27/02/2014 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me, Kassia Madera. Russia has said

it's willing to work with the West to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.

Military movement within Ukraine is raising tension. The new interim

prime minister says they don't want ANY foreign intervention.

No boots on the ground. Ukrainian Department of defence and Ukrainian

Department of home security is capable of doing their job.

The German Chancellor addresses the British Parliament saying she wants

a strong UK with a strong voice in Europe.

Also coming up: returning to scene of the crime - The Italian captain

of the Costa Concordia cruise ship visits the wreck as part of his

manslaughter trial. And we'll take you to the world's

oldest art - Caves in Northern Spain open for a select few to visit place

called the prehistoric Sistine Chapel.

Hello and welcome. Western nations have called on Russia to ease

tensions in Ukraine's Crimea region. The US Secretary of State has said

everyone needs to take a step back and avoid provocation. The Russian

Government has said it's willing to work with the west on averting a

crisis in Ukraine, but it has warned NATO against taking decisions on

behalf of the Ukrainian people. All the tension comes as armed

pro-Russia supporters stormed the regional parliament in Simferopol.

This idiot in Ukraine but the crowds were shouting Russia today as they

celebrated the storming of the local parliament by men with guns. The

building was barricaded so that MPs could not come and go and nobody

knows who the occupiers are. It shows how little control the

Ukrainian Government has in Crimea, a peninsular in the south-east of

the country. The heavily armed men took over the parliament at about

four o'clock this morning. Witnesses say they were carrying rifles and

grenades and forced their way and throughout the police who been

guarding the building. This morning's actions by an armed

group is dangerous and irresponsible. I urge Russia not to

take any action that could escalate tension.

But along the border with Ukraine, Russia is conducting what it calls

military preparedness exercises. It involves thousands of men. Given the

interest in Crimea which was historically Russian, it has only

exacerbated concerns in the West. We expect other nations to respect

Ukraine sovereignty and avoid provocative action. That is why I am

closely watching Russia's military exercise.

The alarm increased when seven armoured personnel carriers, thought

to be Russian, briefly turned up on the outskirts of the city. They've

probably part of a legitimate between bases. Ukraine's new prime

Minister begged other countries not to get involved militarily.

My first message is no boots on the ground. The Ukrainian Department of

defence and the Ukrainian Department of home security is capable of doing

their job. We believe that we will definitely find a political

solution. Ukraine's deposed president, Viktor

Yanukovych, has not been scenes on Sunday night. But tomorrow, he will

give a press conference in Russia. 70 miles from the Ukrainian border.

Following developments from Kiev is Duncan Crawford. Duncan, we heard

there from the new interim prime minister, saying they don't want

foreign boots on the ground. Is the new Government trying to play down

all the sabre rattling? I think there is concern about the

situation but clearly they do not want it to escalate. The new leaders

coming into power have seen difficult times before with Russia.

There is no surprise that Ukraine and Russia can get into arguments

over matters like this. There have indeed been separatist goals in the

past from Crimea as well. Earlier today, the interim prime minister

told the BBC that he does not expect Russia to interfere in Ukraine. He

believes that Russia will refrain from trying to take any action which

would see Ukraine split in two. Tonight, the US Secretary of State,

John Kerry, said the military manoeuvres which have been taking

place in the West of Russia, right along the Ukrainian border, they

were preplanned. He spoke to Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign

Minister. There is a sense that the key players involved in orders are

trying to downplay the tensions. Thank you.

With me is the political risk analyst Natasha Grand. She's

Director of Research at the think tank INSTID.

We heard Duncan say that there is hope that Russia will not get

involved militarily. We have seen these exercises on the border. What

you make of this? Is there an appetite and Russia to do anything

further? I agree that Russia would not be

willing to be seen as the country who is rocking the boat. We have had

enough bad publicity. Also, the Russian foreign policy has been very

much underlying the stress on international law. Russia would want

to be seen as an important international player. One of the

great powers who sits at the table together with Europe, together with

United States and see how they can resolve this together. Ukraine is

not likely to make it on its own. There needs to be international

agreement. It is fair to say that Russia will be willing to be part of

a legitimate agreement. Having said that, it is important to understand

that this city is an important location because it is unable base.

For centuries, Russia has been fighting words to get access to the

Black Sea. The previous Government leased the military base to Russia.

The majority of the population in the Crimea is Russian. It is very

different from the rest of Ukraine. This particular region needs to be

regulated separately and Russia will be paying a lot of attention to

that. It is crucially important for

Russia, this particular region. Who do you think these people are who

have taken control in Crimea? Probably local people. Crimea only

became part of Ukraine in 1964. There is a long history of Russian

tradition in that area. It would most likely be local residents,

being very weary of what is happening in Ukraine.

In terms of what you think the next situation is going to be, or the

next steps are going to be, we have the referendum and of course we have

the former president Yanukovych making a statement on Friday, what

you expect to happen? We should expect further

negotiations, very intense to gushy Asians happening both publicly and

behind the scenes between the Ukrainian Government and

international players. Nobody is willing to put boots on the ground

now. Everyone wants the situation resolved peacefully and it is just

about flexing some muscles, perhaps, to show what each side is capable

of, the stakes are very high, but as I say, it would be better for all if

the result is peacefully. We will continue to monitor that

situation. Thank you. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has

said she will work with Britain to reform Europe saying she wants it to

remain a strong voice inside the EU. Chancellor Merkel was given the rare

honour of addressing both houses of the British parliament. While she

did not speak about Britain's possible re-negotiation of its

relationship with the European Union, as many had expected, she did

urge Britain to remain within the EU. Our political correspondent Rob

Watson reports. She is the most powerful politician in Europe and

only the second German leader to address parliament since the war.

Her message to the Eurosceptics is that the EU had helped to bring

peace and prosperity to the continent. She had not come to

London to promise a radical shake-up.

Some expect my speech to pave the way for a fundamental reform of the

European architecture, which will satisfy all kinds of alleged or

actual British wishes. I am afraid they are in for a disappointment.

She insisted that Europe does need to change and move with the times.

That would be easier with Britain still a member.

We need a strong united kingdom with a strong voice inside the European

Union. If we have that, we will be able to make the necessary changes

for the benefit of all. The two leaders clearly are not

entirely in step over the future of Europe but David Cameron insists

they are at least on the same side and that change can and must happen.

We had excellent discussions at lunch time. Angela Merkel and I both

want to see change in Europe. We both believe that is possible. I

believe that what I am setting out, sort of changes that Britain wants

to see, to build confidence in membership this organisation, and we

will hold the referendum before 2017 and give the public a choice.

Angela Merkel has been treated like what the Mac royalty, enjoying tea

with the Queen. She does not have a lack of love here, it is the lack of

detail that matters. Britain is pushing for reform of the EU but it

will not see just what changes it wants. It may be that the Queen will

have to provide a whole host of European leaders very great deal of

tea between now and the prime Minister's planned referendum in

2017. Getting some any countries to agree reforms clearly will not be a

piece of cake. The captain of the Costa Concordia

returned to the stricken cruise ship, more than two years after it

sank in a tragedy that claimed 32 lives. Francesco Schetino stands

accused of abandoning the ship and went on the visit as part of a

court-ordered inspection of the vessel, which still lies in the

shallows off the Italian island of Giglio. From there, Alan Johnston

sent this report. Returning to the scene of the disaster, Captain

Schettino is heading for the Concordia. Going back for the first

time, since that night. He joined 18 appointed by a court to examine

evidence on board. We cannot know what was going through his mind as

he moved about the wreck of his ship. Surely, there are memories of

the moment of his downfall. The shocking collision, the slow

realisation that the ship was lost. The deaths. Images from the

nightmare more than two years ago. The captain is accused of abandoning

his ship while hundreds of passengers were still aboard. They

were struggling to reach lifeboats. A furious Coast Guard commander

ordered Sketty knock again and again to get back on board. -- they

ordered Captain Schettino to get back on board. After his visit to

the wreck, he confronted his accusers. He refused to discuss his

emotions, wanting to stick instead to technical detail surrounding the

evidence gathering inspection that had just been completed. The

captain's trial is continuing and he faces the possibility of spending 20

years in jail. Meanwhile, plans are unfolding to refloat the wreck of

his ship and remove at the summer. But for the families of the victims

of the disaster, the memory of all that they lost in this place will

always remain. Let's catch up with some of the day 's other news, in

its latest report on files leaked by US whistle-blower Edward Snowden,

the Guardian newspaper in London says GCHQ with the help of the

American national a security agency intercepted and stored still images

of your whole webcam chats. A suicide car bomb has exploded in the

Somali capital Mogadishu killing at least 12 people and wounding eight

others. The explosion occurred outside the headquarters of the

security services. The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group has

claimed responsibility. The explosion comes just days after an

attack on the presidential palace. A second member of the "Cuban Five"

spy ring has been released from an American prison after spending more

than 15 years behind bars. It's not clear where Fernando Gonzalez is now

being held or when he will return to Cuba. The five were convicted in

2001 of conspiracy, but they are hailed as heroes in Havana.

Don't leave it too late to have children, it's a warning that women

hear all too often, myself included. Now a major new study suggests that

the male biological clock may be ticking just as loudly. Research

involving millions of people shows that children, whose fathers are

over 45 years old, are more likely to suffer from a wide range of

disorders and problems. The investigation has been conducted

jointly by Sweden's Karolinska Institute and Indiana University, in

the United States. Brian D'Onofrio is the lead

researcher on this and he joins us now from Indiana University in

Bloomington in Indiana. This is a huge study. Just talk us

through what are the key findings. The key finding is that as father 's

age, we found that was associated with greater risk of children's

problems, psychiatric and academic and what was most important and most

surprising was that the association was much larger than previous

studies. Are you suggesting that male sperm actually has a sell by

date? That is one of the hypotheses that can explain the findings but

there are other explanations that can account for the increased risk

in the offspring as well. There are some suggestions that older fathers

parent their children in different ways than younger fathers. Perhaps

they provide less supervision, less emotional support, that is one of

the hypotheses. There could be a genetic explanation. How concerned

should we be? We have so many different studies and it is mainly

women actually whose ear about this biological clock. How concerned

should men be? That is a great question and let me be clear, we are

not saying that every child will have a psychiatric problem, in fact

our study shows that the overwhelming majority of children

will not have these problems. But we are saying that is fathers get

older, it increases the likelihood that their children will have

tricked and academic problems. -- psychiatric. Older fathers have a

lock themselves to offer that could counteract these kind of problems

that you are suggesting. Yes, that is a great point. There are many

advantages to delaying child-bearing. They are all very

protective factors for kids but answered these -- our study suggest

there are greater risks. Couples will have to make decisions,

weighing up the pros and cons. Very good to talk to you. I am very

pleased to hear that the men can hear that biological clock as well.

Thank you very much for your time. In Los Angeles, excitement is

building in advance of this weekend's Academy Award ceremony.

While there seems to be consensus selections when it comes to some of

the trophies there's little agreement over who will triumph in

the best foreign film category. Tom Brook reports now on who's in the

race. This film from Belgium is the only

foreign language nominee with a strong musical theme. It brings

together American bluegrass with the Flemish language drama. A

relationship unravels after the death of this couple 's daughter.

The Academy has nominated Cambodia for the first time this year. It is

a documentary chronicling how the Camaro Rouge 's rain of terror

affected families. Italy is any race with the great beauty, it follows a

journalist in Rome as he ponders his life. Some of the world is bigger

film markets, the US in the digger, are resistant to movies with

subtitle is that subtitles. Palestinian film director has been

meeting the press. The nomination will help you as a

foreign-language movie. It will help you win United States but also in

the world. It is the second time this director has been nominated. It

is a love story set on the West Bank. It tells of a Palestinian who

gets involved in the shooting of an Israeli soldier. I think it is tough

for Israelis to watch. I am also encouraged by the Israeli

crewmembers that we had working with us. They felt that this was a very

powerful story that needed to be told. Also in the running for a foul

-- foreign-language film Oscar is denatured film the hunt. It

chronicles a close community when a teacher is falsely accused of child

molestation and everyone turns against him. A new open voting

system has made it difficult to predict the winner. But when pushed,

many forecasters believe the prize will go to the Belgian tear-jerker.

Next month, the Internet will turn 25 at years old. That is the day it

was first introduced as a concept. A lot has happened in the past two

decades. A research data in the US have compiled data on how Americans

have used this data through the decades.

Happy birthday World Wide Web. You are almost 25 years young. On March

12, 1989, the paper was written that would lead to the creation of the

web. The Internet had been around for years but the web is what

allowed regular folks to take advantage of the technology. How did

Americans respond as the web grew up? Let's head down memory lane.

Almost half said it would not be all that great to use computers for

sending messages. We seemed pretty naive in 1983. They predicted the

pitfalls of online shopping when Amazon was still just a river.

Fast forward to 1995, according to the reaches Centre, 42% of Americans

had still never heard of the Internet. But they were already

getting attached to technology. A majority said it would be hard to

give up their computer. Time marched on, long with use of the Internet.

One in ten people still are not online. But today the web is the

number one technology people are loathed to give up. We all know that

the World Wide Web can be a wild West of behaviour. But a majority of

those survey to say the Internet is good for strengthening

relationships. This positively women crew positivity expands across all

demographics. Mostly it has been a good ride on the information

superhighway. A few lucky people in Spain have been given the

opportunity to see some of the oldest art on the planet. The

colourful cave paintings on the ceilings of the Altamira caves,

which show bison, deer and horses, date back 22,000 years. Five people

have been selected through a lottery to see the site, which has been

called the Sistine Chapel ceiling of cave art.

You as a young child actually visited the originals. That is

extraordinary. Yes, on a camping holiday in Spain. We visited the

cave. And I think probably it had such an impression on me, it was

what started me into archaeology. And you are probably one of the last

few to see it. Since then, it has been decided that humans should not

be anywhere near it. Humans enlarged members. Yes, it became such a

popular attraction that it was necessary to close it so that all of

the breathing and perspiring and taking in seeds and things on your

shoes had to stop. Such a shame. We are looking at some of the images.

Talk as to what we can see on these incredible drawings. It is an

extraordinary cave. The ceiling is not very high. It is a little bit

misleading to refer to the Sistine Chapel because as you go in, it is

about two metres high and then it slopes down to very low. Only part

of it is high above you. As you look up, around the formations in the

ceiling of the cave, you can see this wonderful group of bison, which

the artists have used the humps and bumps to create the shoulders and

the big hindquarters of these animals. Very impressively into

colours. Often the outline is black and then they will fill with this

red. Of course, when it was first done, this was all done in the

flickering light of lamp is and burning torches, without moving

light, these animals would have almost breathed from the ceiling.

Amazing. Just to think that these are 22,000 years old. Very briefly,

how important are these drawings, historically? Enormously important.

Both historically and in terms of the art itself. It is the first case

to be discovered with art and still over 100 years later, one of the

best. I could talk to you all night but unfortunately, we are out of

time. Thank you so much. Good night. A wintry night ahead. In the north,

the warnings are out for ice. Further south, we could well have

some snow won the hills. It is all tied in with this area