:00:09. > :00:14.This is BBC World News Today with me Zeinab Badawi. Syria's President
:00:14. > :00:17.Bashar al-Assad makes a rare and defiant speech. He criticises the
:00:17. > :00:27.Arab League and blames external forces for a violent conspiracy in
:00:27. > :00:30.his country. We will not allow a bunch of people who sold their soul
:00:30. > :00:33.to the devil to destroy what the Syrian people have built throughout
:00:33. > :00:37.history. The race to win the Republican
:00:37. > :00:41.presidential nomination moves to New Hampshire. Can Mitt Romney pick
:00:42. > :00:44.up enough momentum here to finish off his rivals?
:00:44. > :00:50.A last minute rush for South African University places turns
:00:50. > :00:56.into a stampede with deadly consequences. Everybody was pushing.
:00:56. > :01:02.There was a lot of screaming. It was terrible, it was terrible.
:01:02. > :01:05.Also coming up in the programme, swapping sport for politics.
:01:05. > :01:09.Manchester United idol Eric Cantona says he's going to try to run for
:01:09. > :01:19.president in his native France. And smart television bringing TV
:01:19. > :01:27.
:01:27. > :01:30.Hello and welcome. The Syrian government went on the offensive
:01:30. > :01:37.today both against its internal opponents and foreign opponents and
:01:37. > :01:41.critics. In a two-hour defiant speech, President Bashar Al Assad
:01:41. > :01:43.blamed a foreign conspiracy for the wave of violence in his country and
:01:43. > :01:48.pledged to regain security by hitting terrorists with an iron
:01:48. > :01:51.fist. His regime's been criticised for its violent suppression of
:01:51. > :01:55.anti-government protests. The United Nations believes more than
:01:55. > :02:05.5,000 civilians have been killed since March last year. Paul Wood
:02:05. > :02:10.
:02:10. > :02:16.Business-as-usual for Syria. President Assad's speech promised
:02:16. > :02:21.more of the same, an iron fist, he called it. So, today, this latest
:02:21. > :02:29.video apparently shows a suburb of the capital, Damascus, with tanks
:02:30. > :02:35.on the streets. It's only the 4th speech by Syria's leader in at 10
:02:35. > :02:43.months of this crisis. He said the country was facing terrorism and he
:02:43. > :02:50.blamed a conspiracy on foreign powers. The dark ages of warmongers
:02:50. > :02:57.outside are now clear. He went on to attack the foreign media. They
:02:57. > :03:01.want to shake Syria's stability, he says, them or stoking fear to cause
:03:01. > :03:06.us to collapse. At the start of this crisis, President Assad was
:03:06. > :03:09.seen as above the fray, but street protesters they pinned their hopes
:03:09. > :03:17.of an to bring in reforms but now they just want him to go, and the
:03:18. > :03:25.opposition accuses him of pushing the country close to civil war.
:03:25. > :03:34.regime has learned nothing from the past 10 months. It is more extreme
:03:34. > :03:38.now than ever. Arab League monitors have failed to calm things down.
:03:38. > :03:44.President Assad attacked them. The opposition want foreign military
:03:44. > :03:48.intervention. But help is not on the way. Syria is at the heart of
:03:48. > :03:54.the Middle East, and what happens in that Syria is unlikely to remain
:03:54. > :03:59.in Syria. There are net any number of scenarios where there are
:03:59. > :04:04.significant spillover effects towards Israel, Turkey and the Gulf.
:04:04. > :04:13.So, on the ground, both sides seem to be expecting an escalation in
:04:13. > :04:17.the violence. The Arab League has condemned an incident in which two
:04:18. > :04:22.members of its observer mission in this area were injured in an attack
:04:22. > :04:27.by demonstrators. The head of the Arab League said the Syrian
:04:27. > :04:29.government was responsible for protecting members of its mission.
:04:29. > :04:33.I'm joined from Washington by Theodore Kattouf, former US
:04:33. > :04:43.ambassador to Syria and the United Arab Emirates. He is currently the
:04:43. > :04:44.
:04:44. > :04:49.President of American Friends of the Middle East. This attack on the
:04:49. > :04:55.Arab League, what lay behind this? It took place in Latakia, a city
:04:55. > :05:01.which is fairly supportive of President Assad. Do you think it
:05:01. > :05:05.was genuine or orchestrated? can never be certain but it's very
:05:05. > :05:10.clear from statements emanating from leaders of the Gulf co-
:05:10. > :05:15.operation Council, and the head of the Arab League, that they hold
:05:15. > :05:23.Syria responsible for these attacks and, indeed, in his speech today,
:05:23. > :05:28.President Assad was dismissive of, and insulting towards, the six
:05:29. > :05:34.states of the council, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, set off. One member
:05:34. > :05:39.at least, the Gulf council, Coltart, has broken in relation to the Arab
:05:39. > :05:44.League, and said the observer mission is not able to do this on
:05:44. > :05:50.its own and it would be better if it got help from the UN. Is that
:05:50. > :05:56.something you agree with? It's a view I agree with. I think they
:05:56. > :06:02.have been at the forefront of those Arab League states, saying that
:06:02. > :06:07.Syria needs to be taken to task at the UN Security Council. And I
:06:07. > :06:14.think it's quite true that the 150 monitors who are they right now,
:06:14. > :06:23.are not capable of a restraining Syrian intelligence and a special
:06:23. > :06:28.military units from assaulting their own people. And, in terms of
:06:28. > :06:35.what the USA can do, that it isn't doing, what would you like to see
:06:35. > :06:39.Washington doing? I mean, it's not what I think, but I think here in
:06:39. > :06:45.the USA, we had just pulled our troops, and you have pulled your
:06:45. > :06:49.troops out of Iraq. We want to put our troops out of Afghanistan in a
:06:49. > :06:57.couple of years. Tensions are very, very high with Iran, and quite
:06:57. > :07:03.honestly, I don't see many people eager to see the administration
:07:03. > :07:08.directly intervening in a serious. But, if there was going to be an
:07:08. > :07:13.intervention, it would be to follow some what of the Libyan example
:07:13. > :07:17.where the Arab League condemns them, goes to the secluded Council, and
:07:17. > :07:21.then that Russia and China would have to go on, and right now,
:07:21. > :07:28.Russia particularly is not don't go along with any tough action. I
:07:28. > :07:34.think we are stay need for the on the Bashar al-Assad's rare speech.
:07:34. > :07:40.What do you make of that? Is he in control? Is your mouthpiece for the
:07:40. > :07:46.regime? Frankly, whichever the case, it's probably a distinction without
:07:46. > :07:51.a difference. The regime is far more than one man. His family, his
:07:51. > :07:56.inner circle, the circle of his protectors, and they are not going
:07:56. > :08:01.to give up power peacefully. They are not going to, even though he
:08:01. > :08:10.talked of reforms, he would have done it by now, he wants to give
:08:10. > :08:14.whatever he can he feels necessary to the opposition, but not until
:08:14. > :08:17.they are totally off the streets, and repressed and humbled.
:08:17. > :08:21.Ambassador, thank you very much for talking to us live or from
:08:21. > :08:23.Washington. The candidates hoping to take on President Obama in
:08:23. > :08:26.November's presidential election are fighting it out in New
:08:26. > :08:29.Hampshire today in the second stage of the battle for the Republican
:08:29. > :08:36.nomination. The former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney,
:08:36. > :08:39.is tipped to win. He won in Iowa last week by just eight votes. Mitt
:08:40. > :08:44.Romney is hoping the momentum he gains here will help secure him the
:08:44. > :08:53.nomination. Over to Manchester, New Hampshire, and my colleague Katty
:08:53. > :09:01.Kay. It's quite a feat, if he pulls this off? It absolutely is. What he
:09:01. > :09:05.would like to do is win and win big. So he can have secured a party's
:09:05. > :09:09.nomination, coast through the primaries and start a directing his
:09:09. > :09:13.attention to Barack Obama and the general presidential election which
:09:13. > :09:17.takes place in November. There's a few more hours until the polls
:09:17. > :09:23.close in New Hampshire and during that time, the candidates are using
:09:23. > :09:30.every last minute to persuade every voter they can. Paul Adams has the
:09:30. > :09:33.news. Mitt Romney in confident mood in Manchester. He is the man to
:09:33. > :09:39.beat, and moderate Republicans surrounded by more conservative
:09:39. > :09:43.opponents. I hope the people turn out, the entire nation is watching.
:09:43. > :09:47.The Republican voters will certainly to some up. The only
:09:47. > :09:51.questions, how big will he win and how many of his rivals will fight
:09:51. > :09:56.another day? The candidates have swarmed all over diners up and down
:09:56. > :10:00.the state, but what have they left behind and do people believe any of
:10:00. > :10:08.them can deliver change? None of these Republicans, I don't feel it.
:10:08. > :10:13.I don't know. I'm up in the air. Winter has yet to come hard in New
:10:13. > :10:19.England. But the ice fishermen are looking for a catch. Hoping to land
:10:19. > :10:26.more than just tiddlers. Jason has not decided to devote four yet, but
:10:26. > :10:32.thinks Mitt Romney will win. -- who to vote for yet. I think he will
:10:32. > :10:38.win. A lot of people are looking for him. I need votes for that and
:10:38. > :10:41.the underdog candidate. Huntsmann is enjoying a late surge.
:10:42. > :10:47.He won't win but the bomber jacket and the baby's suggest he has not
:10:47. > :10:53.given up for the after a lacklustre campaigner, there's plenty of
:10:53. > :10:59.excitement around today. This is the media surrounding Newt Gingrich,
:10:59. > :11:03.who was not even expected to finish in their top three. The President
:11:03. > :11:08.has his supporters here, too. They don't want the Republicans making
:11:08. > :11:15.all the noise. Primary season has months to run but Mitt Romney hopes
:11:15. > :11:20.to have it wrapped up rather quicker than that. Republicans are
:11:20. > :11:24.hoping for a big turnout in these primary elections here in New
:11:24. > :11:31.Hampshire. Let's get a sense of the significance of this. I'm joined
:11:31. > :11:35.here by Tim Stanley. Thanks so much for joining us. This is our first
:11:35. > :11:40.presidential election you have been covering. What are you making of
:11:40. > :11:44.the process? You really have to come here to see it and understand
:11:44. > :11:49.what it's like to be surrounded by these politicians and media people,
:11:49. > :11:54.how crazy it is and how it becomes a microcosm of a national campaign.
:11:54. > :11:58.What I have been feeling is this is two elections at once. A referendum
:11:58. > :12:02.on Mitt Romney, as a candidate, which I think you will win today
:12:02. > :12:08.quite handsomely. Secondly, who will emerge as his conservative
:12:08. > :12:14.rival, and that is split between several candidates. I have no
:12:14. > :12:19.feeling who is preferred more, but I can see some momentum behind Jon
:12:19. > :12:23.Huntsmann and Ron Paul. Hampshire has a history of
:12:24. > :12:30.upsetting presidential races. If Mitt Romney doesn't do as well as
:12:30. > :12:34.expected here, today, what does that mean for his campaign?
:12:34. > :12:42.really has to get over their dibber cent of the boat, preferably over
:12:42. > :12:46.the D5. -- 35% of the vote, preferably over 35. If he doesn't
:12:46. > :12:50.get over that, I think other candidates, particularly Jon
:12:50. > :12:55.Huntsmann, are well placed to say Mitt Romney moved her, spent so
:12:55. > :13:00.much money, off went on TV, met nearly every single person and
:13:00. > :13:05.couldn't get more than 35%. It suggests the Republicans don't
:13:05. > :13:10.think he's as popular as national polls suggest he is, which is why
:13:10. > :13:14.it's important for him to do well. You said there is a race for the
:13:15. > :13:20.front-runner, Mitt Romney, and the rest of the Conservative pack. Also
:13:20. > :13:24.who will be the best candidate to take on Barack Obama in November?
:13:24. > :13:29.Has Mitt Romney persuaded voters in New Hampshire, do you think, he is
:13:29. > :13:34.best suited to win the White House for the Republicans? Unfortunate,
:13:34. > :13:39.for him, the day before there was a scandal in which he said during a
:13:39. > :13:43.speech that he likes being able to fire people. His words were taken
:13:43. > :13:48.out of context but already the Democratic National Committee is
:13:49. > :13:53.spinning them against him all over the breakfast shows for the even if
:13:53. > :13:58.Mitt Romney does not win today, I suspect this primary has set him up
:13:58. > :14:03.for a fall in November and he could be hurt by his victory here today.
:14:03. > :14:11.Nationally, he's only three points ahead of Mitt Romney. -- Barack
:14:11. > :14:20.Obama. Ron Paul is only one point behind Barack Obama for the what
:14:20. > :14:22.does that say? Thank you very much. Of course, we will know does result
:14:22. > :14:26.later tonight and will bring you the result and looking ahead to
:14:26. > :14:31.what they mean for the national elections, the critical election,
:14:31. > :14:37.in November, when whoever is a Republican, Hasted Robert is Barack
:14:37. > :14:42.Obama. Thank you very much. In South
:14:42. > :14:45.Africa, one person was crushed to death and nearly 20 people were
:14:45. > :14:50.injured as thousands of students tried to get through the gates of
:14:50. > :14:52.the universe to Johannesburg to apply a fall last minute places.
:14:52. > :14:55.There's a shortage of educational opportunities in the country, and
:14:55. > :14:58.many families had camped outside all night, hoping to be successful.
:14:58. > :15:08.In a moment we'll be speaking to the deputy Vice-Chancellor of the
:15:08. > :15:13.
:15:13. > :15:16.University. But first this report Survivors still looking for lost
:15:17. > :15:22.belongings. Thousands of applicants stood outside the camp for days,
:15:22. > :15:32.but there were only 800 slot in the university. They desperation caused
:15:32. > :15:33.
:15:33. > :15:39.a frenzy. Everybody was trying to get space. Everyone wants to get in.
:15:39. > :15:46.I was trying to protect my son. It was not easy. There was a lot of
:15:46. > :15:51.screaming, everybody was pushing. It was terrible. This is where the
:15:51. > :15:56.stampede took place today. The parent who died was that the front
:15:56. > :16:02.of the queue. She was head, trying to find a place for her child, when
:16:02. > :16:12.the crowd from behind to poached the people in front. -- she was
:16:12. > :16:15.
:16:15. > :16:21.here. -- behind pushed the people in front. University management
:16:21. > :16:31.expressed sympathy with -- sympathy for the loss of life, but said the
:16:31. > :16:33.
:16:34. > :16:40.crowd was uncontrollable. Given what has happened, the university
:16:40. > :16:48.Vice-Chancellor has assured us that there will be an inquiry.
:16:48. > :16:54.unemployment rate amongst the youth is as high as 15%. There is a more
:16:54. > :16:56.hunger for Una -- education, but they are not enough places.
:16:56. > :17:06.We're joined by Professor Adam Habib, the Deputy vice-Chancellor
:17:06. > :17:10.
:17:10. > :17:17.of the University of Johannesburg, who happens to be visiting Oxford.
:17:17. > :17:24.Are you going to be changing your procedures? I cannot take you.
:17:24. > :17:32.sad about this news. Are you going to be changing your procedures?
:17:32. > :17:38.we are not. We will have an inquiry. We will tighten up procedures to
:17:38. > :17:45.manage accounts better. We have tried to do that. But we have got a
:17:45. > :17:51.reason why we keep these entrants open. The poorest of the port do
:17:51. > :17:57.not apply early on. They do not have the educational opportunities.
:17:57. > :18:04.-- poorest of the poor. The schooling system does not prepare
:18:04. > :18:14.them, so we give 11,000 places in advance, and keep about 1,000
:18:14. > :18:16.
:18:16. > :18:22.places available for last-minute entrance. That creates hope.
:18:22. > :18:27.Looking at the wider picture in South Africa, does everybody have a
:18:27. > :18:34.right to further education? principle, everyone has a right.
:18:34. > :18:42.But are they enough places? We have 23 universities in the country.
:18:42. > :18:50.Most of us have places. We take about 24% of those who do the final
:18:50. > :18:57.examinations, and qualify. There is not enough places available end be
:18:57. > :19:02.higher education system. -- in the higher education. Everybody wants
:19:02. > :19:08.to come to the universities. They see that as the only way of getting
:19:08. > :19:11.out of poverty. Thank you very much indeed.
:19:11. > :19:14.He's been a footballer, a film star, and some people have even described
:19:14. > :19:19.him as a "philosopher". Now the former Manchester United idol, Eric
:19:19. > :19:22.Cantona, has announced his political ambitions. He's trying to
:19:22. > :19:32.secure the support that will allow him to stand against France's
:19:32. > :19:38.
:19:38. > :19:45.President Sarkozy later in the year. The Gallic shrug, the talent, those
:19:45. > :19:55.mesmerising feet. They were low points, of course - the Kung Fu
:19:55. > :20:03.kicking of the Crystal Palace fan, followed by the philosophy. When
:20:03. > :20:09.the sea gulls follow the sea, they think it is because some think will
:20:09. > :20:17.be swung into the sea. The move to acting was obvious, and popular.
:20:18. > :20:22.The Ken Loach film, Looking For Eric, was a huge success. Just the
:20:22. > :20:31.kind of profile you would need to become the President of France. He
:20:31. > :20:37.needs the backing of 500 elected officials. But, the letter he sent
:20:37. > :20:47.is more an attempt to raise the issue of the poor quality of social
:20:47. > :20:52.housing. In this advert, Ed in 2010, Eric Cantona takes the prospective
:20:52. > :20:59.tenant of a run-down council flat. The kitchen needs a bit of work, he
:20:59. > :21:05.says. So, he asks. You going to take it? Eric Cantona seems an
:21:05. > :21:09.unlikely champion of the poor, but as a footballer, he knows about the
:21:09. > :21:14.gulf between the highly paid players and the public. Eric
:21:14. > :21:17.Cantona is a brilliant and unpredictable. It is what made him
:21:17. > :21:20.a star in the first place. Now, many of you are watching me on
:21:20. > :21:23.a conventional television, but some of you will be watching on a
:21:23. > :21:26.computer via the internet. Well, whatever method you're using, one
:21:26. > :21:31.thing appears more certain - there is a move towards further
:21:31. > :21:34.integration of the two mediums. That integration is what IPTV is
:21:34. > :21:37.all about. Our technology correspondent has been speaking to
:21:37. > :21:47.some of the industry's leading players at the Consumer Electronics
:21:47. > :21:50.
:21:50. > :21:58.Show in Las Vegas. San Francisco, the gateway to
:21:58. > :22:03.Silicon Valley. I have come to see how the software firms plan to
:22:03. > :22:07.transform another industry. The internet revolution has been slow
:22:07. > :22:14.to hit television. Silicon Valley believes it can change our
:22:14. > :22:20.relationship with TB. One small software company has a big idea.
:22:21. > :22:29.This is the problem - today's TV user has too much choice. Lots of
:22:29. > :22:33.material, lots of the set-top boxes, and all these remote controls. What
:22:33. > :22:39.if we took all of them away, and replaced them with one second
:22:39. > :22:44.screen, enabling us to control access to all this television?
:22:44. > :22:49.Dijit believes this second screen can make choosing what we watch and
:22:49. > :22:54.sharing it with friends a lot easier. But it was when I headed to
:22:54. > :23:00.Google's HQ that I found a phone with the biggest ambitions. Google
:23:00. > :23:07.to -- Google TV brings the Web to your living room. So far, it has
:23:07. > :23:13.struggled to attract an audience. People say that TV is a lean back
:23:13. > :23:19.experience. Their internet is a lean forward experience. What do
:23:19. > :23:28.you know about television? What we know is what Google is good that -
:23:28. > :23:32.helping users find what they want. I left Silicon Valley and the
:23:32. > :23:38.software firms and set off to Las Vegas to get another view on the
:23:38. > :23:43.future of television. This week, every big TV manufacturer is in
:23:43. > :23:49.town for the Consumer Electronics Show. And the battle is on between
:23:49. > :23:59.Samsung and Sony to be the big players in Smart TV. They believe
:23:59. > :24:00.
:24:00. > :24:06.Connecting your set to the Net will naturally. When you go out and buy
:24:06. > :24:11.a TV, and bring it home, you should be connected to the internet.
:24:11. > :24:21.screens get bigger and slimmer, the pictures sharper. Now, television
:24:21. > :24:23.
:24:23. > :24:26.is getting smarter. And they hope viewers will come
:24:26. > :24:36.Let's talk some more about this. We're joined by Zara Rabinovich,
:24:36. > :24:38.
:24:38. > :24:48.from the website Chip Chick. Do you think they have cracked it this
:24:48. > :24:50.
:24:50. > :24:54.time? Or I think they have a. -- I think they have. We heard there,
:24:54. > :25:01.our reporter talking about the main players. Who do you think will be
:25:01. > :25:08.right in it there? At the moment, the battle seems to be Samsung and
:25:08. > :25:18.L G. A lot of people are familiar with a voice controls. Both of
:25:18. > :25:19.
:25:19. > :25:29.these players have got integrated cameras - you have facial
:25:29. > :25:30.
:25:30. > :25:40.integration, for example. You can say hi to change the channel. The
:25:40. > :25:41.
:25:41. > :25:46.Samsung is building a big store. To bes are coming in with built-in
:25:46. > :25:55.hard drives and flashed drives. Samsung are also allowing you to
:25:55. > :26:01.upgrade your TV. You can put a new chip into the TV. So going that way,
:26:01. > :26:08.are you thinking over a time frame? Months, years? If you have the
:26:08. > :26:15.money, you can't get on to it straight away. But it will still be
:26:15. > :26:19.outside most people's price range. I hope we will see a job in prices.
:26:19. > :26:29.Within three years, I'd imagine a connected to the end everybody's
:26:29. > :26:35.
:26:35. > :26:45.house. And it can also work with your mobile phone. It is getting to
:26:45. > :27:02.
:27:02. > :27:07.be a really multi- connected world. It was another mild day. We have
:27:07. > :27:14.had a lot of cloud, and we will stickler that overnight. Tomorrow,
:27:14. > :27:21.we still have that weather front. That will bring outbreaks of rain.
:27:21. > :27:27.It since southwards, and it could be a chilly start fall north-
:27:27. > :27:36.eastern Scotland. Damp, it shares the lead conditions initially. With
:27:36. > :27:42.the westerly wind continuing, these conditions will persist. -- damp,
:27:42. > :27:51.drizzly conditions. Sunny spells through central and southern areas
:27:51. > :27:59.of England - 12 degrees away top temperature. Those conditions
:27:59. > :28:04.reluctant to improve. -- our top temperature. But to the east, the
:28:04. > :28:13.chance of bright and as. For the Northern Ireland, glimmers of