ironed before. How old are you? 16. 16! My mother does it.
:25:41. > :25:48.Shirt pressed, his next lesson is learning how to greet PAD. -- A
:25:48. > :25:52.Lady. You might expect this at a Swiss finishing school but not at a
:25:52. > :25:57.Cornish comprehensive. To a Ian Atkins and lay it out across your
:25:57. > :26:00.lap because you are about to start eating. The school says this is
:26:00. > :26:06.about more than impressing goals, it is about helping the boys
:26:06. > :26:11.impress employers in the future. think they are doing well.
:26:11. > :26:15.headmaster said it might be their GCSE year, but these lessons can be
:26:15. > :26:19.just as valuable. My is important to have the highest qualifications,
:26:19. > :26:22.but if you cannot get on with people and communicate, if you
:26:22. > :26:27.cannot get on in all the difference this social environments life
:26:27. > :26:32.throws at you, you'll find your future limited. The proof of the
:26:33. > :26:38.pudding will be in the very polite eating. Any of you gens are like a
:26:38. > :26:43.piece of fudge? At do their GCSEs next summer, there will be an end
:26:43. > :26:49.of school ball and the girls might be in for a surprise.
:26:49. > :26:54.This next story is getting a lot of hits on a website, a Parliamentary