:00:15. > :00:18.This is BBC World News Today with me, Tanya Beckett. Violence flares
:00:18. > :00:26.on the state of Bahrain. Police used tear gas and stun grenades as
:00:26. > :00:29.the proposed new government try to mark the first anniversary of pro-
:00:29. > :00:32.democracy protests. Officials in Thailand say a man
:00:32. > :00:38.they believe to be from Iran is seriously hurt after trying to
:00:38. > :00:42.throw a bomb at police in Bangkok. Back to square one. Eurozone
:00:42. > :00:51.finance ministers' council meeting after concerns over the spotlight
:00:51. > :00:54.latest austerity plans. Also coming up in the programme: Barack Obama
:00:54. > :01:01.welcomes to the White House, the man expected to become China's next
:01:01. > :01:11.president, our Internet matchmaking sides all that they promised?
:01:11. > :01:16.
:01:16. > :01:18.The science of seeking someone Hello and welcome. One year ago
:01:18. > :01:21.today, protesters in Bahrain inspired by the Arab Spring began
:01:21. > :01:28.an uprising, a challenge to the Sunni Muslim dominated rulers from
:01:28. > :01:30.the majority Shia community. Today, anniversary was marked by a ten
:01:31. > :01:34.stand off and clashes between activists and the security forces.
:01:34. > :01:38.-- tense stand off. Thousands of riot police took up positions in
:01:39. > :01:41.the capital, Manama. In particular, Pearl Roundabout, which last year
:01:41. > :01:51.became a symbol of Bahraini resistance. Here is Security
:01:51. > :01:59.
:01:59. > :02:05.Correspondent, Frank Gardner. Bahrain's uprising. Thousands of
:02:05. > :02:09.mainly Shia Muslim protesters have tried to converge year. They are
:02:09. > :02:13.ringed by security forces. They have several villages under lock
:02:13. > :02:18.them, determined to stop these protesters from blocking traffic in
:02:18. > :02:21.setting up a protest camp. Given the large numbers involved, it is a
:02:21. > :02:26.relief to the protest is not more violent. It is still a stark
:02:26. > :02:35.reminder that the Sunni Muslim population have deep-rooted
:02:35. > :02:38.grievances that need addressing. it any kind of democracy that
:02:38. > :02:43.appointed Prime Minister for 40 years? We understand that people
:02:43. > :02:47.should be represented in the parliaments. Frustration are
:02:47. > :02:51.amongst Shi'ite villagers is obvious. The government blames
:02:51. > :02:56.opposition parties for the failure of negotiations. The opposition has
:02:56. > :02:59.been calling for reform for you but it has rejected every reform
:02:59. > :03:05.initiative since February. It is hard to see that in a productive
:03:05. > :03:08.liked. Bahrain's King Hammett commissioned an international
:03:08. > :03:14.investigation into human rights abuses last year. It called for
:03:14. > :03:16.sweeping reforms which it has promised to enact. Senior lawmakers
:03:17. > :03:21.and policemen have been brought in from outside with cameras installed
:03:21. > :03:25.in police stations. These demonstrators say that despite
:03:25. > :03:29.earlier promises, some of those sacked for taking part in protests
:03:29. > :03:32.have still not been reinstated. Bahrain's Shi'ite majority does
:03:32. > :03:36.suffer discrimination and the government has been slow to address
:03:36. > :03:40.this. The security forces were heavily criticised last year for
:03:40. > :03:45.excess of brutality. Despite nightly clashes with men in
:03:45. > :03:51.government, vandals, they have issued some restraint. They have
:03:51. > :03:57.come under constraint -- attack from Molotov cocktails and tear gas
:03:57. > :04:03.and have not always come out on top. The attacks are set to continue.
:04:03. > :04:06.We will speak to a reporter in just a minute. Mohammed is a resident in
:04:06. > :04:16.Sanabis village on the outskirts of Manama. Can you tell us what
:04:16. > :04:24.
:04:24. > :04:29.happened here today, please? though. -- Hello. We wanted to go
:04:29. > :04:33.to the town scare but the police forces gave us a chance to do so. -
:04:33. > :04:43.- Square. We understand that a great number of people were
:04:43. > :04:43.
:04:43. > :04:49.arrested. Is that what you which is as well? And number of people were
:04:49. > :04:57.arrested. Police attacking homes and knocking down doors to enter
:04:57. > :05:07.homes to arrest people. There had been people in the streets and
:05:07. > :05:14.
:05:14. > :05:24.people are shouting. My cousin was in a house there. There was an arm
:05:24. > :05:38.
:05:38. > :05:46.tank and seven men were arrested. - armed. What is the protesters
:05:46. > :05:52.immediate objective? We wanted to go into the town square but their
:05:52. > :05:57.tanks were everywhere, seven armed tanks were moving inside the
:05:57. > :06:02.village. Muhammad, thank you very much.
:06:02. > :06:05.I am joined now by our security correspondent, Frank Gardner. We
:06:05. > :06:10.were hearing their from one of the protesters. What is the government
:06:10. > :06:15.line on this? You would probably have to ask them. In a way, Bahrain
:06:15. > :06:19.has dodged a bullet today. It was always going to be a day of clashes
:06:19. > :06:24.with the first anniversary of the uprising. This time last year, it
:06:24. > :06:26.resulted in multiple deaths. The security forces were not prepared
:06:26. > :06:30.for the massive outpouring of demonstrators and shot several of
:06:30. > :06:36.them dead. There were then funerals with more people dying at the
:06:36. > :06:40.funerals and a terrible cycle of violence. They seem to be much
:06:40. > :06:46.better prepared. The deployed in force but seemed to show some
:06:46. > :06:50.restraint, which is hard to believe given the footage. In these
:06:50. > :06:53.villages, they have legitimate political grievances, but at the
:06:53. > :06:58.same time, there probably undermining their cause in the eyes
:06:58. > :07:03.of the rest of the country through this vandalism. Twitter is
:07:03. > :07:07.absolutely alive with people on both sides of it, with the protest
:07:07. > :07:11.are saying, help us, we're freedom fighters. The rest of the country
:07:11. > :07:17.saying, these people are vandals. They are setting fire to property
:07:18. > :07:23.and attacking police. They are firing darts at police. There are
:07:23. > :07:26.two sides to this and Bahrain is a very polarised place. There is very
:07:26. > :07:30.little common ground between the two. You have been covering the
:07:30. > :07:37.story for a long time. Is this the beginning of a new cycle of
:07:37. > :07:44.violence? I do not think it is. If anything, it is an enormous release
:07:44. > :07:49.no one was killed today. -- relief. I think it is an urgent reminder to
:07:49. > :07:53.the government that it has not much time and it needs to sit down. It
:07:53. > :07:57.is an urgent reminder to the main opposition party that they have to
:07:57. > :08:01.find some kind of common ground. Both sides are blaming the other.
:08:01. > :08:04.The government have said that they have offered through the Crown
:08:04. > :08:07.Prince's initiative, a fully elected parliament. They have
:08:07. > :08:11.offered to change electoral boundaries to make it more
:08:11. > :08:15.democratic and so on. The opposition are saying we're not
:08:15. > :08:18.seeing any substantive concessions and it is all lip-service. They are
:08:19. > :08:22.both quite a far we're part and there is no question that they are
:08:22. > :08:26.people on the monarchy who would very much like the current state of
:08:26. > :08:29.affairs to continue. They would like to continue the upper hand and
:08:29. > :08:37.there is a hard line caucus within the monarchy who do not want to
:08:37. > :08:41.give up any concessions to the Shi'ite majority, who are perhaps
:08:41. > :08:48.not the majority of residents over all but are a majority of Bahrain
:08:48. > :08:53.nationals. Hardliners are saying, give them nothing, and give them
:08:53. > :08:57.the full punishment. I have seen posters saying hang of protesters.
:08:57. > :09:00.At the same time, there are moderates within the government who
:09:00. > :09:04.are saying that we cannot survive like this. 20 years from now, we
:09:04. > :09:11.will be gone if we continue like this, so we have to find common
:09:11. > :09:15.ground. Police in Thailand say a man they
:09:15. > :09:19.believed to be an Iranian has lost both his legs and a bomb explosion.
:09:19. > :09:24.Witnesses say the man was about to throw the bomb at police when it
:09:24. > :09:27.exploded. The man who was taken to hospital was one of five people
:09:27. > :09:34.injured in a series of explosions and a busy commercial centre of
:09:34. > :09:39.Bangkok. The areas where the explosions
:09:39. > :09:43.occurred were sealed off as the authorities tried to piece together
:09:43. > :09:49.the train of events. The first blast had been up in a house close
:09:49. > :09:54.to the centre of Bangkok. Then, one of the men inside had tried to fail
:09:54. > :10:00.-- hail a taxi. It failed to stop and he appears to after a bomb at
:10:00. > :10:03.the vehicle. There was then a third explosion. This same man had
:10:03. > :10:10.attempted to throw another expose about police. He missed and the
:10:10. > :10:16.device blew up causing him serious injury. We discovered the injured
:10:16. > :10:23.man's passport. It is an Iranian passport. It shows he entered
:10:23. > :10:29.Thailand and then to Bangkok last Wednesday. He had bombs. He used
:10:29. > :10:33.them three times and we are trying to defuse bombs inside the house.
:10:33. > :10:36.Officials are not prepared to speculate but these explosions, one
:10:36. > :10:42.month after security measures were stepped up following warnings of
:10:42. > :10:47.possible terrorist threat. Also in January, Thai authorities found a
:10:48. > :10:52.large supply of bomb-making materials near the capital. The
:10:52. > :10:56.American embassy said there could be attacks in Bangkok. There is no
:10:56. > :11:00.sign of who the attackers might have been targeting, but with a
:11:00. > :11:07.suspected link to Iran, Israel already saying this was an
:11:07. > :11:11.operation sponsored by it Tehran. The head of the eurozone countries
:11:11. > :11:13.has called off an EU finance ministers meeting scheduled for
:11:13. > :11:18.Wednesday because Greece has still not met all the necessary
:11:18. > :11:23.conditions. Instead of a face-to- face meeting, it will now just be a
:11:23. > :11:29.conference call. What sort of assurances is he
:11:29. > :11:36.looking for? There are two conditions he still wants Greece to
:11:36. > :11:39.meet. They are, first of all, they have to find an extra 325 million
:11:39. > :11:46.euros in savings on top of the austerity package that the
:11:46. > :11:49.parliament passed on Sunday night. Secondly, the euro group once
:11:49. > :11:54.written pledges from the main political leaders fear that they
:11:54. > :11:59.will implement the austerity measures and cuts before elections
:11:59. > :12:03.in April. Added pressure for Greece and the euros on is aware that if
:12:03. > :12:07.the pressure is increased on this country, they feel, the European
:12:07. > :12:11.Union feels, that Greece will deliver more than it has in the
:12:11. > :12:20.past because there is a lot of frustration at the haste of pace
:12:20. > :12:25.here in Greece. Time is of the essence here because we're talking
:12:25. > :12:29.of 20th March as the next repayment that has to be met. Is there a
:12:29. > :12:33.sense that this could in the end prove counter-productive and be
:12:33. > :12:37.could be reaching that point now? It could certainly backfire in
:12:37. > :12:40.terms of the order many great people here who feel incredibly
:12:40. > :12:44.frustrated that the barrage of austerity cuts that had been forced
:12:44. > :12:48.upon them. There is already a growing sense of anti-European
:12:48. > :12:51.sentiment here and the feeling that Greece's financial future is very
:12:51. > :12:55.much in the hands of the European Union now. Particularly in the
:12:55. > :12:59.hands of Germany and there is a lot of anti-German sentiment around
:12:59. > :13:06.that a lot. Yet more pressure and more demands will go down very
:13:06. > :13:09.badly with the Greek public. The government are very aware they are
:13:09. > :13:18.relying entirely on his bail-out and it is a vital lifeline for this
:13:18. > :13:22.country to avoid bankruptcy next month. The reckoning is that more
:13:22. > :13:27.pressure to implement the cuts, for them to not just the there will
:13:27. > :13:32.simply do so, will mean that they will go along with it because the
:13:32. > :13:35.daylight is so essential. The next take a look at some of the day's
:13:35. > :13:38.other news. Chinese leaders have told visiting
:13:38. > :13:44.European officials that Beijing wants to do more to help Europe is
:13:44. > :13:49.of its debt problems. The Prime Minister Wen Jiabao did not give
:13:49. > :13:53.any other assurances regarding money.
:13:53. > :13:57.Italian prosecutors have appealed against the decision last year to
:13:57. > :14:01.throw out the murder conviction of Amanda Knox and her former
:14:01. > :14:04.boyfriend for the killing of the British student, Meredith Kercher.
:14:04. > :14:08.At the time, the Italian appeals court said the evidence did not
:14:08. > :14:13.hold up. The High Court is expected to issue its decision towards the
:14:13. > :14:18.end of the year. With football, one of the world's
:14:18. > :14:21.best-known clubs, Glasgow Rangers, has entered financial
:14:21. > :14:24.administration. The Scottish champions have faced financial
:14:25. > :14:30.difficulties for some time and are awaiting the verdict of a tax
:14:30. > :14:37.tribunal. Rangers where Uefa Cup runners-up four years ago and have
:14:37. > :14:43.won the Scottish title a record 54 times.
:14:43. > :14:47.He is China's tomorrow man. The current vice-president is widely
:14:47. > :14:50.tipped to take over as China's leader. As befits a leader in
:14:50. > :14:54.waiting, he is honing his international diplomacy with a
:14:54. > :15:00.visit to the United States. It comes when ties between Beijing and
:15:00. > :15:04.Washington, the two worlds biggest economies, a strained because of
:15:04. > :15:09.human rights. President Obama today welcomed him to the White House
:15:09. > :15:18.saying the US sought the White -- China's piece for rise as positive,
:15:19. > :15:25.although with it, comes more TRANSLATION: If nothing goes wrong
:15:25. > :15:31.for them, these men will but the President's next year. In their
:15:31. > :15:38.first meeting they set the tone. President Obama welcomed Wen Jiabao
:15:38. > :15:43.with a cabinet. With power and prosperity comes increased
:15:43. > :15:48.responsibility. We want to work with China to make sure everyone is
:15:48. > :15:56.working by the same walls of the world when it comes to the economic
:15:56. > :16:00.system, ensuring there is a balanced trade flow. It also means
:16:00. > :16:06.that on critical issues like human rights we will continue to
:16:06. > :16:11.emphasise what we believe is the importance of recognising the
:16:11. > :16:17.aspirations and right of all people. The Chinese leader was more guarded.
:16:17. > :16:24.TRANSLATION: At the main purpose of my visit is to implement the
:16:24. > :16:34.important agreement that was reached and to do some work on a
:16:34. > :16:44.work relationship and leave it in the right direction so we can build
:16:44. > :16:45.
:16:45. > :16:48.a relationship on mutual respect. From there Oval Office meeting took
:16:48. > :16:57.talks with Cabinet members, there was a lot of substance on the
:16:57. > :17:02.agenda. The Obama administration went above protocol to show respect.
:17:02. > :17:06.There was also a lavish lunch at the state apartments. For the
:17:06. > :17:11.United States, this is about building a rapport and getting a
:17:12. > :17:20.better sense of how the Chinese vice-president inks and operates.
:17:20. > :17:28.For him, it is a chance to show how he operates on the world stage.
:17:28. > :17:32.know you will be visiting I you were, where you visited when you
:17:32. > :17:40.were a governor. I understand you are also going to Los Angeles.
:17:40. > :17:45.it is a carefully choreographed visit to show that Xi Jinping is a
:17:45. > :17:48.man of the people and will potentially make a good leader.
:17:48. > :17:53.Andrew Billo is Senior Program Officer for Policy in the Asia
:17:53. > :17:58.Society's New York Public Programs Office. One is always looking for
:17:58. > :18:03.some sort of change in relations between China and the US, all
:18:03. > :18:12.attempts at political one this. Are we getting there with this new
:18:12. > :18:18.future leader? Absolutely. I think this is a critical visit, in light
:18:18. > :18:23.of the potential leadership change in China and the US. It does bode
:18:23. > :18:29.very well. What do you think is most important in the US-China
:18:29. > :18:33.relationship? Trade has been there for a long time and the issue of
:18:33. > :18:41.the currency strength, or tackled it really. Is that still top of the
:18:41. > :18:48.agenda? Yes. The trade and currency issues will continue to be in the
:18:48. > :18:55.political arena in the election year. Fundamentally, both countries
:18:55. > :19:04.have the same interests, which are economically based. They had
:19:04. > :19:08.concerns for the coming months and years. They need to look to each
:19:08. > :19:13.other to learn and recognise that despite the differences between the
:19:13. > :19:20.two countries, fundamentally, both share a common interest. Do you
:19:20. > :19:24.think that there was room on the agenda to discuss, for example, the
:19:24. > :19:30.European financial crisis and Syria, or do you think the United States
:19:30. > :19:39.is more interested in honing its own interests and relationship with
:19:39. > :19:48.China? At this point, given that Zayd Jin Ping is not President, it
:19:48. > :19:54.is an opportunity to focus on their relationship. The more pressing
:19:54. > :20:01.issues regarding Syria I think will be left off the agenda in favour of
:20:02. > :20:06.looking at how in light of the situation, the potential of both
:20:06. > :20:15.leaders to work together and understand each other. Did you see
:20:15. > :20:20.a fundamental difference in personal style? Yes. The Chinese
:20:20. > :20:30.vice-president is an insider. His father was a senior member of the
:20:30. > :20:36.Communist Party in China. President Obama is a Washington outsider who
:20:36. > :20:40.came from a diverse background. Once they had these differences, I
:20:40. > :20:47.think be vice-president, whose daughter studies in the United
:20:47. > :20:57.States, has an understanding of American culture. Thank you for
:20:57. > :21:03.
:21:03. > :21:06.joining us. As millions of couples around the
:21:06. > :21:08.world celebrate Valentine's Day, thousands of them will attest to
:21:08. > :21:11.the seemingly scientific match- making abilities of internet dating
:21:11. > :21:14.sites. Online dating is growing at a phenomenal rate with many sites
:21:14. > :21:16.claiming their algorithms can help singles find their perfect match.
:21:16. > :21:18.However, one American psychology professor says such algorithms are
:21:18. > :21:20.not scientifically valid and despite some sites boasting
:21:20. > :21:30.thousands of success stories, the science behind match-making can't
:21:30. > :21:39.
:21:39. > :21:49.yet be taken seriously. Joining eight is the managing director of
:21:49. > :21:51.
:21:51. > :21:57.one of our popular website. Sir, How does the process work? It is
:21:57. > :22:06.less about the up orisons and what they don't like, it is about what
:22:06. > :22:15.they like. So oh you are looking for a profile that is replicated?
:22:15. > :22:25.We are not mathematical geniuses, it so weak employ a third party
:22:25. > :22:27.
:22:27. > :22:29.tall that makes recommendations. I am joined by Eli Finkel, an
:22:29. > :22:38.Associate Professor of Social Psychology at Northwestern
:22:38. > :22:43.University in Chicago. Do you think there is anything in this? I think
:22:43. > :22:47.that it is probably Banque, although I did not here at the
:22:47. > :22:57.entirety of the previous speaker. I should make an important
:22:57. > :22:58.
:22:59. > :23:08.distinction. Do I think an algorithm can detect who like, but
:23:09. > :23:11.
:23:11. > :23:21.that is not the goal of online dating. But goal is to get off-line,
:23:21. > :23:23.develop a relationship that has the potential to be long-term. So, are
:23:23. > :23:30.you saying you don't think there is any scientific structure that can
:23:30. > :23:34.be applied to online dating? I am not saying that it will. In fact,
:23:34. > :23:40.over the last 80 years, relationship scientists who use the
:23:40. > :23:44.empirical evidence have discovered all sorts of things about what
:23:44. > :23:49.predicts relationship will bring in the long run, but that work is
:23:49. > :23:54.being largely ignored by the algorithm matching sites. Does that
:23:54. > :24:00.relate to a couple who are already together, or does that relate to
:24:00. > :24:05.finding to people who fit? Where would the online dating services
:24:06. > :24:10.dismiss this? There are three things you can use to put it
:24:10. > :24:20.relationship well-being. Firstly, independent information about
:24:20. > :24:25.people. Secondly, personal dynamics. Thirdly, things they have in common.
:24:25. > :24:32.The problem with the way the current match an algorithm site
:24:33. > :24:37.work, they rely on the first of those three, and it turns out that
:24:37. > :24:41.although you can identify who is likely to be a bad relationship for
:24:41. > :24:46.almost anybody using methods like that, you cannot use methods like
:24:46. > :24:52.that to detect which two people are uniquely compatible. That is
:24:52. > :24:58.interesting. There is information it is difficult for a website to
:24:58. > :25:08.get access to. I agree. We do not match on hard attributes, so we go
:25:08. > :25:08.
:25:08. > :25:15.down the behavioural algorithm. We also believe in testing and
:25:15. > :25:19.chemistry, meeting up for a quick coffee, for example. When our
:25:19. > :25:23.members do come to wasn't so they have found love, we do not asked
:25:23. > :25:29.them whether or not it was the algorithm. Do you have any proof
:25:29. > :25:35.measuring your success. We don't, but a study front end to end would
:25:35. > :25:45.be interesting. When people meet in a bar, for example, the environment
:25:45. > :25:45.
:25:45. > :25:55.is different. So you are a part - that so you are up against a lot of
:25:55. > :25:56.
:25:56. > :26:04.competition. We are, but we will continue using behavioural
:26:04. > :26:09.algorithms when it comes to matching. Thank you.
:26:09. > :26:14.A reminder of our main news - there has been a massive security
:26:14. > :26:18.operation in Bahrain to stop protesters marking the first
:26:18. > :26:25.anniversary of the uprising. The authorities have sealed off roads
:26:25. > :26:29.and deployed armoured vehicles in the capital and outside the city.
:26:29. > :26:32.But least in Thailand say a man who they suspect is an Iranian has had
:26:32. > :26:38.both his legs blown off after attempting to throw a bomb at
:26:38. > :26:44.police. A man was one of by people injured in three explosions in a
:26:44. > :26:49.busy district of Bangkok. The first occurred at a house where it is
:26:49. > :26:59.thought that three Iranians were living. That is all from the
:26:59. > :27:07.
:27:07. > :27:14.programme. That's it for now. Well, what does your Ballantyne --
:27:14. > :27:20.Valentine's Day evening were the have in store? High pressure is
:27:20. > :27:29.sitting to the West. Weather fronts will try to push in. There are
:27:29. > :27:35.north-westerly winds. As they come in from the north-west, there will
:27:35. > :27:41.be some brighter skies in central and eastern part as we had to the
:27:41. > :27:51.afternoon. However, there will be cloud across the East and South
:27:51. > :27:57.
:27:57. > :28:07.East. Three central and -- fruit central areas, it will stay bright.
:28:07. > :28:15.Northern Ireland will be fairly cloudy with highs of nine degrees.