06/11/2013 World News Today

This is BBC new -- World News Today. Evidence emerges that Yassir Arafat

may have died from polonium poisoning. Forensic tests on the

bones of the former Palestinian leader said polonium Lemuel 's -

polonium levels were many times higher than normal.

Coming up, the bad black -- the backlash from Edward Snowden's

spying revelations. And a new look for shop mannequins. A British

retailer is to showcase larger sizes. Is it a publicity stunt or

will they sell more clothes? Hello and welcome. Forensic tests on

the body of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat are reported to

show unexpectedly high levels of radioactive polonium according to a

team of Swiss experts. Mr Arafat died nine years ago but his body was

exhumed last year amid claims he had been poisoned. His widow says he was

the victim of a political assassination. We can go to the West

Bank and speak to our correspondent. What more can you tell us about the

report? This is a long report and I haven't had the chance to read all

of it yet. It comes from the University Centre of legal

medicine, a highly respected forensic medical institution. They

have been looking into the possible causes of his death. A dose they

were given belongings from the late Palestinian leader by his widow in

conjunction with the news channel, Al-Jazeera, which was conducting an

investigation as part of a documentary. They found traces of

polonium and radioactive elements at that stage. Last year we saw

dramatic action here where the remains of Yasser Arafat's worth

exhumed and 20 samples were given to the team of scientists from

sweetness -- Switzerland to conduct tests. There were samples given to

French and Russian scientists as well. These are the Swiss findings

and they suggest that 18 times the normal levels of radioactive

polonium in his remains were found. They support the idea that the late

Palestinian leader was poisoned There are caveats when you read this

report. The evidence has deteriorated. It was eight years

before it all started. There is a variation on the samples and the

results are not as accurate as they would have liked. This is an

impaired -- an important and sensitive story in the middle east.

It is. If you talk to Palestinians, many remember those days. It was in

2004 in October that Yassir Arafat fell mysteriously ill. His compound

had been under attack. Part of it have been destroyed and then the

news came that he had some kind of flu but his condition rapidly

deteriorated. Egyptian and Tunisian doctors were unable to find the

cause. There were these scenes when he was flown out by helicopter and

taken to Paris where he finally died on the 11th of November. They are

looking at how he may have died and who may have killed him, if that is

indeed what happened. Also it is important to mention that Israel has

come out strongly denying it had any involvement in Yassir Arafat's

death. Thank you. Let us now bring you some reaction out of Israel It

is a story that is moving. An Israeli Foreign Ministry

spokesperson has told the BBC that this is more soap opera than

science. He says the two investigative teams were

commissioned by interested parties as to what happened. They never

bothered to look for traces of radioactivity. He says the other

huge hole in their theory is the outs -- absence of access to the

French hospital where Yassir Arafat died and access to his files. There

will be much more on this story that that is where we are at the moment

with the report. To Russia now where the artistic

director of the Bolshoi Ballet has been describing the moment he had

acid thrown in his face earlier this year. An attack which nearly blinded

him. A former top dancer at the Bolshoi has been tried of that

assault along with two other men in a case that has revealed a bitter

infighting at the world famous ballet company.

He had been badly burnt and nearly blinded. This was the Bolshoi

Ballet's artistic director and someone had thrown sulphuric acid it

into his face. Now he had the chance to face his assailants. From the

crush of TV cameras outside the court room, you could tell the drama

inside would be as gripping as anything you had ever seen on the

stage of the Bolshoi. That is because among those on trial here is

one of the ballet troupe 's own dancers. Pavel Dmitrichenko is

accused of organising the attack. He said he had seething resentment to

his boss. He was described as a talented dancer who he had promoted

but would turn against him. He angrily rejected click games by the

dancer. He had taken bribes and had intimate relations with some of the

ballet rage -- but -- ballerinas. The Bolshoi Ballet has always been

one of the jewels in Russia's cultural crown. This court case is a

huge embarrassment. It shines a spotlight on a murky backstage world

of job -- jealousy, rivalry and revenge. That's comes as no surprise

to those who know the Bolshoi Ballet well. There is so much jealousy

inside the theatres but not in such a big thing like the Bolshoi. It is

something huge and what we see now is criminal is. Geller macro Sergei

Filin has had operations to save his site. He spoke of the excruciating

pain he felt after the attack and said he would never forgive those

who have carried it out. In the first big round of US

elections since President Obama was returned to the White House, New

York has elected its first democratic mayor for 30 -- 20 years.

The proceeds Michael Bloomberg who is stepping down after three terms.

In New Jersey, there has been a significant vote with a straight

talking moderate Republican, Chris Christie, re-elected as state

governor. That makes him a front runner to be the Republican

candidate for the next elections in 2016.

In Virginia, Terry McAuliffe has beaten off his conservative rival to

become governor. It has been -- he has been a close eye -- ally of

Hillary Clinton. Here in the UK, the three heads of

the intelligent ache -- agencies are here to talk about their work in

public for the first time tomorrow. The chiefs of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ were

expected to face tough questions at Westminster over the extent of

internets of -- surveillance. There have been questions raised in

Germany, spec and the Netherlands. This is an issue that is not going

away. -- Spain. You have received accolades for the

way you have tried to use technology. I have always seen you

as an evangelist for the Internet. We are looking at a real backlash

against the Internet -- against the internets, against spying. Our

information networks are like nuclear power. We see the technology

is taking on the values and intentions of the users. It is the

same way in which the internets can create value and be used extensively

for surveillance. What do you think when you see Angela Merkel voicing

her outrage and distaste? She came from a state where surveillance is

chilling. If somebody hacks my phone, I will get really mad. Europe

as to be viewed within its full context. I worked for Hillary

Clinton for many years and had to tussle more than once with the

surveillance firms that worked in and around Munich for selling

sophisticated surveillance gear The French have been very angry about

reports. They get the crown jewel themselves further and proficiency

in this area. Let's be honest, a lot of different countries are doing

this. When we have these revelations like from Edwin Snowden, is your

reaction to -- Edward Snowden, Israel -- is your reaction that you

knew this all in -- all along? The questions are reasonable. They are

valid. Shouldn't people like you raise questions thinking that the

public should know more about what is happening in terms of their

communications being monitored? Philip -- Hillary Clinton showed

real leadership. We need to have a global dialogue about the balance

between privacy -- privacy and security. Security without freedom

is oppressive. Freedom without security is fragile. We need to

figure out how we can reconcile the -- these two things. Do you detect a

different reaction on both sides of the Atlantic? In the states, is that

sends of security Paramount? It has shifted. There are responses to the

attack that were warranted after 9/11. The US is in a state of

perpetual war. We have to keep our country safe. The response from

everyday Americans was as loud as it was from people in Europe and so

what I think a conclusion is that have to have an executive

oversight, judicial oversight and more congressional oversight over

these programmes. The technologies are not going away. Twitter is about

to go public, to sell shirts -- shares. This is the next big thing.

Doesn't that lead to concerns about monetising content? You are a

commodity more than a citizen, aren't you? I believe these

companies ought to have the right to build business models -- around

personal data, around communications and other such things. This is and

should have the freedom to say that they don't want it. Bureaucrats in

Brussels, Washington, London, say they need to regulate this so the

people who use the platforms have fair shake, it is controversial I

can't let you leave without asking you about Hillary Clinton. You know

her so well. I know you think she would make a good President. The

question is it whether she wants to go through that back in 2016. She

hasn't made a decision yet. I am very biased. I have an

11-year-olds, an eight-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son I

would love them to grow up in a country with Hillary Clinton as

President and I would not like them to grow up in a country with one of

these crazy right wing people. Run, Hillary, run.

The former boyfriend of Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito, has been giving

evidence in an Italian court at a retrial hearing. The 29-year-old is

back in court for the appeal trial in Florence, which sees the former

lovers accused of killing British student, Meredith Kerchner in Italy

six years ago. But Amanda Knox has refused to leave her home city of

Seattle. Alan Johnston reports. In this seemingly endless case, yet

another day in court. And an important one. Amanda Knox could not

be compelled to attend and she has stayed at home in America, but her

co-accused, her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, was present to

give dramatic testimony. The prosecution said he and Amanda Knox

were involved in forcing Amanda Kirchner into sexual acts that

spiralled out of control, a game that ended in a brutal murder. But

he insisted it wasn't true, and he is not a merciless killer.

TRANSLATION: there is no sense in thinking I had any interest in

committing an atrocious act on a 20-year-old girl. This has no

foundation in reality. This has been going on for too many years. My life

has changed completely. It is more than six years since Meredith

Kercher was murdered. Her promising life cut short at the age of just

21. All this time, her family have you forced to wait and says, for

some sense that justice has been done. And while they wait, Amanda

Knox is defending herself in the court of public opinion. Appearing

on television in America and elsewhere, denying any involvement

in the killing. Her lawyers say her case has received a boost today

There has been a new examination of this knife. The defence will claim

the latest DNA tests supports that this is not the murder weapon, and

it cannot link Amanda Knox to the killing. But the prosecution will

bitterly contested that argument and the court room wrangling will go on

into the New Year. When you look in shop windows at the

mannequins used to model clothes, they're usually conventionally

pretty and relatively thin. Today the British clothing chain

Debenhams has said it's going to introduce larger mannequins. It says

British high street fashion has been showcased for too long on dummies

that are three sizes too small, and it hopes women will be more likely

to buy clothes that will look good on them. The standard dress size for

British mannequins on the high Street is an eight or ten. A far cry

from the average which is more likely to be 16. Debenhams has

decided to make body image is more realistic by becoming the first

retailer to bring in a size 16 manikin for their clothes.

Beautiful, famous and slim. Driven by the fashion industry and

celebrity culture, pressure on women to be thin, many argue, is at and at

worst, potentially dangerous. One High St retailer has decided to

act. Debenhams has launched a new size 16 manikin to appear alongside

its standard size ten. The retailer says it has a moral obligation to

reflect the clothes size of its shoppers, but it makes commercial

sense with similar strategies producing huge amounts of positive

publicity. It is important to be as inclusive as we can. We started this

activity four years ago when principles launched a model that was

in a wheelchair. And also swimwear shops and lingerie. Not all our

customers are a size eight and five at ten tall. That is the theory in

the boardroom, but what do shoppers thing? It is clear, we are not all

size eight and ten. I would not even dare to see if there is anything in

my size, because it intimidates me. You get a more realistic view of

what it will look like. Debenhams is trying to seize the moral high

ground when it comes to female body image. But with more serious issues

worth addressing, like equal pay, forced marriage or even Twitter

abuse, is this debate about mannequins simply an unhelpful

distraction? Presenting realistic female body images to consumers

says the government, is important. Today it came out in favour of the

size 16 manikin. A range of issues affect women. This is an important

one, particularly when you look at the rising rates of eating disorders

and the impact this lack of body confidence can have. But it is not

the only issue. It is one of many things we're working on in

government. The debate on how close are presented mannequins is likely

to continue as the average British woman now wears a size 16. So far,

no other retailers have plans to follow Debenhams.

With me is Amber Jane Butchart, fashion historian and associate

lecturer at the London College of Fashion. Is this something to be

applauded, this note of realism Definitely. Debenhams have been

Trailblazers on the high Street in this regard. They stopped

airbrushing in their editorial campaigns. All these initiatives are

great, and I hope it will signal a brighter, more diverse future for

the British high street. I suppose what will matter and whether

Debenhams sees its clothes sales going up. It does have two have

profit out of this manoeuvre? That is true. But a study has been

published in Cambridge which found if women are looking at fashion

images on a wider range of models, models they perceive to be more like

themselves, not some unattainable ideal, they are more likely to buy

clothing from these images. When you are looking at Vogue or any of the

other magazines, they are still skinny models. They are

aspirational. So when you say you see something closer to you in the

store, you want it to be more like you? I think so, yes. There is a

lack of diversity across a number of areas. I was at a conference last

week at the London College of fashion which celebrated ageing

which is something the fashion industry ignores, largely. Ethnicity

is always an issue during the international collections this

season. High-profile models sent an open letter to the people who run

fashion week saying, these catwalks are largely white, there is not

enough diversity across a number of different areas. Is Debenhams being

a trailblazer or has this been tried in other markets, in other

countries? There is a particular department store in Sweden that has

used a range of different mannequins for about ten years. This kind of

circulated online a few months ago, some images from 2010. They were

using a variety of size ten, size 16 models, similar to the Debenhams's

sizes. It got a range of reactions. People were saying it was promoting

obesity, which is a crazy idea. It was missing the point. To say

someone is the average size is promoting obesity, it shows a lack

of awareness. We are talking about women, women's images and

mannequins. Do men not have the problem with that image? It is

predominantly a female issue. But body issues among men are growing as

well. It is becoming more and more something that men will think about.

They are all tall, slim mannequins in the windows of men's stores as

well? Yes, you get things on the physique you have the dedicated your

entire life to getting. That is equally not a normal body shape It

is something that if it reaches the same proportions, will have to be

addressed in the fashion industry as well.

Thanks for coming to talk this through.

Now a look at some of the other news.

The levels of gases in the atmosphere that drive global warming

have increased to a record high That's according to the latest data

from the World Meteorological Organization. It says atmospheric

CO2 grew more rapidly last year than its average rise over the past

decade. And concentrations of both methane and nitrous oxide also broke

previous records. A series of small explosions outside

the regional Communist Party headquarters in Taiyuan in Shanxi

province in northern China have killed at least one person and

injured several others. No explanation has been given for the

incident, but tensions in China are high after a car ran into a crowd in

Tiananmen Square in Beijing last week. The government called that

incident a terrorist attack. The Colombian government and the

leftist Farc rebels have announced an agreement on the conditions and

guarantees for the Marxist guerrillas participation in formal

politics after their eventual demobilisation. The announcement was

made in the Cuban capital, Havana, where the two parties have been

holding peace talks since November 2012.

When Captain Cook first sailed to the Pacific he brought back sketches

of some of the unusual creatures he'd seen on his voyage. These were

later turned into paintings, giving the British public their first ever

glimpse of the Kangaroo and the dingo. The works, which were first

shown at the Royal Academy back in 1773, have now been saved for the

nation thanks to generous donation. Our Arts Editor Will Gompertz

reports. A kangaroo looking back. The dingo

walking in the Australian landscape. Two animals previously

unfamiliar to those living in the UK, including George Stubbs, the

celebrated artist who painted them. He worked from skins and information

brought back by Captain Cook. There were collected by the scientist

Sergio is a ranks. George Stubbs, was a very good anatomist, was

presented with this drying, shrivelled skin of a kangaroo. He

could not make head nor tail of it. He's sown it up, moistened it so it

was viable. Blew it up and saw it really did have these small arms and

this huge tail and these whopping, great legs. They were in a private

collection, but now have been acquired by the National Maritime

Museum in London, much to the annoyance of the National Gallery of

Australia. The kangaroo on Australia's earliest coat of arms

was based on George Stubbs's image. The National Maritime Museum raise

the ?5.5 million needed to buy them. It will put them on public display

along with the rest of the collection relating to Captain

Cook's great voyages. That is all now, next we have a weather update.

Thanks for watching. It has been a dull and damp day

across England and Wales. Heavy pulses of rain for Wales and the