:00:09. > :00:15.Concerns from Russia, over the US deployment of Patriot defence
:00:15. > :00:19.missiles to Turkey. Susan Rice pulls out of the running
:00:20. > :00:24.to be the next US Secretary of State.
:00:24. > :00:31.Talks on a global Internet treaty break down.
:00:31. > :00:34.Welcome to BBC World News. Also in this programme: A study reveals
:00:34. > :00:40.that globally obesity is killing three times as many people as
:00:41. > :00:45.malnutrition. Le Grand Depart. Le Tour de
:00:45. > :00:55.Yorkshire. The Tour de France does what it has done before, starts in
:00:55. > :01:00.
:01:00. > :01:02.Hello. The Russia Foreign Ministry has
:01:02. > :01:05.criticised the United States' deployment of two patriot missile
:01:05. > :01:08.batteries to protect Turkey from the Syria conflict. A spokesman
:01:08. > :01:14.claims the move "creates extra tension", and doesn't assist the
:01:14. > :01:18."political solution". United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has
:01:18. > :01:20.signed off on two US Patriot missile batteries, to be used on
:01:20. > :01:23.the Turkey-Syria border. 400 American troops will operate them,
:01:23. > :01:26.as NATO countries try to boost Turkey's defences against the
:01:26. > :01:29.threat of Syrian missiles. Panetta is currently in southern Turkey,
:01:29. > :01:39.meeting American troops stationed at the Incirlik air base. The
:01:39. > :01:43.
:01:43. > :01:48.Patriot missile system is designed to intercept aircraft or missiles.
:01:48. > :01:52.Three it is a very important display of alliance with Turkey.
:01:52. > :01:57.Turkey asked NATO to deploy these weapons, it has been confirmed
:01:57. > :02:02.about the fighting spilling across its own border, mortar fire has
:02:02. > :02:08.come across the border from Syria into Turkey. So, this is an
:02:08. > :02:13.important diplomatic and political signal of solidarity with the Turks.
:02:13. > :02:18.NATO is stressing this is not the first step to establishing a no-fly
:02:18. > :02:26.zone over Syria. This is about defending the airspace of a NATO
:02:26. > :02:29.ally. And the reaction in Moscow?
:02:29. > :02:33.The foreign ministry spokesman was holding his weekly briefing this
:02:33. > :02:39.morning. His immediate reaction was this does not help with the
:02:39. > :02:42.political solution in Syria, it increases the tension. Russia is
:02:42. > :02:47.desperate that everyone should get around the table and talk their way
:02:47. > :02:52.out of this, rather than the rebels fighting their way into Damascus.
:02:52. > :02:57.They feel every bit of armament which arrives in the region appears
:02:57. > :03:03.to assist the rebels and encourages them to continue fighting rather
:03:03. > :03:11.than talking. If, for some reason, they decide to use these Patriot
:03:11. > :03:15.missiles, that will take the conflict into uncharted territory?
:03:15. > :03:21.As NATO insists, this is a defensive measure. I can only
:03:21. > :03:26.imagine the circumstances in which these weapons would be used, is if
:03:26. > :03:31.Syrian aircraft strayed across the border into Turkey. Or, potentially,
:03:31. > :03:35.we have seen in recent days, reports from NATO that ground to
:03:35. > :03:40.ground at Scud missiles have been used by the Syrian government
:03:40. > :03:46.forces. If one of those weapons were to be seen heading for Turkish
:03:46. > :03:51.airspace, then one imagines the Patriot system would come into play.
:03:51. > :03:57.But I am not sure these weapons are likely to be used. They are in
:03:57. > :04:06.themselves something of a deterrent, to discourage the Syrian air force
:04:06. > :04:12.particularly from venturing too close to the border.
:04:12. > :04:20.Has the Russian government actually changed its position on what it
:04:20. > :04:23.things -- thinks will happen in Syria?
:04:23. > :04:29.Their are too macro separate things, what they think might happen in
:04:29. > :04:36.Syria. We did get an idea yesterday what it was at the deputy foreign
:04:36. > :04:40.minister might -- thought might have been in Syria, he believed the
:04:40. > :04:44.opposition could now win, they were taking more and more ground. What
:04:44. > :04:51.they have said this morning, that doesn't mean their position has
:04:51. > :04:55.changed, they believe a political solution is needed and the fighting
:04:55. > :04:59.should stop. They have reiterated their position on Syria has not
:04:59. > :05:04.changed, it is just but we got a view yesterday of their prediction
:05:04. > :05:08.of what might happen. The American ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice,
:05:08. > :05:11.is pulling out of the running to become the next US Secretary of
:05:11. > :05:14.State. In a letter to President Obama, she says her confirmation
:05:14. > :05:16.process would be "disruptive and costly". She's became the focus of
:05:16. > :05:26.Republican criticism over the way the Obama administration responded
:05:26. > :05:28.
:05:28. > :05:32.to September's fatal attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.
:05:32. > :05:35.Susan Rice's decision to rule himself out from the position of
:05:35. > :05:40.Secretary of State is big news in America because it is the highest
:05:40. > :05:45.ranking officer in the Cabinet, and presidents almost always get their
:05:45. > :05:52.choice. In an interview with NBC, she said pulling out was the best
:05:52. > :05:58.thing for the country. I did not want to see a confirmation process
:05:58. > :06:03.that was very prolonged, very politicised, very distracting, and
:06:03. > :06:07.very disruptive. Susan Rice became the focus of relentless criticism
:06:07. > :06:13.by senior Republicans for her account of the 11th September
:06:13. > :06:16.attack on the US consulate in Benghazi in Libya which killed a
:06:16. > :06:21.master and three other Americans. Five days later, she gave this
:06:21. > :06:29.explanation. We do not have information at
:06:29. > :06:33.present -- at present that leaves us to believe this was premeditated.
:06:33. > :06:36.But Republicans say they already knew this was a pre-planned attack.
:06:36. > :06:41.It is clear the information she gave the American people was
:06:41. > :06:46.incorrect. In November, Susan Rice tried to convince her credit she
:06:46. > :06:49.had not been misleading and had merely been repeating the early
:06:49. > :06:58.assessments of the intelligence agencies. But she failed to win
:06:58. > :07:03.them over. I am more disturbed than I was before, that the 16th
:07:03. > :07:12.September explanation about how four arrogance died in Benghazi, by
:07:12. > :07:22.Susan Rice, does not do justice to the reality at the time --
:07:22. > :07:32.
:07:32. > :07:38.Americans. Barack Obama angrily defended her. John Terry is now the
:07:38. > :07:42.favourite to be Secretary of State. He has been chairman of the silent
:07:42. > :07:46.-- foreign relations committee. If nominated, he is likely to get the
:07:46. > :07:56.backing of the Senate which means Barack Obama would have one less
:07:56. > :08:02.
:08:02. > :08:06.political fight on his hands. A major study into health around the
:08:06. > :08:09.world says that, for the first time, obesity is killing more people than
:08:09. > :08:11.hunger. The investigation looked at health problems in 2010, and
:08:11. > :08:14.compared them to results from 20 years ago.
:08:14. > :08:18.In the earlier study, malnutrition was given as the main cause of
:08:18. > :08:21.illness. But, in 2010, obesity was killing three times as many people
:08:21. > :08:23.as lack of food. Joining me from London is Jane Draper, the BBC's
:08:23. > :08:25.health correspondent. Which countries are we talking about?
:08:25. > :08:28.This is a fascinating report looking at all the countries around
:08:28. > :08:30.the world. The Eid told from a beastie is more pronounced in the
:08:30. > :08:33.developed world as you would expect. What an extraordinary result, 3
:08:33. > :08:37.million deaths from obesity in 2010, three times more than those caused
:08:37. > :08:43.by Mal nourishment. In some ways, these results showed the huge
:08:43. > :08:51.progress being made in tackling the big killer of infectious diseases,
:08:51. > :08:55.to additional problems of mile nourishment. We may be living
:08:55. > :08:59.longer but in a second state. These studies highlight the rise of
:08:59. > :09:04.chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke and the problems
:09:04. > :09:10.those are causing. Does the report make any recommendations? The
:09:10. > :09:15.obvious problem is how you get all that high calorific food from the
:09:15. > :09:20.countries that don't need it, to the areas and countries that do?
:09:20. > :09:25.away, this is such a massive projection of data, and the report
:09:25. > :09:32.hasn't reached conclusions on the policy front. They present this
:09:32. > :09:36.data for policy analysts to take forward. Obesity is something that
:09:36. > :09:40.the world is increasingly looking at and will have to divert
:09:40. > :09:44.resources to. What comes out of this is, sub-Saharan Africa is
:09:44. > :09:50.still a specific region of the world with its own problems. One of
:09:50. > :10:00.the other diseases which hasn't gone away, HIV-AIDS, causing 1.5
:10:00. > :10:00.
:10:01. > :10:05.million deaths in 2010. Still, a significant problem. These are
:10:05. > :10:12.diseases one associates with lack of exercise and being overweight,
:10:12. > :10:19.diabetes, heart conditions? That is right. Diabetes. Heart disease and
:10:19. > :10:24.stroke were the leading problems of death in 2010. They caused one in
:10:24. > :10:28.four deaths looked at by researchers. That came to about 13
:10:28. > :10:35.million deaths. They want people at an individual level to look at how
:10:35. > :10:43.they can live their lives, as they are living longer, but sicker. And
:10:44. > :10:51.diet and exercise, thinking about how they take physical activity.
:10:51. > :10:57.Time now for the business news. A row over who controls the
:10:57. > :11:00.internet. Two weeks of negotiations in Dubai have broken up, with the
:11:00. > :11:03.US, the UK and Canada, amongst others, refusing to sign an
:11:03. > :11:06.agreement to decide on how to govern the internet. They argue
:11:06. > :11:16.that the treaty, which has just been signed, limits web commerce,
:11:16. > :11:26.and plays into the hands of authoritarian regimes.
:11:26. > :11:27.
:11:27. > :11:32.Leo Kelion has been working on this story for the BBC website. What did
:11:32. > :11:37.these countries object to in this deal? What they are worried about
:11:37. > :11:42.is this treaty could be used to legitimise the indifference of
:11:42. > :11:48.internet governance, deciding what specifications the internet France
:11:48. > :11:54.Web. And also content, they could somehow be used to further
:11:54. > :11:58.censorship. Some countries felt it was all right and gone ahead and
:11:58. > :12:05.signed up. They must have felt it did achieve something, what do they
:12:05. > :12:10.feel it achieved? The treaty talks about a lot of things. Things like
:12:10. > :12:13.playing transparent remain fees. Coming up with technical
:12:13. > :12:18.specifications to target Spam. There is part of the treaty which
:12:18. > :12:23.is not part of the official regulations, which are non-binding,
:12:23. > :12:27.which talk about governments having an equal role and this was ability
:12:27. > :12:31.for international internet governance. It sets the stage for
:12:32. > :12:37.if further debate over who should really be in control of some of the
:12:37. > :12:41.decisions. Some countries feel anachronistic is that the US get to
:12:41. > :12:48.decide which body should be responsible for the internet
:12:48. > :12:52.address system. That is a legacy of the US helping fund, which gave
:12:52. > :12:56.birth to the internet. There are questions over why the US should be
:12:56. > :13:03.in control of that. As a result, a large part of the world will be
:13:03. > :13:08.governed by this treaty, another part is not. Do you think anyone
:13:08. > :13:13.all -- anything will change? treaty sets the stage for further
:13:13. > :13:19.debate. There is no official mechanism to enforce the
:13:19. > :13:23.regulations in it. But, it sets the stage between the US and some
:13:24. > :13:28.countries on one side, filling their shouldn't be regulations over
:13:28. > :13:34.the internet, it should be allowed to develop with experts. And other
:13:34. > :13:38.governors who feel they should have more say into how it is developed.
:13:38. > :13:42.In other business news this Friday. Switzerland's biggest bank, UBS,
:13:42. > :13:44.may be fined more than $1 billion, for its role in trying to rig the
:13:44. > :13:52.Libor interbank lending rate. That's according to several reports
:13:52. > :13:59.which suggest UBS will settle with confirmed, it would be double the
:13:59. > :14:03.Daily, China's biggest English- language newspaper, has launched an
:14:03. > :14:06.African edition. The state-run weekly, which also comes in digital
:14:06. > :14:09.form, will be based in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, but available
:14:09. > :14:11.across the continent. Its editor says it will explain "the
:14:11. > :14:13.relationship between China and the African continent." Earlier this
:14:13. > :14:16.year, China Central Television launched CCTV Africa, also
:14:16. > :14:25.headquartered in Kenya. Xinhua news agency and Chinese radio are also
:14:25. > :14:28.expanding in the continent. Growth in China's manufacturing
:14:28. > :14:32.sector picked up in December, according to a survey by HSBC,
:14:32. > :14:34.which comes ahead of official data, with a rise in new orders and
:14:34. > :14:37.employment. The HSBC flash purchasing managers' index for
:14:37. > :14:47.December rose to 50.9, a 14-month high, and the fifth straight
:14:47. > :15:04.
:15:04. > :15:13.The markets are not showing much at all. For Fiscal Cliff, the problem
:15:13. > :15:20.of raising of taxes, cutting taxes in the United States is meant to
:15:20. > :15:25.kick in soon. It could be a disaster for the global economy. We
:15:25. > :15:30.could be going for a renaissance of the economy if they manage to sort
:15:30. > :15:35.it out. It is the feeling if a deal can be done which is dictating how
:15:35. > :15:44.those markets are moving at the You're watching BBC World News.
:15:44. > :15:46.Still to come: Universities in the UK support students studying online.
:15:46. > :15:49.Venezuela's government has admitted the President suffered bleeding
:15:49. > :15:53.during his latest six-hour cancer operation. It says Hugo Chavez
:15:53. > :16:03.needed corrective measures to deal with the bleeding and will now
:16:03. > :16:05.
:16:05. > :16:11.require time to recover. Prayers for the President. They are
:16:12. > :16:15.gathered in Caracas, shedding tears and lighting candles for Hugo
:16:15. > :16:20.Chavez. TRANSLATION: We are praying for his
:16:20. > :16:24.health, praying for him to get better. Venezuela is waiting for
:16:24. > :16:28.him. I wish for him to get better, even
:16:28. > :16:32.though I am from the opposition. I am opposed to his Government, but
:16:32. > :16:36.as a human being he deserves to be healthy.
:16:36. > :16:41.Earlier in the week the Government warned the President faced a long
:16:41. > :16:51.and difficult recovery. But now, the vice-president told supporters
:16:51. > :16:51.
:16:51. > :16:58.his situation is improving. TRANSLATION: In the last few hours,
:16:58. > :17:06.his process of recovery has a ball from stable to favourable. It
:17:06. > :17:12.allows us to continue saying there is a growing recovery in Hugo
:17:12. > :17:17.Chavez's situation,. In cue -- Cougar, where he went for his
:17:17. > :17:24.operation, they show solidarity for his recovery.
:17:24. > :17:29.TRANSLATION: Cuban legislators reiterate to Hugo Chavez, we love
:17:29. > :17:34.and admire him very much and are confident in his ability to resist
:17:34. > :17:37.and overcome. The it was only in October he was elected for a 4th
:17:37. > :17:42.term of office. Despite the apparent improvement in his
:17:42. > :17:45.condition, there are questions as to whether he will be well enough
:17:45. > :17:48.to return for his inauguration in January.
:17:48. > :17:49.The South African president, Jacob Zuma, says Nelson Mandela is
:17:49. > :17:53.continuing to recuperate in hospital after receiving treatment
:17:53. > :18:00.for a lung infection. Speaking just before he unveiled a statue of Mr
:18:00. > :18:04.Mandela, President Zuma wished the former president a speedy recovery.
:18:04. > :18:06.The annual Geminid meteor shower hit its peak a few hours ago.
:18:06. > :18:10.Stargazers around the world have been looking skywards to see the
:18:10. > :18:20.light show. It happens as the Earth passes through the path of an
:18:20. > :18:22.
:18:22. > :18:25.asteroid. More pictures on the BBC News
:18:25. > :18:35.website. This is BBC World News, the
:18:35. > :18:39.headlines: The US Secretary of Defence has signed an order to send
:18:39. > :18:43.two batteries of Patriot air missiles to Turkey, along with 400
:18:43. > :18:49.troops. Susan Rice has withdrawn her name
:18:49. > :18:54.from a list of candidates to become the US Secretary of State.
:18:55. > :19:04.A coroner has ruled the multi- Merrow s, Eva rousting died as a
:19:05. > :19:05.
:19:05. > :19:14.result of the... Police discovered her decomposed body in July in
:19:14. > :19:23.London. Her husband was given two suspended sentences after he
:19:23. > :19:33.admitted preventing the unlawful -- pardon me, the unlawful hiding and
:19:33. > :19:46.
:19:46. > :19:50.preventing his wife's burial. The Tour de France will be starting
:19:50. > :19:57.in Yorkshire. It is great news for Yorkshire and for cycling, what
:19:57. > :20:01.does it mean for France? It does cap the most remarkable year for
:20:01. > :20:06.British cycling. Bradley Wiggins victory in the Tour de France, the
:20:06. > :20:10.remarkable Olympic Games, and huge crowds. I think it sealed it for
:20:10. > :20:16.Britain. The growth in participation and all of the other
:20:16. > :20:24.signs this country is becoming the Cycling superpower. Yorkshire is
:20:24. > :20:33.very excited. They beat Barcelona. Florins and Edinburgh, to host the
:20:33. > :20:39.Grand Depart of the 2014 the Tour de France. It is the furthest of
:20:39. > :20:43.the country it has been. In 2007, London staged the beginning. It was
:20:44. > :20:49.a real success. It proved Britain got cycling and could stage this
:20:49. > :20:50.kind of event. There will be two stages in Yorkshire, and the third
:20:51. > :20:56.stage travelling down the country on the way back to France,
:20:56. > :21:03.finishing in London. Probably trying to recapture the spirit is
:21:03. > :21:06.so at the Olympic Games. I guess it has got to be on the Mile, come
:21:06. > :21:14.across the River Thames and the tarmac in Box Hill in Surrey is
:21:14. > :21:19.still good to go. That was such a challenge during the Olympics?
:21:19. > :21:24.They're coming from the north. I don't think they will write down
:21:24. > :21:28.the M1. We are speculating, we will get the detail on the three stages
:21:28. > :21:34.in the middle of January in a press conference in Paris, are probably
:21:34. > :21:39.one in Leeds as well. It will be a northern loop for the first phase.
:21:39. > :21:46.Stage two might bring some West Yorkshire, Sheffield and Wakefield
:21:46. > :21:50.perhaps. I will be amazed if it did not finish on the Mall. A SFA as
:21:50. > :21:54.the organisers are concerned, how much of this is their repair
:21:54. > :21:58.operation? We are looking at Bradley Wiggins pictures now, a
:21:58. > :22:03.completely clean. But we have had a lot in the papers over the past
:22:03. > :22:07.couple of months, talking about Lance Armstrong, talking about
:22:07. > :22:11.doping and Tour titles being stripped. And the organisers
:22:11. > :22:19.obviously want to shunt the event away from all that negativity?
:22:19. > :22:23.Absolutely. The first elements to that is the positive and good news
:22:23. > :22:29.about British cycling. I have spoken to Brian Robinson, who rode
:22:29. > :22:33.the Tour in 1955 and was the first winner of a stage in 1958. I asked
:22:33. > :22:37.him, and said, surely when you challenge the Continent will prize
:22:37. > :22:42.for the first time, you never thought British Cycling would reach
:22:42. > :22:48.these heights? He said, he did. He thought when British Cycling
:22:48. > :22:51.cleaned itself up, British riders would stand a chance. Cycling is
:22:51. > :23:00.trying to broaden its appeal beyond France, Belgium, the Netherlands
:23:00. > :23:04.and Italy. It is a good news story for cycling. 11 universities in the
:23:04. > :23:08.UK are supporting a new project which will allow students to study
:23:08. > :23:12.courses online for free. Bristol, Leeds, Cardiff and St Andrews are
:23:12. > :23:16.joining the scheme, which is being led by the Open University.
:23:16. > :23:21.For many students, university is about moving away into a new life
:23:21. > :23:25.and full-time learning. But that is not for everyone. Since 1969, the
:23:25. > :23:31.Open University has offered the chance to study from home
:23:31. > :23:33.relatively cheaply and often alongside a job. American
:23:33. > :23:38.universities have develop new ways of delivering higher education.
:23:38. > :23:42.They have signed up millions of new recruits to online courses. And
:23:43. > :23:47.today, 11 UK universities have responded to the challenge. They
:23:47. > :23:51.are launching a website, headed by the Open University, blinking to
:23:51. > :23:56.the likes of Kings College London, Bristol, Leeds, Cardiff and St
:23:56. > :24:00.Andrews universities. Using computers, tablets or smartphones,
:24:00. > :24:05.the public can access academic lectures. At first it will mostly
:24:05. > :24:08.be freed. Universities and may decide to stay charge for
:24:08. > :24:14.invigilate it exams or one-to-one mentoring. Government ministers
:24:14. > :24:18.welcome it. It is important Britain stays with the game. It is a way in
:24:18. > :24:22.which we can recruit students from abroad he wants to study in Britain.
:24:22. > :24:26.It is a way of ensuring people in Britain and around the world, he
:24:26. > :24:31.just wants to learn by going online, have the opportunity. Universities
:24:31. > :24:36.hope online courses will be a stepping stone to more conventional,
:24:36. > :24:39.full-time degrees. But with the cost of higher education in the
:24:39. > :24:47.spotlight, learning on the internet and maybe seen by some, as not so
:24:47. > :24:50.much as a bridge into campus life, but an alternative to it.
:24:50. > :24:54.Conservationists in Australia is marking the first anniversary of
:24:54. > :24:59.living in a treat. Miranda Gibson has spent the past 12 months in the
:24:59. > :25:02.tree protesting against plans to cut down the Forest of Tasmania. As
:25:02. > :25:06.Duncan Kennedy reports, her home is equipped with every kind of
:25:06. > :25:12.technology. Christmas in a eucalyptus. Miranda
:25:12. > :25:17.Gibson is about to spend her second yuletide, topside. She first climb
:25:17. > :25:22.the tree on December 14th, 2011, and has not put her foot on the
:25:22. > :25:26.ground since. Food is taken up, waste is sent down. Power comes
:25:26. > :25:31.from a solar panel, enabling her to do everything from cooking to
:25:31. > :25:36.computing, sending the message that this Forest needs protecting.
:25:36. > :25:38.sitting on a platform, 60 metres above the ground. It is in the
:25:38. > :25:44.middle of a forest that was promised immediate protection for
:25:44. > :25:47.months ago by the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. The campaign she is
:25:47. > :25:52.leaving -- leading, says she wants to stop logging in Tasmania's
:25:52. > :25:56.Forest. The Government says it is protecting many areas and the
:25:57. > :26:01.industry provides jobs. Miranda Gibson says it has been worth it.
:26:01. > :26:05.It has been an incredible and amazing year to be a peer. I have
:26:05. > :26:12.not set foot on the ground in that whole time. And to win his his
:26:12. > :26:16.Forest every day has been amazing. -- witness this forest. So's I am
:26:16. > :26:22.staying here until Forest get the protection they need. It has been
:26:22. > :26:26.bleak at times. It is snowing. and a birthday alone have tested
:26:26. > :26:33.her resolve. Her colleagues have protested in more of orthodox ways
:26:33. > :26:37.on the grounds, but there is no sign yet they will have -- their
:26:37. > :26:43.demands will be met. Miranda says she is expecting to spend another
:26:43. > :26:48.year on her cannot be taking a stand for conservation. -- platform.
:26:48. > :26:54.Christmas has come early for some of the inhabitants of London zoo's.