08/12/2015 World News Today

The missed opportunity to catch the ringleader of the Paris attacks.

The BBC learns there was an attempt to arrest him months before the

After Republican candidate Donald Trump's call for Muslims to be

Paris climate talks about a new push a final agreement.

Nigeria's floating school where the children are offered the

Now it seems there was an attempt to arrest

Abdelhameed Abaaoud, the ringleader of the operation, months before

A senior anti-terrorism source in Belgium says Abbaoud was tracked to

Abdelhameed Abaaoud, the ringleader of the Paris attacks.

But the BBC has learned there was an operation to capture him in Greece

It was supposed to happen just before this anti-terrorism operation

in the Belgian town of Vervier on the 15th of January.

Two Islamist extremists were killed here.

They were part of a network stretching to

Because he was directing the jihadi cell in Belgium by mobile

Two days after the shoot out in Vervier,

We have been told by a resident of the building that this is

An Algerian man was arrested here and eventually

Across town, this was the second apartment raided.

The current occupant gave us a brief glimpse inside.

It is known traces of DNA were recovered in both apartments.

It matched samples recovered from Abaaoud's body in Paris.

He described a raid earlier this year.

Police say to me, did you see somebody?

He said a lot of people were coming and going from the apartment,

not speaking Greek, and it was always noisy.

It is not entirely clear how Abaaoud slipped through

There may have been an attempt to track him down

in this square by tracing the signal of his mobile phone.

The Greek authorities are not confirming any details.

All that is known is that he got away.

And Abaaoud is not the only link between Greece

the only gunman still on the run, travelled to Greece

by ferry from Italy on the 1st of August, leaving three days later.

And two of the suicide bombers that attacked the Stade de France,

they crossed by boat from Turkey to the island of Leros

Much of the detail that has emerged raises questions about how to create

a better exchange of information and closer cooperation

between anti-terrorism authorities in different European countries.

But the link with Abaaoud is also

If he had been captured in Greece back in January, the attacks in

Now a story that has been getting a huge amount of public attention.

The Republican presidential front-runner, Donald Trump,

has faced widespread condemnation, after saying all Muslims should be

prevented from entering the United States.

The billionaire, who has made a series of controversial remarks

throughout the presidential race, issued his latest call after last

His dream of becoming President is propelled

and also his hardline stance on immigration.

But Donald Trump is now advocating a policy Americans normally

associate with far right hate groups,

a blanket ban on foreign Muslims entering the country.

Donald J Trump is calling for a total

and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our

country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.

The more outrageous his remarks, the more cheers

They have helped make him a front runner

Rivals call him unhinged and offensive...

This morning on breakfast television he seemed almost to revel in it.

We have people that want to blow up our buildings, our cities and we

Last week's attack in San Bernardino has spread fears

in America about the threat from home-grown terrorism and some

I think it is a good idea with everything going on

It sounds harsh, but that is the reality.

There has been an acid shower of criticism.

This newspaper compared Trump to Adolf Hitler.

American Muslims have also expressed outrage.

Donald Trump sounds more like a leader of a lynch mob than

The dominant view is that shutting out Muslims would be un-American

It's worth remembering these were not off-the-cuff remarks,

they were the product of a political calculation.

Donald Trump is an astute businessman who knows an extreme

stance on immigration, however controversial, however offensive,

But to many he is devaluing the very notion of a United States

of America and trashing this country's international brand.

In the last hour a White House spokesman suggested Donald Trump's

comments should disqualify him from becoming president.

He added they were the worst judge campaign. His campaign has had a

dustbin of history like qualities to it, from the vacuous slogans and

outright lies and even the fake hair. The whole carnival routine

that we have seen for some time now. The question now is about the rest

of the Republican Party. Whether or not they are going to be dragged

into the dustbin of history with them. Right now the current

trajectory is not very good. The White House press secretary. David

Willets is in San Bernardino, the scene of the shooting last week.

This is where a terrorist attack actually happened on US soil. What

are people saying here about double Trump's comments about Muslims?

Donald Trump cited the events in this building behind me as the

reason for his view that Muslims should be banned from the US until

things are sorted out on this front. They are incendiary comments. They

have been attacked even by members of his own party and rivals for the

presidential nomination. Some people here, a minority, very small

minority probably agree with Donald Trump's remarks. But the vast

percentage, the bulk of the people we talked to this morning feel that

this United States was built on that policy of inclusion and that's to

ostracise one particular group of people, one religious group, if you

like, would fly completely in the face of all the United States of

America truly stands for. face of all the United States of

days on, how much is the picture of what happened in San Bernardino

becoming clear? I am sorry, would you mind repeating? How much is the

picture of what happened in San Bernardino becoming clear, if you

can catch that this time? UEFA you know what, the FBI has gone into the

conference room here. It is trying to piece together what actually

happened in that attack, just under one week ago. They are undergoing

some kind of time frame picture reconstruction at the moment, trying

to pinpoint exactly what happened and when. It has also emerged, just

in the last year, people in this building also underwent a training

exercise intended to prepare them for just this kind of eventuality.

We do not know whether one of the gun men in this attack was actually

part of that exercise. But the FBI said that it had interviewed about

400 people since the attack last week, collecting 380 pieces of

evidence, many of which are being analysed at their headquarters on

the East Coast, and they make the point it will be a long and

painstaking investigation. David, thank you very much. David in San

Bernardino, California. Bruce Orwall, the bureau chief of

the Wall Street Journal's London office says Mr Trump's comments may

have been a tactical move. You have to remember this statement

came out some hours after he was shown to be behind in the polls in

the crucial state of Iowa, where the sweepstakes kick-off. It could be

trying to distinguish himself among Republican rivals of which there are

a lot, 12 or 14 at last count rather than playing to the broader

populace. But it still carries an enormous amount of risk to go ahead

with a sweeping statement like that. If that is the intention it seems to

be working because it puts Ted Cruz in the lead. But who are people

talking about? Not him. I suppose it is true that it is better to be

mentioned than not. But there is a long game to play on a big statement

like that. It will put a lotta people in a precarious situation

where other Republican candidates will be under pressure to distance

themselves from Donald Trump if he emerges as the nominee of the party

in a few months. It could make it more difficult for him to solicit

support from other party members. What do you think of the support we

are hearing from what Donald Trump is saying? You have to understand I

think we have a bit of a global perspective. It is not just a US

phenomenon. In Europe we have seen the last couple of years support on

the immigration issue drifting, sometimes

the immigration issue drifting, right-wing parties, preaching this

message. It happened after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in

message. It happened after the earlier this year. Then we had the

big migration wave which earlier this year. Then we had the

lot of support to those parties. And now after the more recent Paris

attacks for example, the National party in France is doing

attacks for example, the National in the regional elections under way

there. And may have unprecedented power. It is not necessarily an

unusual cards to play. We will bring you what we are

hearing from the defence Ministry in Russia. The military has launched a

barrage of air and missile strikes in Syria and notably for the first

time it has launched a new cruise missile from a submarine. The

Minister said that the cruise missile was launched in the

Mediterranean and successfully hit its designated target. Bombers have

also taken part in the latest raids, 60 sorties in the last three days.

For the first time the Russians are saying that they have launched an

attack on targets in Syria from a submarine. We will bring you more

details on that as we get them. Reports

from Iraq say government forces have recaptured a key district

in the city of Ramadi, which was seized by the so-called Islamic

State group earlier this year. Iraqi media reports say the Tameem

area in the south-west of the city is now in the hands

of government forces. The South African athlete,

Oscar Pistorius, has been granted bail while he

awaits sentence for murdering his Judges changed his conviction from

manslaughter to murder last week but he intends to mount an appeal at

South Africa's Constitutional Court. Schools, factories and building

sites in Beijing have been closed as part of an effort to reduce air

pollution in the Chinese capital. Half of the city's vehicles

have been banned from driving. The red alert

for pollution is expected to remain As Beijing feels the effects

of pollution, the chances of a new global climate deal have received a

boost with the announcement that the European Union will join an alliance

with 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries in a final push

for agreement at talks in Paris. Matt McGrath is there for us now. It

is significant and interesting. It unifies the developed and developing

world. Nothing really gets done at the United Nations unless both sides

are involved. We have had coalitions of developing countries and richer

countries coming together with polarisation between them. That is

what the European Alliance does in the last couple of days of this

talks, putting together a frame of a coalition of countries developing

and the richer in a unified platform. They are clear about what

they want with a legally binding deal. They want transparency, some

money has been put into it by the European Union. It is sending a

positive signal to the rest of the talks for the other teams and

negotiators that a deal can be done. Well into week two. What is the

sense? Is it cautious optimism? I hate to use that cliche but it is a

sense of cautious optimism and I suppose the reason to some extent is

the French presidency. They have guided the talks well. Negotiators

seem willing to do a deal. We got a couple of crunch moments in the next

couple of days, with the long cherished hopes and ambitions of

many partners having to be put aside. I'm told the president here

would like a document tomorrow which has got a range of two choices on

each of the key questions. If that is the case, some important pieces

will have to be left outside. Some countries might object. I think that

is a real point of impact and interest as well, to see of these

countries will object the server as lead to what is left of the

document. For most people at the moment there is a sense of optimism

and at a deal, an important and strong one, can be done at the

weekend. Taliban militants have attacked

the airport complex in southern A spokesman for the provincial

governor said the Taliban stormed the main gate of the facility,

encountering heavy resistance The sprawling Kandahar Air Field,

south of the city, has both Inayatulhaq Yasini is from

BBC Pashto. Government troops are claiming they

have surrounded attackers. They said that they have vacated themselves in

two places, one is a school, they estimate four, five are dead and two

in a house. They are claiming civilian casualties and moving very

slowly. On the other hand, before coming to the studio, the Taliban,

he spokesman said on Twitter that cited is going on -- fighting is

going on and they have had a lot of casualties from government forces.

How significant is it when Kandahar has been considered a Taliban

stronghold? It was and it is. The men fighting the Taliban are mainly

from the South and from Kandahar. The important thing is international

forces are present. American bases are there. The government is not

saying that they are involved in the operation but they are there. They

must be having some involvement. The timing is important. This was the

first day of conference in Islamabad. The regional conference.

They have brought leaders and ministers to talk about needing

cooperation and Security and on the sidelines we will have discussions

on the peace process. One candidate is going tomorrow. The Taliban has

chosen a very important time. The other thing is that for the last

four or five days there was a rumour the leader was killed in fighting.

They are serving things have not happened. -- showing. That's the

leadership is intact and they can strike whenever they want. We were

seeing it was coming and we have had of this attack. Now there are

attacks out there. It is one of the oldest slams in Nigeria's largest

city and home to more than 100,000 people. -- slams. It sits on a

lagoon in Lagos. And as we report, it is an extraordinary floating

school here giving children the chance of a better life. It is

called Little Venice. The school run is under way. These children are the

sons and daughters of fishermen. Water is in the blood. What the

community lacks in glamour it makes up for in greatness. Change has come

to this area. An extraordinary floating school, widening horizons

and giving the children a leg up in life. This classroom is on the third

floor of the floating school. What is remarkable about the structure is

if you walk upstairs, you will find my favourite feature of this boat

will stop following me here. This is it. A second classroom. And this

classroom his open air. A cool breeze is blowing through as the

children are learning. One other thing you should know, take a look

at this. It is a unique view of the thing you should know, take a look

come from. The school is giving the children an opportunity to think

big. I want to be a lawyer and fight for human rights. I want to be a

businessman. I want to be a rich man. You want to be a rich man? And

what is special about this school? I like it. It is for a team. It was

founded -Noah, the first and his family to get an education. -- by

Noah. We have got all of the family to get an education. -- by

challenges. At 22 children, I am the last one of the family and I have

the lucky guy. That opened the school. Lunchtime and the meals

arrive. It is part of a community pulling together to give their kids

a chance. It is the most famous painting in

the world but is it really the original face painted by Leonardo da

Vinci? A print scientist has bent more than one decade studying the

Mona Lisa and says he has proved to need the famous portrait is the

picture of another woman. But it is claiming controversy in the art

world. -- causing. Her smile and mystery has gripped

the nation for more than 500 years. giving up some of her secret? A

the painting at the Louvre in Paris over a decade ago. -- rare access.

He has scrutinised the masterpiece. The painting has been analysed by a

multilayer 's camera under intense light. We can peel back all of the

layer of paint. He claims to have discovered an earlier portrait

beneath the surface. Working from his scanners, he was able to create

this reconstruction of what he thinks that version looks like.

Side-by-side with the portrait today. For me this is not the same

woman. Look at this painting which we all know. She is staring straight

at you with an enigmatic smile. In the new image underneath, instead of

gazing directly, she is looking to the side and there is no trace of

that famous smile. There has always been a debate about her true

identity. Over the been a debate about her true

time suck legend. How likely is it -- silk merchant. This man

time suck legend. How likely is it this latest scientific research. I

think these new discoveries are like a massive

think these new discoveries are like still waters of art history. They

disturb everything we thought we still waters of art history. They

knew about the Mona Lisa. We will probably have some reluctance from

the authorities to think about changing the title of the painting

because that is what we are talking about. It is goodbye, Mona Lisa. She

is somebody else. The Luke Rowe has declined to comment and the findings

have divided opinion. -- Museum. Not all scientists are convinced of

another portrait underneath. It may show what he was thinking about,

Leonardo. But the idea of a picture underneath the surface I think is

untenable. I think there is almost no doubt it is Mona Lisa. More than

9 million people flock to see the painting in a year. In 500 years it

shame seekers still keeping everybody guessing. -- it seems she

is still keeping people guessing. They were on stage when the suicide

bombers burst into the theatre killing 90 people. The rock band had

made a surprise and emotional return to the city, having laid flowers

outside the venue where so many of their fans died. On Monday night

they appeared at a concert alongside U2. It is the first time they had

performed since escaping from the Paris attacks. Welcome the Eagles of

death metal. It was more than a guess spot. -- guest spot. This band

returned to a personal horror, the city where they saw friends,

colleagues and fans murdered in front of them. The last time they

performed it was the night of the terrorist attack when they heard

gunfire at the end of the song. Fans tried to escape and band members hit

on the side of the stage. The lead singer saw a man with a gun raised

in his hand and the barrel hit a door frame. It saved his life. This

was, they said, an encore by a band bonded in grief with those lost and

injured. The song they chose was an old paddy Smith number, people have

the power. It is very brave to seeing this night. Because this band

have seen the devil. It is very good therapy for the band. It was a very

emotional moment for me. It was a very happy. The whole stage was with

them. People have the power! People have the power! The lyrics, people

have the power to rescue the Earth from fools. The music was over a few

hours later. They returned to where it all happen. It was a moment of

silence and reflection at the theatre.

We have got a lot more on all of our stories on our website. That is all

from this programme. The weather is coming up next. From me and the rest

of the team, goodbye. Good evening. More wet weather in

the forecast for the next few days but this rain will not be as heavy

or as persistent as the destructive rain we saw over the weekend. High

pressure