16/01/2014 BBC World News

Hello, this is BBC World News. Our top stories: nine years after a

massive truck bomb killed Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Kerry Reid, the

trial of four Hezbollah suspects is underway in The Hague. This was to

send a terrifying message and caused panic among the population of Beirut

and Lebanon. State media in Egypt say 90% of those who voted approved

the new constitution. The head of Formula One, Bernie Ecclestone, is

to face trial in Germany on bribery charges.

And fresh hope for people facing blindness, doctors use gene therapy

to improve the sight of patients. Hello, everyone. Who killed Rafik

Hariri? Nine years after an explosion killed the Prime Minister

in Beirut, shock waves still reverberate around the Middle East.

Now an unprecedented tribunal has begun its work at The Hague. There

are four prime suspects but none will appear in person. They are all

being tried in absentia. They are linked to Hezbollah but the military

group denies any involvement. It blames Israel for the attack. The

BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut sets out the case to find out who killed

Rafik Hariri. The moment that changed history for

Lebanon. A massive explosion near the Beirut seafront hit the convoy

of Rafik Hariri killing him and others. A powerful business tycoon

turned politician. Rafik Hariri presided over Lebanon's

reconstruction after the Civil War. But in the months before his death,

he was increasingly at odds with Syria. Its troops controlled much of

Lebanon since 1976. His supporters instinctively blamed Syria for the

killing. It triggered massive demonstrations, demanding the

withdrawal of Syrian troops. And withdrawal, they did, and a huge

international pressure as well, just months after Rafik Hariri's death.

Nearly nine years on, the spot where he died has been marked by this

memorial, symbolising the explosion that took his life. But for the

Lebanese, his death has not been consigned to history. The

circumstances which produced it, the struggle between the supporters and

opponents of the regime are still very much with us today. Just a few

hundred meters from that spot, and less than three weeks ago, another

bomb killed a close associate of Rafik Hariri and his political

heirs. It is seen as part of a tit for tat vendetta that have seen

attacks on Syria's ally Hezbollah as well as its opponents. His

assassination we think fits into a familiar pattern in recent Lebanese

history. Political assassinations are the norm. He was positioning

himself and trying to make the case for a neutralised Lebanon. And he

was killed, like many other Lebanese before him for advancing that cause.

All five of the accused at the Hague tribunal are associated with

Hezbollah, although they are being tried as individuals. But the

militant Shi'ite movement has dismissed the trial as part of a

conspiracy by Israel to discredit its enemies. TRANSLATION: The aim is

to denigrate and demoralise the resistance and at worst to stir up

sectarian strife and even civil war in Lebanon. The tribunal is already

cost millions of dollars. It could go on for years. But the supporters

believe it is all worthwhile, even if nobody ends up behind bars. At

the end of the day, we will not allow them to hijack the judicial

process. The trial will start. If there is a conviction, that will

live with them for the remainder of their life. This is what the

Lebanese public are finally waiting to hear, they want to see the

justice process and fold. Rafik Hariri's supporters will see any

convictions as a moral and political victory, especially if it involves

people linked to Hezbollah. That could aggravate tensions further in

a country already deeply shaken by the deadly struggle going on next

door in Syria. So what are the prospects for this

long tribunal? Our BBC Beirut correspondent Carine Torbey is now

in the Hague. You have been watching the proceedings this morning and the

judge said hundreds of witnesses will be called. What are the

prospects? It seems, as you said, this trial will take a really long

time. Today, just to give you an idea, the opening statement of the

prosecutor's office is still going on and it is expected to last until

tomorrow. We will not be able to hear any opening statement from the

defence team until Monday and we're just starting. The prosecutor has

given a very lengthy presentation about what happened before Rafik

Hariri died, on the day, when the Prime Minister of Lebanon died and

the aftermath. This was a very distressing account and some members

from the victim's families present in the court were brought to tears.

Let me ask you about what will not be challenged, whether it will come

up at any point, the fact is the former German judge who investigated

this for many years, he specifically pointed the finger, not just at

Damascus that specifically at President Assad. He made that clear

publicly. Is that being put on trial in this tribunal or not? No. What is

being put on trial today are four people. This tribunal cannot try a

group or an organisation. What is brought in front of the court today

is the case of four individuals accused of carrying out these tax.

These four individuals are linked to Hezbollah. They are either members

of Hezbollah or pro-Hezbollah but there is no link as far as this

court is concerned with Hezbollah as a group for the moment. Syria at the

moment is not any more on the menu. It was on the menu when they first

started investigating this crime in 2005 and 2006. But then the

accusation shifted from Syria towards the Hezbollah linked

individuals. Thank you joining me live from The Hague.

A suicide bomber in northern Lebanon has killed himself and at least four

other people. The car bomb detonated near a local government building in

Hermel, that is a predominantly Shia town in the northern Bekaa valley,

an area regarded as a stronghold for Hezbollah. The attack is the latest

in a series. The trial has begun in Japan of a

member of the notorious doomsday cult. He is charged with the

abduction and murder of a lawyer. The group was responsible for a

poison gas attack on the Tokyo subway two decades ago in which 13

people died. A UN panel is questioning a senior Vatican envoy

about allegations of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic clergyman.

The committee is expected to ask why the church has failed to hand over

suspected offenders to the police. Five people have been injured after

Israeli aircraft launched a series of raids on parts of the Gaza Strip.

They targeted three parliamentary compounds. It came shortly after

rockets were fired towards the Israeli city of Ashkelon. The

rockets were intercepted. Now to Egypt where counting is well

underway following the referendum on the country's proposed new

constitution. The military backed authorities are

forecasting an overwhelming vote in favour of their plan. But all eyes

will be on the turnout figures. The Muslim Brotherhood call for boycott

following the ousting last year of President Mohamed Morsi. We can go

to the BBC's James Reynolds who joins me from Cairo. The figures

were what the military leadership were looking for but what we know

about the level and the completeness of the boycott by those whose port

the Muslim Brotherhood. Incomplete figures we have at the moment

suggest the turnout may be 50 or 55%. If so, that is exactly what the

military backed government wanted. It wanted to make sure that the

turnout in this particular constitutional referendum was

greater than the number of voters who turned out in the previous

referendum under the government of Mohamed Morsi which was about 30%.

They wanted to show that they were more popular than the previous

government. Does this make even more stark differences between the Muslim

Brotherhood and their supporters and the military led government and

those who support them? I think it does. I think one thing we have

learned in Egypt is there are two rival forces, two rival

organisations in Egyptian society, the Armed Forces and the Muslim

Brotherhood. This particular vote has shown the triumph of the Armed

Forces. If you look at the draft constitution the first article

suggests that this constitution is the inevitable continuation of the

revolution of 2011. Many people believe the constitution marks an

end to that revolution and a return to the kind of security state and

the rule of the military strongman that Egypt saw in the 1950s and

onwards. Does this guarantee a level of stability for Egypt or will this

be a catastrophic political move, the kind the Muslim Brotherhood

engaged in in November this did months ago which led to Mohamed

Morsi being pushed out. No one wins when you try to make predictions

about Egypt. Who knew when Mohamed Morsi was elected that he would be

out of power a year later. Thank you for that update on the counting in

the referendum on the constitution in Egypt.

Now to Australia where play has been suspended on the outside courts of

the Australian Open tennis tournament because of rain. Matches

were originally abandoned when temperatures soared above 43

Celsius. Players complained about being on quarter hours in the

hottest time of day. Today has definitely been a day when

the weather got the better of the tennis at the Australian open and it

has been a frustrating day for fans. Play was briefly allowed to resume

when we had some respite from the heat. I should say it is still

around 39 degrees, 100 Fahrenheit. Now in the evening we have dark

clouds and we have heavy rain. It looks like the only play happening

this evening will be on the two courts that have retractable roofs

which are now covered. What are people making of this in

Melbourne and southern Australia? I was just thankful for those tennis

players. I don't know how they keep playing. The game that we watched,

the player that just rallied back, obviously really struggling with the

heat. He did really well to do that. Good on them that they have stopped

it so other players don't have to deal with this. They have been

talking for the last few days and I think the players were disappointed

that they did not and now they finally have so good for them. It

has gone beyond that point. The big crowds are not here. For the

players, that is important. That is part of their game as well, what

they expect. I'm not surprised at all. It is dangerous in the heat for

the players. It is not good that they have to play in 44 degrees.

Let's move to Germany where a court has said Formula One boss Bernie

Ecclestone will go on trial to face charges of bribery and breach of

trust, connected to the alleged payment of a $45 million bribe to a

German banker. Ecclestone has insisted he did nothing illegal. We

can go to the BBC's Steve Evans in Berlin. Bernie Ecclestone has done

everything to avoid this day. That is because he thinks he is innocent

and he asserts his innocence. It is a consecrated matter. Seven years

ago there is not much dispute that Bernie Ecclestone paid a banker $44

million. The background to that is the bank the bank work for owned a

stake in Formula One that Mr Ecclestone wanted. And the banker,

in a trial last year, was guilty of accepting a bribe, of accept that

money. When that trial happened, it prompted the question, OK, if one

guy has been found guilty and jailed for eight years for accepting the

bribe for the payment, what about the person who made the payment, Mr

Ecclestone? He maintained during the trial that the payment was simply

because he was being threatened that false allegations of his tax affairs

were about to be made public by the banker who is now in jail. The court

says that is not completely clear, there is a case to answer. That case

will be answered, Robert Lee from the end of April and furthermore, Mr

Ecclestone, the biggest figure in motor racing will be required to

attend. Required to attend, but will he be forced to attend? Of all the

countries which have a close legal type, it will be Britain and

Germany. As you know, in the European Union, bound by similar

legal systems, it does not seem to me to be any way in which he can

avoid being compelled to attend, should the German court seek to

compel him. Thank you. Still to come, the mystery of why many birds

fly in a V-formation. Researchers say they think they have cracked it.

This week, as part of a BBC series, we've been speaking to the young

members of armed forces around the world. And today we look at South

Korea, where military service is compulsory for all men once they

turn 18. We asked one young private, Kim Young Hoon, what it's like to

face the ever-present threat of North Korea's huge armed forces.

TRANSLATION: I am Private first class Kim Young Hoon of the White

horse division and I am 20 years old. I've used to be a university

student but in South Korea, military service is compulsory for two years

and they decided to put my education on hold and joined the Army for

months ago. -- four months. At a basic training, I stationed at a

front-line units north of Seoul, along the river dividing the two

Koreas. There is a security fence as part of the DeMille tries stone,

that stretches from the West Coast, all the way to the east, 150, as

long. -- 150 kilometres. My mission is to control and defend the border.

We are on Judy throughout the night, and we go to bed in the

morning. We wake up in the afternoon. The day starts all over

again and we resume keeping a watch on the North. On clear day, we

concede North Koreans cross the border. -- we can see. Four months

ago, we went through combat training at boot camp. We even did a 100

quantum March. It was heart, -- had, but think it helped my comrade and I

get close together. -- my comrade Sendai come closer together. We all

through psychological training. North and South Korea are the same

people but the North is also our enemy. Because we are positioned so

close to North Korea, directly in front of us, we are trained to

respond instantly, and ready to fight any time if the North were to

attack. The letters headlines, four men have

gone on trial in absence at the Hague, accused of killing the former

Lebanese banister, Rafik Hariri. State media in Egypt says the ballot

counting the is not referendum so far shows that 90% of those who

voted approved a new constitution. The US military has suspended 34

officers in charge of operating nuclear missiles, because they're

suspected of cheating in proficiency exams. The Air Force believes a

small number of officers were texting the answers to other

officers. All this emerged during investigations into allegations of

drug use at other bases. Beth McLeod reports from Washington.

They are entrusted with some of the world's deadliest weapons, but a

cheating scandal means that 34 officers will be allowed nowhere

near a nuclear launch site for a while. At this Air Force Base in

Montana, an officer is accused of having text of the answers for a

monthly proficiency test to colleagues. There was cheating that

took place with respect to this particular test. Some officers did

it. Others apparently knew about it, and it appears that they did

nothing or at least not enough to stop it or report it. This is

absolutely unacceptable behaviour. And it is completely contrary to our

core values in the force. All members of the nuclear Michel

force are no resetting the proficiency test under strict

supervision. -- the nuclear missile force. All those alleged to have

been involved in the ring have been relieved of their duties for the

time being. This is the latest in a series of damaging scandals for the

force. This one came to light during an investigation into recreational

drug use by some here men. -- Perman. Now, why do birds fly in

a V-formation? Researchers think they have solved the mystery. They

say it is all about saving energy. A team of scientists from the Royal

Veterinary College fitted tiny data loggers to a flock of ibises to find

out what happens. If you have ever wondered why birds flock in this

beautifully symmetrical shape Tom scientists now have an answer. But

tracking these birds in flight was only possible next to a conservation

team that is training these critically endangered birds to

migrate. These are northern ibises, once widespread they have now been

wiped out in Europe by hunting. This team is using a micro light to guide

the captive birds along their lost migration route. And by fitting data

loggers to the ibises, scientists were able to monitor their speed,

heading and every single beat of their wings. This revealed that the

birds position themselves are fiddly to gain lift from the bird in front.

-- positioned themselves perfectly. As the bird flies forward, the area

squeezed around the outer edge of the wings, so that it moves upwards

at the wing tips. Flying at the wing tip of the bird in front, the bird

can save energy, getting a free white -- freeride on the up wash of

a. And surprisingly, the birds timed their wing beats to keep the tips of

their own wings on this pregnancy here. -- upward moving a. They are

up there in the sky, and they are able to sense where the good air is

coming from and how to perfectly positioned themselves. From a

sensory point of view, it is incredible. It seems the V-formation

is an example of just how much we have to learn from nature's

energy-saving tactics. And now we know. There is a new

treatment for blindness as well, which offers hope for millions with

sight problems around the world. It involves injecting genes into the

highs. It boosts dying cells that detect light. Pallab Ghosh explains.

When Thomson has a rare genetic condition. He was told he will lose

his sight within ten years. He is among those who had a pioneering

gene therapy operation which BBC News reported two years ago. It has

improved his vision. I looked at the night sky and saw stars for the

first time in 15 years. That was quite something, the Gazelle was

like looking at the night sky. -- because I'd always liked looking.

Cells at the back of when's eyes have been dying. The doctors stopped

these from dying by injecting working copies of the faulty gene

that was causing it. They believe that some of the cells they thought

were dead have been revitalised and so improved his vision. The doctors

here have been amazed at how much the vision of their patients has

improved. They have shown that gene therapy is safe and effective and

they believe that it could potentially be used to treat more

common forms of blindness. The patients treated so far have a rare

genetic condition. More common forms such as age-related blindness, which

affects millions worldwide, involve many genes, and so will be more

complex to cure with gene therapy. But the doctor in charge believes

that it will be possible. We are developing a new technology that

involves gene therapy and that new technology, we have shown in our

patients, is safe. The printable of what we're doing will be much more

broadly applicable to many other patients in the with other types of

genetic blindness. When he was first diagnosed, doctors told Wayne he

would not see his daughter grow up. Now following the gene therapy, he

hopes to see his grandchildren. A senior Vatican envoy has

acknowledged that there can be no excuse for child abuse. The

Archbishop was speaking at this public hearing, which is being

conducted by the United Nations in Geneva. It is into the Catholic

Church's response to child abuse allegations. The hearing is by the

UN rights of the Child panel and it is being broadcast live on the intra

net. You can see their the scale of the hearing. -- the intra net. The

UN is outlining what they want to ask the clergy and the UN committee

is expected to ask wide ranging questions, mainly about allegations

that the Church enabled the sexual abuse of thousands of children by

protecting paedophile priests at the expense of victims. It is the first

time the holy see has been forced to defend itself in public.

A warning in Beijing about the level of air pollution. Children and the

elderly should stay indoors. It has reached dangerous levels. A

monitoring post at the US Embassy said that pollution briefly rose to

26 times the level considered safe by the WHO. Severe smog is likely to

continue until Friday. And the menus at this hour, the

trial opening at the International Tribunal of four men accused of

murdering the former Lebanese Prime Minister in February nine years ago.

Rafik Hariri was killed by a massive car bomb in the centre of Beirut.

The defendants are linked to Hezbollah, they are being tried in

absentia because they have not submitted themselves to this

operation, and Hezbollah say they do not know where they are. You have

been with me, Nik