:00:12. > :00:15.This is BBC World News Today, with Tim Willcox.
:00:15. > :00:20.Another nuclear scientist killed in broad daylight on the streets of
:00:20. > :00:28.Teheran. He ran blames Israel and the United States. Is this part of
:00:28. > :00:33.a covert war aimed at thwarting the country's nuclear ambitions.
:00:33. > :00:37.An escalation in violence in Syria, as the first foreign journalists to
:00:37. > :00:40.skilled in it grenade attack in Homs.
:00:40. > :00:44.Nigeria's or oil workers are threatening to shut the sector down
:00:44. > :00:50.as protests over the scrapping of a fuel subsidy Tanter wider anger
:00:50. > :00:56.against the Government. This Government has no moral rights.
:00:56. > :00:59.Also coming up, can anyone stop him? Mitt Romney sweeps to victory
:00:59. > :01:04.in the New Hampshire Republican primary.
:01:04. > :01:14.And tomorrow's must-haves today. If we take a look at the latest
:01:14. > :01:16.
:01:16. > :01:21.gadgets are shaking up the world of technology today.
:01:21. > :01:27.Hello, and welcome. The attack was audacious and deadly. Just moments
:01:27. > :01:31.after a mystery motorbike had pulled up alongside Mostafa Ahmadi
:01:31. > :01:35.Roshan's, and attached a bomb to it, the 32-year-old chemist and
:01:35. > :01:39.scientist was dead. Today's attack on the streets of the Iranian
:01:39. > :01:47.capital is just the latest in a series of killings of scientists,
:01:47. > :01:51.which demand accuses the United States of authorising.
:01:51. > :01:55.This his how the careers of each been run's nuclear scientists
:01:55. > :02:01.sometimes end. This morning, Professor Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan did
:02:01. > :02:06.not even make it out of his car. TRANSLATION: It was about 7:00am. I
:02:06. > :02:10.was taking a taxi to walk when I heard a huge blast. I told the
:02:10. > :02:14.taxied to speed up. Later somebody told me that a person had attached
:02:14. > :02:19.a bomb to a car which had caused an explosion.
:02:19. > :02:25.Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan was a supervisor at an Iranian enrichment
:02:25. > :02:29.facility -- aluminium enrichment facility. In a covert campaign, no
:02:29. > :02:34.one admits doing the killing. Israel's military chief suggested
:02:34. > :02:38.yesterday that Iran could expect unnatural events in 2012. This may
:02:38. > :02:42.be the first. This man in's attack is the latest
:02:42. > :02:48.in a series of unclaimed bombings and attacks in his van. Two years
:02:48. > :02:52.ago, a physics professor was killed as he left for work. In 20th
:02:52. > :02:58.November ten, motorcyclists bombed two prominent nuclear scientists in
:02:58. > :03:03.the capital. And two months ago a large explosion killed 17 soldiers
:03:03. > :03:09.at a missile base outside Tehran. But it ran says it will not be put
:03:09. > :03:14.off. The. It made during missile tests earlier this month. It it has
:03:14. > :03:18.more reason, it hides them behind displays of power. The BBC is one
:03:18. > :03:23.of the few Western broadcasters to have been reporter inside the
:03:23. > :03:27.country. He says that the people on the street have more to worry about,
:03:27. > :03:31.ban the killing of nuclear scientists. People in Tehran are in
:03:31. > :03:38.fear of the news, but much more concerned about their economic
:03:38. > :03:42.problems. And that maybe the point. Iman's
:03:42. > :03:50.Government can survive attacks on its nuclear scientists. But a
:03:50. > :03:53.struggling economy is not keeps the country's leaders a week at night.
:03:53. > :03:56.Trita Parsi is president of the National Iranian American Council,
:03:56. > :04:02.author of A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama's Diplomacy with Iran.
:04:02. > :04:06.The Germans us from Washington. The latest in a co-ordinated, a
:04:06. > :04:10.sophisticated assassination. Who do you think is behind this? I do not
:04:10. > :04:15.think we have seen any evidence that will point to a specific
:04:15. > :04:19.direction. So we have to be careful because all of this is speculation.
:04:19. > :04:23.But most speculation points towards his will, that is the country which
:04:23. > :04:27.has the means and the motive to do it, and does not have the same
:04:27. > :04:31.kinds of constraints as the United States when it comes to engaging in
:04:31. > :04:39.such activities in Iran. Hillary Clinton has just categorically
:04:39. > :04:42.denied any American in 4th month. In terms of the ramifications in
:04:42. > :04:48.the context of sanctions against the country, what is the potential
:04:48. > :04:54.for retaliation? Part of the purpose of this may be, if it is
:04:54. > :04:58.coming from the Israelis, to get in radians to retaliate -- retaliate.
:04:58. > :05:02.If they engage in another act of violence, that may provide a
:05:02. > :05:10.pretext for another military confrontation. We know that there
:05:10. > :05:17.has been a desire for both this from the... But if it remains
:05:17. > :05:24.retaliate, and you get the war, but maybe what the great -- Israelis
:05:24. > :05:27.are intending four. This man was linked with the... In
:05:27. > :05:30.terms of the fear factor this was spread around scientists work a
:05:30. > :05:34.week working on the nuclear programme, if what impact will it
:05:35. > :05:39.have? It will have a chilling effect, but I do not think these
:05:39. > :05:46.types of activities are going to be particularly successful in
:05:46. > :05:49.reversing the Iranian nuclear programme. To the extent we have
:05:49. > :05:53.these assassinations, sanctions, and the threat of war, you may end
:05:53. > :05:59.up with a situation where the Iranian desire for a nuclear
:05:59. > :06:06.deterrent may increase. Are there any other groups which may be
:06:06. > :06:12.acting to -- trying to destabilise any future positive development?
:06:12. > :06:18.You certainly have the elements of the Iranian mujahedin. They have a
:06:18. > :06:22.very long history of conducting of sabotage and assassinations in Iran.
:06:22. > :06:26.However I would suspect that if the mujahedin have the capabilities to
:06:26. > :06:31.do this right now, they would target higher political profiles
:06:31. > :06:37.rather than nuclear scientists. Nuclear scientists are a greater
:06:37. > :06:41.target for those who are very concerned about programme Imran is
:06:41. > :06:47.blistering. In terms of the protection of the scientists, what
:06:47. > :06:51.are the authorities doing? This is the 4th attempt in two years.
:06:51. > :06:56.the 4th fatality, and there have been other strange accidents that
:06:56. > :07:04.have not been reported in the West. Whatever the Iranians are doing,
:07:05. > :07:07.they are not doing enough. French television correspondent has
:07:07. > :07:12.become the first Western journalist to be killed in Syria since the
:07:12. > :07:15.uprising against President Assad. Witnesses told the BBC that Gilles
:07:15. > :07:21.Jacquier was on a Government escorted trip to the city of Homs
:07:21. > :07:24.when his group came under attack from grenades. Earlier, the Syrian
:07:24. > :07:28.President made a surprise appearance at an open-air rally.
:07:28. > :07:34.The Syrian authorities have restricted access to foreign
:07:34. > :07:38.journalists, so Jonathan Head sent this report from Istanbul.
:07:38. > :07:45.impressive crowd had gathered in the square in Damascus to shout
:07:45. > :07:50.their support for the President. The rally seemed well planned. And
:07:50. > :07:53.President Assad used it to press home the same message at he had
:07:53. > :07:59.presented in his speech to the country. He is not ready to make
:07:59. > :08:05.any concessions to the opposition. TRANSLATION: The important thing is
:08:05. > :08:12.to have faith in the future. I will have faith in the future and in you.
:08:12. > :08:17.We will win without a doubt. We will make this phase the end for
:08:17. > :08:21.them and their players. So, is this confidence, delusion,
:08:21. > :08:25.or desperation? It is impossible from this
:08:25. > :08:30.choreographed appearance to guess the Syrian leader's state of mind
:08:30. > :08:34.or how strong his grip still is on the country. But his statement
:08:35. > :08:39.suggests there will be no been negotiated end to this crisis.
:08:39. > :08:43.Which raises deeper questions over the small Arab League Observer
:08:43. > :08:47.message. It is that was to be monitoring the Government's
:08:47. > :08:54.promised to stop shooting protesters. But at least one of its
:08:54. > :08:58.members has given up, describing the mission as a farce.
:08:58. > :09:04.TRANSLATION: I stepped down because I felt I was serving his the Reham
:09:04. > :09:08.regime. I do not feel I belonged to an independent body monitoring the
:09:08. > :09:13.situation. I was giving the regime a greater chance to continue his
:09:13. > :09:15.killing, and I could not prevent that.
:09:16. > :09:21.Non core human rights groups say that hundreds of civilians have
:09:21. > :09:24.been killed since the monitors arrived last month. For from
:09:24. > :09:31.curbing the violence, their presence appears to have aggravated
:09:31. > :09:34.it. The French journalist was one of several people killed in the
:09:34. > :09:38.city of Homs during a pro- government rally, underlining the
:09:38. > :09:44.volatility of the situation in Syria. The Government, rather than
:09:44. > :09:47.using the opportunity of its commitment to the Arab League, to
:09:47. > :09:52.end the violence and fulfil all of its commitments under the protocol,
:09:52. > :09:57.is instead stepping up the violence. Despite the presence of monitors,
:09:57. > :10:01.and carrying out further acts of brutality against its population,
:10:01. > :10:05.even offered in the presence of those monitors. But if the Arab
:10:06. > :10:09.League's mission is declared a failure, what then? Without any
:10:09. > :10:12.prospect of international intervention or negotiation, Syria
:10:13. > :10:22.seems condemned to sink into a prolonged and increasingly bloody
:10:22. > :10:26.conflict. Pakistan's Prime Minister has
:10:26. > :10:30.sacked a retired army general at the Ministry of Defence, Naeem
:10:30. > :10:35.Khalid Lodhi, in a growing row between the Government and army.
:10:35. > :10:41.The reason given for the must -- dismissal when Christmas comes but.
:10:41. > :10:45.Economic growth is slowing in the powerhouse of Europe. Germany's
:10:45. > :10:49.economy shrank in the last quarter of 2011, indicating the downturn in
:10:49. > :10:53.Europe is affecting its strongest economy.
:10:53. > :10:57.Under mid has warned it needs to take action over its budget deficit
:10:57. > :11:02.or risk losing a European Union development funds. A top official
:11:02. > :11:10.says Hungary has taken no off action to limit its deficits. The
:11:10. > :11:14.country is due to start talks later with the IMF for an aid package.
:11:14. > :11:21.Nigeria's main oil workers' union says it is putting platforms on red
:11:21. > :11:24.alert for possible shutdown of the Cup country's output. The
:11:24. > :11:29.Government is also coming under pressure from another deepening
:11:29. > :11:34.crisis in the country, but of sectarian violence. The Islamist
:11:34. > :11:40.sect in Nigeria, Boko Haram, has posted a video on like attempting
:11:40. > :11:43.to justify recent attacks on Christians.
:11:43. > :11:47.Day three of the strike that has brought most businesses in the
:11:47. > :11:52.country to a standstill. The stakes have been raised on both sides,
:11:52. > :11:55.with this national fuel subsidy dispute. Today there were talks of
:11:55. > :11:59.a gradual process that could lead to the slowing of oil production in
:11:59. > :12:06.the country. Unionised or oil workers say they are content --
:12:06. > :12:10.considering shutting down the country's although I'd put. If the
:12:10. > :12:14.strikers are successful in hindering exports, not only will it
:12:14. > :12:18.bring the country's economy to its knees, he will have any affect
:12:18. > :12:22.global oil prices. Politicians have ratcheted up the pressure on
:12:22. > :12:29.protesters. They have threatened and the work, no pay policy for
:12:29. > :12:35.public sector workers. My opinion is that that directive is illegal,
:12:35. > :12:44.because there is no trade dispute. Nigerians are reacting to the harsh
:12:44. > :12:48.economic policies, and they are saying, for many years we -- we are
:12:48. > :12:52.saying enough is enough. message is that the fuel subsidy
:12:52. > :12:58.must be reinstated, but they have also become a platform to vent fury
:12:58. > :13:02.on other issues, West for spending, resources in the hands of too few,
:13:02. > :13:06.and far more basic infrastructure. The reason, they say, is corruption.
:13:06. > :13:16.This Government has no right to ask Nigerians to his discipline
:13:16. > :13:22.
:13:22. > :13:29.themselves. This strike is beyond... This is the leader of the radical
:13:29. > :13:36.Islamist group, Boko Haram, and is the first video released since the
:13:36. > :13:38.bombing of churches in December which killed at least 25 people. He
:13:38. > :13:43.rejects President's Goodluck Jonathan's remarks that Boko Haram
:13:43. > :13:48.has become a cancer to Nigeria. He says his forces are much more
:13:48. > :13:51.powerful than the state's. He says that recent killings of Christians
:13:52. > :13:55.were revenge for fatal attacks on Muslims in the country. In the past
:13:55. > :14:01.two weeks at least 15 people have been killed in the north and south
:14:01. > :14:07.of the country. President good luck Jonathan faces battles on two
:14:07. > :14:13.fronts. Trying to confront sectarian strife that is spreading
:14:13. > :14:18.around the country, and costing lives.
:14:18. > :14:24.Let us talk to Yinka Ogunmakin, with the Save Nigeria Group. He
:14:24. > :14:34.joins me on the line from Lagos. A much further are you going to go.
:14:34. > :14:42.
:14:42. > :14:52.The Government shows no sign of backing down. Some of those... What
:14:52. > :15:04.
:15:04. > :15:13.you have done is to wipe out... This is not just about... Nigerians
:15:14. > :15:22.are saying it is about a corrupt Government. In the last 15 years,
:15:23. > :15:32.Nigeria... And that is why they are fighting, and that they are guiding
:15:33. > :15:41.
:15:42. > :15:51.thousands across Nigeria. They are This money, $6 billion annually, is
:15:52. > :16:27.
:16:27. > :16:36.basically going to a cartel of fuel We have no business importing that
:16:36. > :16:39.into the country. OK. Thank you fought speaking to us.
:16:39. > :16:41.Twitter has become the latest social networking site to fall
:16:41. > :16:44.victim to paedophiles. An investigation by the BBC found it
:16:44. > :16:48.being used to discuss abuse and link each other to images of child
:16:48. > :16:50.pornography. CEOP, the organisation set up here in Britain to tackle
:16:50. > :16:53.the sexual exploitation of children, says Twitter is lagging behind
:16:53. > :17:03.other social-networking websites in tackling the problem. Here's the
:17:03. > :17:03.
:17:03. > :17:08.BBC's Chris Buckler. Twitter has become an internet
:17:08. > :17:14.phenomenon. Tens of millions of people use the site had to keep in
:17:14. > :17:17.touch. While the vast majority are simply sharing it stories, news and
:17:17. > :17:21.gossip there are concerns about how groups of paedophiles are using
:17:22. > :17:28.their accounts. The BBC has seen evidence of users publishing images
:17:28. > :17:33.of children. There are also online conversations in which they openly
:17:33. > :17:39.discuss abuse. He is saying that he would like to have sex with this
:17:39. > :17:44.girl. Mark Williams Thomas is a former detective who lectures in
:17:44. > :17:50.paedophilia. He says the company is acting to solely in taking down
:17:50. > :17:54.accounts. I understand they cannot stop everyone from going on it, but
:17:54. > :17:59.when they are made aware of a profile which is clearly abuse
:17:59. > :18:09.material, they must take it down. That profile should be down within
:18:09. > :18:23.
:18:23. > :18:27.48 hours at the very latest. Twitter is just the latest social
:18:27. > :18:32.networking side to encounter problems. Paedophiles are using the
:18:32. > :18:37.internet to get in touch with children. I sent revealing pictures
:18:37. > :18:47.in very compromising positions. Jake was persuaded by paedophiles
:18:47. > :18:51.to send making it photos of themselves at the age of 13. There
:18:51. > :18:56.was a plan for me to meet one of these people and then go back to
:18:56. > :19:00.Birmingham for shopping and then go back to his hotel room. I was three
:19:00. > :19:08.days away from meeting that person when my mother called me. What age
:19:08. > :19:16.were you? I was 14. What about him? He said he was 29, but the police
:19:16. > :19:21.Tommy was at least 10 or 15 years older. Facebook has added buttons
:19:21. > :19:25.so that they can spend -- can be reported that one click. They are a
:19:25. > :19:29.bit behind some others who have been around longer. These people
:19:29. > :19:32.with a healthy interest in child abuse images occupy a lot of
:19:32. > :19:37.difference based on the internet without interruption, without being
:19:37. > :19:42.stopped. That is wrong. Twitter it relies on the users reporting
:19:42. > :19:46.problems, and there are concerns about how accounts are monitored
:19:46. > :19:49.because only their followers are able to see what those users of
:19:49. > :19:52.sharing and following. Mitt Romney is a step closer to
:19:52. > :19:56.becoming the Republican candidate for the White House. That follows a
:19:56. > :20:01.second successive victory in the New Hampshire primary. A week ago
:20:01. > :20:04.he won the Iowa caucuses by just eight votes. As Jonny Dymond
:20:04. > :20:14.reports, Mr Romney is increasingly confident he will win his party's
:20:14. > :20:21.
:20:21. > :20:24.nomination. Republicans of preparing for crucial primaries in
:20:24. > :20:26.Florida later this month. Let's go to Washington and speak to
:20:26. > :20:31.Jon McHenry, the vice president of Republican strategists Ayres,
:20:31. > :20:36.McHenry and Associates. Looking at Jon Huntsman, he did not
:20:36. > :20:40.bother to compete in I were and he came third in New Hampshire. Does
:20:40. > :20:46.that illustrate how difficult it is being a moderate in this race?
:20:46. > :20:50.does. It shows his decision not to compete and it was driven by the
:20:50. > :20:55.perception that he would be seen as to moderate for that state. In New
:20:55. > :21:03.Hampshire, he gave it a good run, rising from 9% a week and a half
:21:03. > :21:07.ago up to 17 %. He did not quite catch up to Dr -- the doctor. Had
:21:07. > :21:11.he carried on, huntsmen would have been the alternative. As it turned
:21:11. > :21:17.out, he got enough of the vote to continue on to South Carolina but
:21:17. > :21:24.not become the big media story. is now trailing. A comedian in
:21:24. > :21:29.South Carolina is doing well. In terms of him being a Mormon, is
:21:29. > :21:36.that another issue which is not playing particularly well with a
:21:36. > :21:41.broader Republican base? I think that was a serious issue for Romney
:21:41. > :21:45.when he ran a four years ago. South Carolina prides itself on picking
:21:45. > :21:50.the bottom up one of the nominating process, but there is always some
:21:50. > :21:54.knife fighting going on between operatives on the ground. That
:21:54. > :21:58.torpedoed Romney to some extent in South Carolina last time, but at
:21:58. > :22:02.this point everyone is so concerned with the economy, the state of the
:22:02. > :22:07.country and where it is going, the social issues, whether you are a
:22:07. > :22:11.Mormon or a Baptist falls a bit off in South Carolina compared to what
:22:11. > :22:17.it was four years ago. It helps govern a huntsman that the army is
:22:17. > :22:23.also in the race. This election is different because of the emergence
:22:23. > :22:26.of Super packs. He got involved with one for Jon Huntsman. Explain
:22:26. > :22:32.how that works, because it gets around the $5,000 cap on political
:22:32. > :22:38.donations, but in theory you're not allowed to have any direct contact
:22:38. > :22:45.with the candidate. Does that work in practice? In our Super pack, it
:22:46. > :22:52.has... A you would say that! Yes. What we have seen in our Super pact
:22:52. > :22:57.is that if John Hunt's then gives a press conference and talks about
:22:57. > :23:00.appealing to independence and moderate, we think he should be
:23:00. > :23:07.talking as a more conservative we cannot do anything about it. One of
:23:07. > :23:11.the interesting things in debates over the weekend work rummy and
:23:11. > :23:21.another man talking about how they had no engagement in the adverts.
:23:21. > :23:25.There was a 27 minute advert that his pack was putting out. He seems
:23:25. > :23:30.to have had some information about what was going to be in there for
:23:30. > :23:33.sure. Thank you. We must leave it there.
:23:33. > :23:36.One of the most common causes of laptop computers and tablets
:23:36. > :23:39.breaking is apparently someone spilling a drink on them. Never
:23:39. > :23:41.slow to spot an opportunity, some manufacturers are now designing
:23:41. > :23:44.machines which they claim can survive being dunked in crumbs and
:23:44. > :23:54.coffee. They're among the new products on display at the Consumer
:23:54. > :24:00.
:24:00. > :24:05.Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Show us at their worst please.
:24:05. > :24:12.I will have a try. Tens of thousands of new products launched
:24:12. > :24:17.at this show each year, most of them will not be big hits. Tablets
:24:17. > :24:19.are a big theme as all manufacturers tried to complete --
:24:20. > :24:24.can be with the iPad. They have not been that successful so far but
:24:24. > :24:28.here is one with a big difference. It falls away, goes into your
:24:28. > :24:33.pocket, you have two it screens and different things happening on each
:24:33. > :24:42.screen. That is one of the tablets on show here. Plenty more. Than
:24:42. > :24:48.Cooper, is anybody really producing anything that will challenge Apple?
:24:48. > :24:53.In terms of the 10 inch square, it is for down between Apple and
:24:53. > :24:55.Samsung. The interesting thing is is that Sony have the fording a
:24:55. > :25:01.design which they think is something different. Samsung have
:25:01. > :25:11.come out with the galaxy which is halfway between the two. It is a
:25:11. > :25:15.
:25:15. > :25:18.fully functioning mobile-phone as A super gadget fair, but
:25:18. > :25:22.unfortunately the technology has led us down a little bit. We will
:25:22. > :25:32.see if we can resume that link later. I don't think that we can,
:25:32. > :25:35.
:25:35. > :25:39.I'm afraid. We will try and do this Hillary Clinton said that the Arab
:25:39. > :25:42.League mission it should not continue indefinitely and that
:25:42. > :25:44.Syrians deserve political transition. It comes after the
:25:45. > :25:48.killing of the first Western journalist in that 10 month
:25:48. > :25:52.conflict. I think that it is clear to both
:25:52. > :25:58.the Prime Minister and myself that the Monetary mission should not
:25:58. > :26:02.continue indefinitely. We cannot permit President Asad and his witty
:26:02. > :26:08.-- a regime to have impunity. Syrians deserve a peaceful
:26:08. > :26:14.transition. We are looking to work with the Arab League when the
:26:14. > :26:18.current monitoring mission expires on genuine 19th. We look again to
:26:18. > :26:20.the Prime Minister for his leadership.
:26:21. > :26:23.Hillary Clinton there in the last few minutes.
:26:23. > :26:26.A reminder of our main news: Iranian officials claim US and
:26:26. > :26:30.Israeli intelligence agents are responsible for the killing of a
:26:30. > :26:32.Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran. Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who worked
:26:32. > :26:42.at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, was killed when two
:26:42. > :26:43.
:26:43. > :26:53.motorcyclists placed a magnetic bomb on his car.
:26:53. > :27:01.
:27:01. > :27:05.That is all. Next, the weather. We have got rather cloudy, wet and
:27:05. > :27:09.windy weather pushing south across the UK tonight. There are two
:27:09. > :27:14.Thursday, things look set to change. A lot more sunshine, particularly
:27:14. > :27:18.in the north, but it will turn colder as well. It is courtesy of
:27:18. > :27:22.this weather front sinking south, allowing cold air to filter behind.
:27:22. > :27:27.But notice the squeeze in the isobars first thing on Thursday. It
:27:27. > :27:31.will be a win the start. Through the morning, the weather front
:27:31. > :27:36.sinks south and it marks a real dividing line across the country.
:27:36. > :27:41.For the North, a beautiful sunny afternoon, temperatures dropping as
:27:41. > :27:47.the winds mac return north-westerly. In the south, a cloudy afternoon.
:27:47. > :27:54.Westerly winds keep it relatively mild. The weather front will delay
:27:54. > :27:58.its activity. Rain will be patchy. The clouds will break up across
:27:58. > :28:01.Wales, revealing sunshine. Winds turned north-westerly across
:28:01. > :28:06.Northern Ireland. Clad in the morning, but drier and brighter in
:28:06. > :28:12.the afternoon. Temperatures for northern England and Scotland
:28:12. > :28:15.suppressed on previous days, six or seven degrees at best. The wind