:00:22. > :00:27.it wants further clarification. -- Taleban.
:00:28. > :00:30.A trial begins in France of Rwanda's former intelligence chief.
:00:31. > :00:36.Anti-government demonstrators in Ukraine remain on the barricades as
:00:37. > :00:43.parliament convenes for a new term. And very intimidating, but become
:00:44. > :00:45.far from perfect. A world-record beating server under that enormous
:00:46. > :01:06.wave. -- surfer. Hello, it should have been an
:01:07. > :01:10.historic moment for Pakistan, the day when talks began between the
:01:11. > :01:13.government and the Taleban finally getting under way after nearly a
:01:14. > :01:16.decade of conflict, but now the talks are on hold and there is no
:01:17. > :01:21.clear indication of when they might begin. They were due to start two
:01:22. > :01:25.hours ago, but the Pakistan delegation failed to show up. As
:01:26. > :01:28.soon as talks were suspended, Aleem Maqbool went to the building where
:01:29. > :01:33.the talks were due to happen. He told me what he found. The Taleban
:01:34. > :01:37.negotiators were sitting waiting for the government negotiators to
:01:38. > :01:41.arrive, and they never arrived. There was a chaotic press
:01:42. > :01:44.conference, the Taleban negotiators very angry that they got a phone
:01:45. > :01:47.call to say that the government negotiators were not coming, and
:01:48. > :01:58.they said there was very little reason given, and that they were not
:01:59. > :02:02.sure about the negotiating team. But the message we were getting from the
:02:03. > :02:06.Taleban negotiators is that it could be very dangerous indeed, and one of
:02:07. > :02:13.them said anything can happen now because the government did not turn
:02:14. > :02:17.up. Is this something like a disconnect in the choreography, a
:02:18. > :02:25.misunderstanding, or something more sinister at work here? It was the
:02:26. > :02:30.government that instigated these talks, the governments that as the
:02:31. > :02:37.Taleban to turn up for these talks. For them to pull out is something
:02:38. > :02:41.that the negotiators were very upset about. They say they expected talks
:02:42. > :02:46.to go ahead. Based think it is a delaying tactic on the point of view
:02:47. > :02:49.of the government, but they were quite threatening in the way they
:02:50. > :02:54.put it. They said, if there is a military operation now, we will know
:02:55. > :02:58.that all of this was a delaying tactic and the government was never
:02:59. > :03:04.serious. Whereas if talks had gone ahead, it was part of the way that
:03:05. > :03:09.Nawaz Sharif soldered to the Pakistani people, at least we can
:03:10. > :03:13.try talks, and if they fail, we can carry out a military operation with
:03:14. > :03:18.a clear conscience. -- sold it. They have shaken things up a little bit,
:03:19. > :03:22.we have to see now what they officially say, not just the
:03:23. > :03:27.negotiators, but some of those negotiators were indicating that it
:03:28. > :03:32.could be a dangerous time now, and that is something that Pakistanis
:03:33. > :03:36.are tired of. They are sick of the attacks and the bloodshed that there
:03:37. > :03:39.has been. Among some of them at least, there was some hope that
:03:40. > :03:45.while negotiations were going on, there might be some respite. Aleem
:03:46. > :03:50.Maqbool in Islamabad. It is almost 20 years and is a brutal conflict
:03:51. > :03:54.erupted in Rwanda. In the space of 100 days, it is estimated around
:03:55. > :04:01.800,000 people died, most of them Tutsis. The former intelligence
:04:02. > :04:04.chief in Rwanda, Pascal Simbikangwa, is accused of
:04:05. > :04:09.complicity in genocide and war crimes. I spoke to our Rwanda
:04:10. > :04:16.correspondent about the significance of the trial. Well, in fact, I am
:04:17. > :04:22.not meant to read that. I am going to go to Paul Adams, who joins me
:04:23. > :04:25.now with the background to what is happening in France, particularly
:04:26. > :04:29.the genocide trial in France which has an historic connection. This is
:04:30. > :04:32.the first time the French have conducted a trial related to the
:04:33. > :04:36.events in row under 20 years ago. France is a country that was accused
:04:37. > :04:41.for a long time failing to prevent the genocide in the first place. --
:04:42. > :04:45.in Rwanda. It was accused of preventing the extradition of
:04:46. > :04:49.suspect in that genocide. So angered was the Rwandan government that it
:04:50. > :04:58.severed relations in 2006 over the issue, restoring them a years later.
:04:59. > :05:01.Mr Simbikangwa was found on a French Indian Ocean island, and so that
:05:02. > :05:06.whole French connection was very important. I think all eyes are on
:05:07. > :05:11.friends as it is, for the first time goes ahead with one of these very
:05:12. > :05:15.high cases. Do we know the level of evidence which has been assembled?
:05:16. > :05:21.That remains a serious issue at the international war crimes tribunal in
:05:22. > :05:28.The Hague, getting the evidence necessary. The initial charges have
:05:29. > :05:33.been downgraded, he faces charges of complicity in the genocide. For
:05:34. > :05:40.example, some of the people who remember his role, his fearsome role
:05:41. > :05:44.at the time, are very disappointed, and one connection that they accused
:05:45. > :05:48.him of with a massacre in April of 1994, in which he is alleged to have
:05:49. > :05:53.been present. He is not being prosecuted for that, simply
:05:54. > :05:57.because, 20 years later, there's too much contradictory evidence about
:05:58. > :06:03.his involvement. What he's being accused of and faces charges of is
:06:04. > :06:10.having organised, incited and supplied the militia men who manned
:06:11. > :06:15.checkpoints looking out for Tutsis who were taken from their vehicles
:06:16. > :06:19.and summarily executed. Pascal Simbikangwa is the man who is
:06:20. > :06:22.believed, more than anybody else, to have organised that whole
:06:23. > :06:27.operation. Thank you very much indeed, Paul Adams.
:06:28. > :06:30.Other news, and shares in Europe have opened lower as markets
:06:31. > :06:34.continue to react to weaker than expected data from the US and
:06:35. > :06:39.Chinese manufacturers. Earlier, Asian markets recorded sharp falls
:06:40. > :06:43.with the Japanese index closing down more than 4%. The Dow Jones in New
:06:44. > :06:48.York for more than 2% yesterday, its worst day in more than seven months.
:06:49. > :06:50.The World Health Organisation is warning of a looming tidal wave of
:06:51. > :06:56.cancer with the number of cases worldwide expected to go up 75% in
:06:57. > :06:58.just 20 years. It says half of them could be prevented through
:06:59. > :07:03.vaccinations and healthier lifestyles. Many of the new cases
:07:04. > :07:08.will be in the developing world, where rates of smoking and obesity
:07:09. > :07:13.are rising fast. China has cancelled a contract to
:07:14. > :07:16.buy rice from Thailand because of an inquiry into a controversial scheme
:07:17. > :07:20.run by the authorities in Bangkok. The deal would have been the first
:07:21. > :07:24.stage of a much bigger sale of more than 7 million tonnes. The Thai
:07:25. > :07:28.government is paying generous subsidies to farmers, critics say
:07:29. > :07:34.the scheme is costly and vulnerable to corruption.
:07:35. > :07:38.A new session of parliament in Ukraine has opened in Kiev against
:07:39. > :07:42.the backdrop of continuing protests. MPs had planned to debate limiting
:07:43. > :07:45.President Yanukovych's power and freeing all those who had been
:07:46. > :07:49.detained since the protests began, but the session was adjourned until
:07:50. > :07:54.this afternoon, not long after it started. I asked our Ukraine
:07:55. > :07:58.correspondent, David Stern, is there a noticeable shift in the mood among
:07:59. > :08:05.the politicians reflecting public concerns? Well, as you say, I am
:08:06. > :08:09.standing above Independence Square right now, the stand-off continues,
:08:10. > :08:12.and the battle has shifted. Parliament, though, a very stormy
:08:13. > :08:16.session, and there doesn't seem to be any meeting of the mines between
:08:17. > :08:24.the opposition and the pro-government deputies. -- meeting
:08:25. > :08:29.of the minds. There were some very fiery beaches, but the leader of the
:08:30. > :08:34.Parliamentary faction for the... -- fiery speeches. There was no sign of
:08:35. > :08:38.compromise at all, and the deputies from the opposition, who were very
:08:39. > :08:40.critical of the government and called on these constitutional
:08:41. > :08:45.changes, which they hoped would be a way out of the crisis. What about
:08:46. > :08:50.the president himself, back from illness and high temperatures? Do
:08:51. > :08:56.you get a sense that his iron grip remains significantly on the ruling
:08:57. > :09:00.party? Well, it seems to be on the ruling party. Of course, within the
:09:01. > :09:03.country as a whole, that is a different question. We have these
:09:04. > :09:07.demonstrations that have been going on for over two months now,
:09:08. > :09:15.occupying the central square in Kiev and also government buildings. He is
:09:16. > :09:20.striking a defined position as well, issuing a statement last night,
:09:21. > :09:23.calling the protesters extremists, criticising vandalism of government
:09:24. > :09:26.buildings. So at least at the moment, rhetorically speaking, he
:09:27. > :09:31.doesn't seem to be giving any ground. What about the foreign
:09:32. > :09:35.policy coordinator for the European Union, Catherine Ashton? This
:09:36. > :09:40.started after the summit when the association was not signed up to. Is
:09:41. > :09:44.there a willingness to see her? Well, Catherine Ashton is coming to
:09:45. > :09:48.Kiev later today, she will be holding talks with top officials, as
:09:49. > :09:53.she has previously. She was here last week as well. The European
:09:54. > :09:56.Union is trying to, first of all, he views this crisis or find a
:09:57. > :10:03.resolution to it, and at the same time with the possibility of
:10:04. > :10:06.bringing Ukraine back to the table over this association agreement.
:10:07. > :10:09.Viktor Yanukovych cancelled the signing of the agreement in
:10:10. > :10:14.November, sparking these demonstrations, but they have become
:10:15. > :10:18.much more than just about the European Union and drawing closer.
:10:19. > :10:21.They are now all about seeing Mr Yanukovych out. The protesters say
:10:22. > :10:25.they are not going to leave the square until Mr Yanukovych resigns,
:10:26. > :10:29.and they want that to happen immediately.
:10:30. > :10:32.It is more than ten years since George W Bush declared mission
:10:33. > :10:37.accomplished in Iraq, but the number of people being killed there has
:10:38. > :10:40.been steadily rising because of growing tensions between Sunni and
:10:41. > :10:45.Shia Muslims. Last year was the most violent year since 2008 according to
:10:46. > :10:49.the United Nations. Some of the fiercest clashes have been in Anbar
:10:50. > :10:55.province, which has a Sunni majority. Our correspondent reports
:10:56. > :11:01.from Baghdad. This remote checkpoint is the only
:11:02. > :11:07.way to cross from Anbar province. It is heavily guarded by the Iraqi
:11:08. > :11:12.army. Most Sunnis escaping the violence are ordered to cross on
:11:13. > :11:21.foot and searched. This woman is heavily pregnant.
:11:22. > :11:26.She needs to get to hospital, to a safe place to have her baby. She has
:11:27. > :11:31.come from Fallujah, a town under militant control. They are allowed
:11:32. > :11:34.to drive through. This checkpoint is where the
:11:35. > :11:41.internal refugees Ahmed and processed. Today it has become the
:11:42. > :11:48.only lifeline for the Sunnis in Anbar province fleeing and seeking
:11:49. > :11:54.refuge towards this area. New arrivals gather here at the local
:11:55. > :11:59.library in the small town to register and receive aid. Some still
:12:00. > :12:04.have relatives in Anbar who would be in danger if it was known that their
:12:05. > :12:10.families were being sheltered here. This woman could speak to us because
:12:11. > :12:14.she was bailed. TRANSLATION: It is difficult to stay in peoples homes,
:12:15. > :12:20.we do not have money, so we cannot share the financial burden. We
:12:21. > :12:26.barely fled with our lives. 180 Sunni families have arrived here
:12:27. > :12:30.already. Local officials say there is no difference between Sunni or
:12:31. > :12:36.Shia here. Their main aim is to protect these people from militant
:12:37. > :12:40.groups. TRANSLATION: We put a great deal of
:12:41. > :12:47.evidence on security and intelligence. -- we want to stop
:12:48. > :12:51.people from trying to harm them. The authority say these families can
:12:52. > :12:54.stay as long as they need, but without national or international
:12:55. > :13:02.help, their hosts could struggle in the months are.
:13:03. > :13:08.-- ahead. Breaking news before the opening of
:13:09. > :13:10.the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Austria's Olympic Committee has
:13:11. > :13:13.reportedly received a letter threatening to kidnap two of its
:13:14. > :13:17.athletes. The build up to the games has been full of threats, and this
:13:18. > :13:22.letter follows those received by several other countries, including
:13:23. > :13:26.the United States, a terrorist threat before the games. Olympic
:13:27. > :13:31.chiefs say they posed no danger. They have so far not commented on
:13:32. > :13:36.this latest warning letter from Austria. You with BBC World News,
:13:37. > :13:45.still come: No more kimchi for you and me, the traditional Korean dish
:13:46. > :13:48.under threat in the modern world. A priest in the Central African
:13:49. > :13:52.Republic says at least 75 Christians have been killed in the last week in
:13:53. > :13:55.a town in the south of the country. Thousands of people have been killed
:13:56. > :14:04.in sectarian violence which erupted after a coup last year.
:14:05. > :14:13.French troops tried to restore order in an area of the capital. This is a
:14:14. > :14:18.mainly Muslim neighbourhood. People here are afraid after their homes
:14:19. > :14:21.were looted and burned down. When peacekeepers arrived, they and other
:14:22. > :14:28.residents found themselves caught in the middle of another battle between
:14:29. > :14:33.Christian and Muslim militias. TRANSLATION: It is terrible, we are
:14:34. > :14:37.suffering, and there is no peace. We are losing houses and people, we
:14:38. > :14:43.need to bring back peace. In the south of the country, a
:14:44. > :14:47.Christian priest says that in the past week alone at least 75 people
:14:48. > :14:53.have been killed in sectarian violence.
:14:54. > :15:01.It has prompted another appeal from the new interim president, see here
:15:02. > :15:06.visiting people who have been displaced by months of unrest. She
:15:07. > :15:12.is tasked with steering the country towards elections, but her immediate
:15:13. > :15:16.goal is to stop revenge attacks. TRANSLATION: I am your mother and
:15:17. > :15:20.you are my children, whether you do good or bad. I will not reject you
:15:21. > :15:26.but embrace and advise you, please do not allow bad people to divide
:15:27. > :15:35.you. For the time being, the country is divided.
:15:36. > :15:41.French and African troops are struggling to restore order. It has
:15:42. > :15:45.prompted the United Nations to ask for a larger peacekeeping force to
:15:46. > :15:51.stop the country heading towards a humanitarian disaster.
:15:52. > :15:59.This is BBC World News. The latest headlines.
:16:00. > :16:01.Long-awaited talks between the Pakistani government and the Taliban
:16:02. > :16:08.have been suspended, before they even started.
:16:09. > :16:10.Accused of complicity in genocide, the trial begins in France of
:16:11. > :16:14.Rwanda's former intelligence chief, Pascal Simbikangwa.
:16:15. > :16:21.He denies the charges against him. We're used to being told to turn off
:16:22. > :16:24.our laptops, mobiles and other gadgets on aircraft. But, now, there
:16:25. > :16:27.are new safety concerns, even when these devices are apparently safely
:16:28. > :16:30.switched off. Many of them use lithium batteries. And, if they
:16:31. > :16:33.develop a fault, they can catch fire or even explode. Our transport
:16:34. > :16:41.correspondent Richard Westcott reports.
:16:42. > :16:56.They might be small but, if they go wrong, they pack a hell of a punch.
:16:57. > :17:05.The average airliner will have hundreds of lithium batteries
:17:06. > :17:11.on-board. In our phones, laptops, cameras, tablets. It is rare for
:17:12. > :17:16.them to end up like this. We forced these to fail by heating them up.
:17:17. > :17:19.But Britain's air safety watchdog has told the BBC it is especially
:17:20. > :17:21.concerned about people flying with untested counterfeit batteries
:17:22. > :17:30.bought online. Any fire on an aircraft is a very
:17:31. > :17:34.serious incident. Yes, a fire can result in the loss of an aircraft
:17:35. > :17:36.which is why it is important the stringent international safety
:17:37. > :17:42.standards are adhered to. You saw how dramatic that was. A normal
:17:43. > :17:48.laptop battery. It has completely disintegrated. Imagine that exploded
:17:49. > :17:57.on an aircraft. That trees have already gone long. In April 2012. A
:17:58. > :18:00.flight attendant on a US aircraft described a shooting fire in the
:18:01. > :18:04.aisle from a passenger's burning battery. They managed to put it out
:18:05. > :18:08.using wet towels from the drinks cart. The following September,
:18:09. > :18:10.another flight attendant and two passengers were burnt, dealing with
:18:11. > :18:13.an overheating phone and spare battery. There have been other
:18:14. > :18:19.similar incidents is around the world. The standard response to
:18:20. > :18:24.dealing with a device fire is as follows.
:18:25. > :18:27.This training video is one of several about to go online, to help
:18:28. > :18:32.airlines, airport workers and passengers understand. One testing
:18:33. > :18:41.expert is keen to dampen fears. Most batteries go through an
:18:42. > :18:44.extensive quality control process. Battery manufacturers, although they
:18:45. > :18:47.are putting work into increasing capacity batteries, they will also
:18:48. > :18:54.continue doing work on improving safety mechanisms built into them.
:18:55. > :18:56.If you are flying with lithium batteries, the regulators advise to
:18:57. > :19:00.tape up any exposed metal connectors, or put it in a plastic
:19:01. > :19:05.bag. Always carry them in your hand luggage. 2013 was the safest year in
:19:06. > :19:17.aviation history. But the threat from fire remains as great as ever.
:19:18. > :19:23.South Korea is keen to export it food overseas. There is one dish in
:19:24. > :19:30.particular seem as quintessentially Korean, a spicy fermented vegetable
:19:31. > :19:34.dish of kimchi. It is credited with curing everything from the common
:19:35. > :19:40.cold to cancer. Now it is under threat.
:19:41. > :19:48.When a national treasure is at stake, South Korea tend to pull out
:19:49. > :19:53.all the stops. The message of this government sponsored event is that
:19:54. > :19:57.the national dish of kimchi, once eaten by royalty, is under attack
:19:58. > :20:02.from the more modern forces of globalisation.
:20:03. > :20:08.TRANSLATION: The kimchi industry in the country is going through an
:20:09. > :20:13.ordeal with a harsh winter weather. People's diets are consuming less
:20:14. > :20:15.kimchi. Because of the increase in imported kimchi there are big
:20:16. > :20:21.difficulties for the local producers.
:20:22. > :20:29.The humble fermented cabbage dish has a treasured place in culinary
:20:30. > :20:37.history. A bumper crop in cabbage even made the news during the war.
:20:38. > :20:48.The government is trying hard to market the national dish to a global
:20:49. > :20:54.audience. A task for the kimchi grandmaster. Foreigners, she says,
:20:55. > :20:58.like kimchi less salty and aromatic than domestic consumers. Wherever it
:20:59. > :21:05.is eaten, she believes we'll kimchi can only be made in Korea.
:21:06. > :21:12.TRANSLATION: The ingredients are really important, not to mention the
:21:13. > :21:17.water, temperature, humidity. It is this country where those elements
:21:18. > :21:21.exist so the kimchi made in Korea is made from healthy bacteria. In
:21:22. > :21:25.China, the ingredients are different and the environment is different.
:21:26. > :21:37.You don't get the same properties. Our kimchi is very different.
:21:38. > :21:42.Consumers here seem to agree. Last year South Korea imported 220,000
:21:43. > :21:47.tonnes of kimchi from China. But you won't find it here. Supermarket
:21:48. > :21:52.staff say Korean customers would not buy it. Instead, the Chinese produce
:21:53. > :21:56.ends up in the catering industry where it is hidden from view. With
:21:57. > :22:05.some of the longest working hours in the world, few have time to make
:22:06. > :22:08.kimchi themselves. Instead, Mrs Kim holds occasional tutorials for
:22:09. > :22:13.foreign diplomats and tourists. It may not be as cute to look at as a
:22:14. > :22:22.pop band but as cultural ambassadors go, kimchi kicks harder.
:22:23. > :22:28.Eastern Europe is counting the cost of some of the worst winter weather.
:22:29. > :22:34.Households in Slovenia have been left without electricity. The
:22:35. > :22:39.government is appealing for help from neighbouring countries. Other
:22:40. > :22:46.European countries are also affected by heavy snowfall.
:22:47. > :22:52.As picture perfect as it looks, snow has brought havoc to Slovenia. In a
:22:53. > :22:57.country of around 2 million people, one in four homes is without power.
:22:58. > :23:04.That is because of this. All people can do is wait until help arrives.
:23:05. > :23:08.But that help may take some time. Blizzards have disrupted transport
:23:09. > :23:13.and closed more than 40% of schools. If that wasn't bad enough, people
:23:14. > :23:20.have been asked not to drink the tap water either.
:23:21. > :23:25.TRANSLATION: I can only imagine what it must be like for those over 80,
:23:26. > :23:31.or those with small children. There is no electricity, water supply is a
:23:32. > :23:35.problem as well. The winter blast has caused chaos in
:23:36. > :23:42.Serbia. Croatia. And Germany as well. More than 1000 people had to
:23:43. > :23:46.be rescued from their cars. When they eventually got home, they were
:23:47. > :23:53.faced with this. Many having to dig their way to their front door. This
:23:54. > :23:57.is Austria, home owners have been shovelling for days. The wintry
:23:58. > :24:02.conditions are also causing problems in Italy where they are suffering
:24:03. > :24:07.from widespread flooding. Torrential rain has caused misery for home
:24:08. > :24:11.owners. Just getting around is a challenge, which is why the tens of
:24:12. > :24:22.thousands who are affected, they will be hoping an end to this
:24:23. > :24:25.extreme weather is inside soon. He described it as intimidating,
:24:26. > :24:29.bumpy, and far from perfect. But there's a chance it may have
:24:30. > :24:32.resulted in a new world record. This is an 80-foot wave being surfed by
:24:33. > :24:36.34-year-old plumber Andrew Cotton along the St Nazare coast in
:24:37. > :24:39.Portugal on Sunday. It could be the highest that's ever been ridden. We
:24:40. > :24:56.won't know for sure until May, when surf company Billabong measure it.
:24:57. > :25:00.In this new digital age, it is hard to believe that social media was
:25:01. > :25:06.viewed by many as toys for bored teenagers who didn't get out
:25:07. > :25:16.enough. Today, Facebook is used by nearly one in five people, as it
:25:17. > :25:23.celebrates its 10th birthday. Facebook has turned ten years. Ten
:25:24. > :25:27.years of light, and also procrastination. This is how it
:25:28. > :25:31.looked in 2004. Back then it was only open to Harvard university
:25:32. > :25:38.students. Fast forward a decade later and this is how it looks with
:25:39. > :25:43.its 1.2 billion users. 81% are outside the US and Canada. On
:25:44. > :25:50.average, 757 million people log on each day. In 2013, the top topic of
:25:51. > :25:55.conversation was Pope Francis. The top life event people shed dealt
:25:56. > :26:01.with relationship status. Speaking of relationships, it's not all roses
:26:02. > :26:05.in cyberspace. One study found 80% of US divorce attorneys had seen
:26:06. > :26:10.more cases involving social media. Facebook can be a lonely place. A
:26:11. > :26:15.University of Michelin study found that more young adults used
:26:16. > :26:20.Facebook, the worse they felt. Still, other studies found spending
:26:21. > :26:24.time on Facebook can boost self esteem. Either way, these
:26:25. > :26:30.psychological implications of Internet use were not around in
:26:31. > :26:39.2004. Neither was Internet privacy a topic. Over the years, the Internet
:26:40. > :26:43.has been awash with concerns. It can be confusing stuff. What began on
:26:44. > :26:48.college campuses is now big business. One survey found the
:26:49. > :26:54.highest rate of growth is with folks 65 and older. Facebook is losing
:26:55. > :27:01.parts of the youth crowd to other services. Still, Facebook isn't in
:27:02. > :27:02.such a bad position. At the end of 2013, it had $11.5 billion in