:00:00. > :00:07.This is BBC World News Today, broadcasting in the UK
:00:08. > :00:15.The Headlines: Funerals are held for 10 Iraqi soldiers mistakenly
:00:16. > :00:18.killed by a US air strike in Fallujah.
:00:19. > :00:25.Washington says mistakes were made by both sides.
:00:26. > :00:28.The push to stop the war in Syria 5 years after it started -
:00:29. > :00:38.we get reaction to a plan agreed by the UN Security Council.
:00:39. > :00:44.Also the eye will have all of the sport including Chelsea asserting
:00:45. > :00:45.the post-millennial era with a win as the new boss watches from the
:00:46. > :00:47.stands. for a bargain on the final
:00:48. > :01:02.weekend before Christmas. Funerals have taken place for some
:01:03. > :01:05.of the ten Iraqi service personnel who were accidentally
:01:06. > :01:08.killed in an airstrike The US military said it happened
:01:09. > :01:14."despite co-ordination with Iraqi The incident took place
:01:15. > :01:20.near the city of Fallujah - in response to Iraqi requests
:01:21. > :01:22.for air support to help soldiers Iraq's defence minister said
:01:23. > :01:41.both the US and Iraq TRANSLATION: It is a very
:01:42. > :01:47.regrettable incident, and our losses where nine soldiers and a breather
:01:48. > :01:51.army officer. Our air force was not able to fly due to the bad weather
:01:52. > :01:55.and the coalition forces were covering the advance. There was an
:01:56. > :01:57.air strike on the advancing heroes and they were martyred.
:01:58. > :02:00.Investigations by the Iraqi and American 's are ongoing.
:02:01. > :02:03.Speaking aboard an American aircraft carrier in the Middle East,
:02:04. > :02:09.the US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said the incident was regrettable.
:02:10. > :02:16.I had the opportunity to speak to the Prime Minister at this morning
:02:17. > :02:23.and I was conveying our condolences on the loss of the lives of Iraqi
:02:24. > :02:37.service personnel last night. I explained to him I regret, he and I
:02:38. > :02:47.agreed that this was an event that we both regretted and that there
:02:48. > :02:54.would be an investigation that, but that these kinds of things happen
:02:55. > :03:01.when you are fighting side-by-side as we are and we have recommitted
:03:02. > :03:05.ourselves to that campaign against Isis. The US Defence Secretary
:03:06. > :03:11.speaking earlier. And you can get more on that
:03:12. > :03:14.story, and the fight against Islamic State
:03:15. > :03:16.in Iraq and Syria, by going There's been fierce
:03:17. > :03:18.fighting in northwest Yemen between government troops
:03:19. > :03:26.and Houthi rebels. At least 68 people are reported
:03:27. > :03:28.to have been killed. The clashes have been in an area
:03:29. > :03:31.where government forces captured the town of Harad, near the Saudi
:03:32. > :03:34.border, two days ago. The fighting comes despite
:03:35. > :03:36.a ceasefire being declared to coincide with peace
:03:37. > :03:37.talks currently taking There are reports that three people
:03:38. > :03:42.have been killed in a car-bomb and gun attack in the Somali
:03:43. > :03:46.capital, Mogadishu. Witnesses say gunmen opened fire
:03:47. > :03:48.and detonated the bomb Local police say the victims
:03:49. > :03:53.were pedestrians. It was not immediately clear
:03:54. > :03:59.who was behind the attack. A boat with more than a hundred
:04:00. > :04:02.passengers on board is in trouble off the coast of the Indonesian
:04:03. > :04:04.island of Sulawesi. Authorities say they lost
:04:05. > :04:06.contact with the vessel The chief of Indonesia's National
:04:07. > :04:11.Search and Rescue Team Agency said a team of rescuers was
:04:12. > :04:32.trying to reach the ship. A judge in Brazil has frozen the
:04:33. > :04:38.assets of BHP Billiton and veil over the collapse of a dam last month.
:04:39. > :04:44.The damages could exceed $5 billion. The dam was used to hold waste water
:04:45. > :04:52.from Ireland mining, the collapse flooded a vast area killing at least
:04:53. > :04:56.13 people. Tens of thousands of people have been protesting in
:04:57. > :04:58.Poland against the country's new Conservative government which they
:04:59. > :05:03.accuse of undermining democratic checks and balances. Demonstrations
:05:04. > :05:11.took place in more than 20 cities. It is the second week in a row that
:05:12. > :05:14.the demonstrations have taken place. More than 10,000 people gathered
:05:15. > :05:20.outside of the Polish parliament building, they waved both Polish and
:05:21. > :05:24.European Union flags and chanted we are defending reconstitution. People
:05:25. > :05:27.here are concerned that the government which took office just a
:05:28. > :05:31.month ago is trying to neuter the Constitutional Court. The tribunal
:05:32. > :05:37.has the power to block its programme. TRANSLATION: I never
:05:38. > :05:42.thought there would be a need to gather again to defend absolutely
:05:43. > :05:44.basic values of our motherland, freedom and democracy. An election
:05:45. > :05:50.is in agreement with society, and the Law and Justice party have won
:05:51. > :05:55.the election and have given the people something completely
:05:56. > :05:59.different. Smaller similar demonstrations took
:06:00. > :06:03.place in cities across the country. Provisional results show that
:06:04. > :06:07.Rwandans have or nominally voted to change the country's Constitution,
:06:08. > :06:10.allowing the president to run for a third term.
:06:11. > :06:11.But western governments, especially the United States,
:06:12. > :06:17.From Kigali, Catherine Byaru-hanga reports.
:06:18. > :06:26.Most people expected the Rwandans to vote yes, and a figure of 98% of
:06:27. > :06:29.firms the ruling party's position that any plans to change the
:06:30. > :06:34.constitution had always been because of the will of the people. But
:06:35. > :06:38.opponents of the government say that the process was not free and fair
:06:39. > :06:44.because first of all who were only given one week's notice of the vote
:06:45. > :06:48.and their -- and they were not allowed to campaign. We asked a
:06:49. > :06:52.member of Rwanda's National electoral commission whether the
:06:53. > :06:57.figures of 98% are really believable, for a voter turnout and
:06:58. > :07:01.the US fought. He said yes because in previous elections, for example
:07:02. > :07:07.presidential elections, President Paul Kagame had often gotten over
:07:08. > :07:12.90%. All eyes are now on Mr Kagame himself, will he announced that he
:07:13. > :07:15.is standing for a third term? Most people believe that yes he will add
:07:16. > :07:19.it is just a matter of time before he makes that announcement.
:07:20. > :07:26.International governments, especially the United States, which
:07:27. > :07:30.funds a large portion of the Rwandan government budget, have urged Mr
:07:31. > :07:34.Kagame to step down, they say he needs to set an example in a
:07:35. > :07:35.continent where many readers, African leaders, have often stayed
:07:36. > :07:41.on to long in office. The US Secretary of State,
:07:42. > :07:44.John Kerry, says a UN plan for Syria is a "milestone" in the efforts
:07:45. > :07:47.to end the conflict there. He said the plan gave
:07:48. > :07:49.Syrians a "real choice On Friday the UN Security Council
:07:50. > :07:52.unanimously agreed a roadmap to peace in Syria, but left out any
:07:53. > :07:55.mention of the future role of Syrian President
:07:56. > :07:58.Bashar al-Assad. Western countries have called
:07:59. > :08:01.for the departure of the Syrian leader, but one of Bashar al-Assad's
:08:02. > :08:03.key allies is Russia. It says Moscow can work
:08:04. > :08:07.with all sides involved but that the proposal should not
:08:08. > :08:23.lead to President al-Assad TRANSLATION: My counterparts say
:08:24. > :08:27.let's start the political process that those who want to post Assad
:08:28. > :08:32.are giving -- given some hope that this may happen. It is very sad that
:08:33. > :08:34.once again the common task, that is putting an end to terrorism, has
:08:35. > :08:36.become hostage to one personality. Syria's other ally, Iran,
:08:37. > :08:53.welcomes the proposal. TRANSLATION: I hope that what has
:08:54. > :08:57.been decided will be converted into action and not just remain as words
:08:58. > :09:01.on a paper. We can see what is happening in Syria and if we do not
:09:02. > :09:03.help the Syrian people now the problem will not only spread to the
:09:04. > :09:04.Arab countries but also to Europe. to the Arab countries
:09:05. > :09:06.but also to Europe. We can now talk to Mark Katz,
:09:07. > :09:09.who is Professor of Government and politics at the George Mason
:09:10. > :09:19.University in Fairfax, Thank you very much for joining us.
:09:20. > :09:24.The first question everybody wants to know the answer to but there is
:09:25. > :09:31.no answer, is what does this agreement mean for president Assad?
:09:32. > :09:36.We do not know what it means, that is the design of the agreement that
:09:37. > :09:40.it is not specific, that those who hope he stays in power can continue
:09:41. > :09:44.to hope so and those who hope that he will eventually leave power can
:09:45. > :09:49.hope that as well but one thing is clear, he will not be leaving power
:09:50. > :09:57.any time soon. So this timetable for talks, which is due to begin in
:09:58. > :10:00.January, how unrealistic is that? I do not think it is unrealistic there
:10:01. > :10:03.are just some any opposition groups and parties involved that I think it
:10:04. > :10:11.will be very difficult for them to actually agree on the other hand I
:10:12. > :10:14.think that now that the process is starting I think there is some hope
:10:15. > :10:19.that something might take place but it is not guaranteed by any means.
:10:20. > :10:23.You talk about all the different parties, we are talking about the
:10:24. > :10:27.Assad government, the opposition parties, but also other players in
:10:28. > :10:30.the region, Iran and other Gulf states as well. How will everyone in
:10:31. > :10:36.this agreement and the people who were not included in the agreement
:10:37. > :10:40.actually feel bound by it? I am not sure they will, I suppose that it
:10:41. > :10:43.isn't everyone's interests to say that they respect the agreement but
:10:44. > :10:49.I think everyone will do their level best to make sure that they have the
:10:50. > :10:51.strongest position on the ground. I would imagine that different
:10:52. > :10:56.external parties will continue to aid their respective allies inside
:10:57. > :11:00.Syria. Let's talk about Russia, Russia signed up to this agreement
:11:01. > :11:07.but still a very close ally of Assad. What change does this mean
:11:08. > :11:13.for Russia and how can the continued to put pressure on Assad when he is
:11:14. > :11:16.a clear ally of theirs? I am not sure that they need to change
:11:17. > :11:20.course, the fact that the resolution does not call for Assad to leave at
:11:21. > :11:24.the western Gulf Arabs have previously called for, I think that
:11:25. > :11:28.the Russians can retrieve this as something of a victory, at the other
:11:29. > :11:33.parties have come around to the way of thinking, that this issue has to
:11:34. > :11:37.be decided by the Syrian people. I think of course we all have very
:11:38. > :11:42.different views on what the Syrian people will ultimately decide but
:11:43. > :11:46.the Russians do not see themselves as having made much of the
:11:47. > :11:52.concession. Ultimately countries like the US want Assad is the goal.
:11:53. > :11:56.Yes and I think someone like John Kerry thinks that if in fact these
:11:57. > :12:01.free elections are actually held then Assad will not win them so I
:12:02. > :12:06.think that he can at least think that the process has begun whereby
:12:07. > :12:11.Assad might leave. Thank you very much for your insights.
:12:12. > :12:12.The leaders of India's opposition Congress party,
:12:13. > :12:15.Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul, have been granted bail after a court
:12:16. > :12:18.appearance in connection with a corruption case in Delhi.
:12:19. > :12:20.The case was brought by a member of the governing BJP,
:12:21. > :12:23.who has accused them of misusing Congress party funds to acquire
:12:24. > :12:42.It was the first time that members of India's famous Gandhi dynasty had
:12:43. > :12:46.appeared in court for 35 years. Hundreds of Congress party members
:12:47. > :12:49.massed outside Delhi's court to show their support for the mother and son
:12:50. > :12:55.leaders who are often regarded as royalty in India. Sonia Gandhi and
:12:56. > :13:01.her son are accused of -- by the ruling BJP party by -- of choosing
:13:02. > :13:06.Congress funds to illegally acquire a newspaper company and its property
:13:07. > :13:09.assets worth more than $300 million. After a hearing that lasted only
:13:10. > :13:13.several minutes of Sonia and her son were granted bail. They deny the
:13:14. > :13:20.allegations. They call them a political vendetta against them.
:13:21. > :13:22.TRANSLATION: The government is deliberately targeting the
:13:23. > :13:33.opposition, and it is using government agencies to do that. But
:13:34. > :13:35.we are not scared. The ruling government denies that this is
:13:36. > :13:39.anything other than a straightforward corruption case.
:13:40. > :13:45.Analysts say Congress will use this opportunity to strengthen opposition
:13:46. > :13:49.in India's Prime Minister and this could be dangerous for him, even
:13:50. > :13:53.though his BJP party has the majority in the lower house of
:13:54. > :13:58.parliament it still leaves Congress's support in the upper
:13:59. > :14:02.house to pass crucial legislation. As lawyers prepare for the next
:14:03. > :14:09.hearing, said Friday, the political is likely to continue.
:14:10. > :14:16.Stay with us on BBC world News, still to come: the Force is making a
:14:17. > :14:21.dent in box office records as the star Wars faithful turned out for
:14:22. > :14:25.The Labour peer Lord Janner has died following a long illness.
:14:26. > :14:27.Earlier this month was ruled unfit to stand trial over child
:14:28. > :14:30.His family denied the claims against him.
:14:31. > :14:40.Our Political Correspondent Chris Mason has more.
:14:41. > :14:45.It was a protracted legal tussle over whether or not he was fit to
:14:46. > :14:49.stand trial, with arguments being made very passionately on both
:14:50. > :14:52.sides. And in the end there was the conclusion just a couple of weeks
:14:53. > :14:56.ago from the High Court judge that he was not, as you were saying, fit
:14:57. > :15:02.to stand trial but what was due to happen in the spring was what is
:15:03. > :15:04.known as a trial of the facts, where a jury would look at the evidence
:15:05. > :15:09.that was going to be assembled against him and in his defence but
:15:10. > :15:12.would not have found him guilty, would not have convicted him but
:15:13. > :15:17.would have ultimately allowed his alleged victims to appear in court
:15:18. > :15:27.and make their case about what the alleged.
:15:28. > :15:37.This is BBC world News today. The latest headlines: funerals were held
:15:38. > :15:40.for ten Iraqi soldiers mistakenly killed by US air strike in the
:15:41. > :15:46.ledger. Washington said mistakes were made by both sides. And the US
:15:47. > :15:50.Secretary of State John Kerry said that a UN plan for Syria is a
:15:51. > :16:01.milestone in the effort to end the conflict there.
:16:02. > :16:03.Time for the sport. We will kick off in the Premier League, plenty of
:16:04. > :16:07.talking points, starting in London where it has been one of the more
:16:08. > :16:11.turbulent weeks in Chelsea's history. Defeat on Monday was Jose
:16:12. > :16:17.Mourinho's last match ahead of his sacking. His replacement was
:16:18. > :16:22.announced, it will be his second spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.
:16:23. > :16:29.He is in the stands alongside the owner as Chelsea beat the Black
:16:30. > :16:34.that's the-1. Sunderland remain in the relegation zone. Louis van Gaal
:16:35. > :16:37.admitted this week that he could suffer the same fate as Jose
:16:38. > :16:42.Mourinho if he did not produce the results the club expected. Neither
:16:43. > :16:47.the order is not the fans will have been impressed by their 2-1 defeat
:16:48. > :16:51.at home to Norwich city. United were booed off at half-time trailing 1-0,
:16:52. > :16:56.knowledge doubled their advantage after the restart through Alex
:16:57. > :16:59.techie. And Massey al pulled one back for United but they could not
:17:00. > :17:05.provide an equaliser as the boos rang out again. No wins in six games
:17:06. > :17:11.for a Louis van Gaal's side. We have never lost a season at home, and we
:17:12. > :17:25.lose so you can see what confidence is doing to players. And of course
:17:26. > :17:29.we have lost but now it is very important that everybody sticks
:17:30. > :17:34.together, the fans, I have to say that the fans were very, very good.
:17:35. > :17:41.They were still supporting after the second goal of knowledge, I think.
:17:42. > :17:45.But it was not good enough. Let's look at the results on the day.
:17:46. > :17:48.Bottom of the table this time last year Leicester City will copy
:17:49. > :17:54.Premier League table at Christmas, a remarkable transformation continues.
:17:55. > :18:00.They beat Everton 3-2. Elsewhere Spurs went back to Southampton where
:18:01. > :18:05.they won 2-0. Celtic have lost ground at the top of the Scottish
:18:06. > :18:09.premiership losing 2-1 at home to Motherwell, no wins at Celtic Park
:18:10. > :18:13.in the last four games. Aberdeen took advantage, winning 4-0 away at,
:18:14. > :18:19.reckoning that is only one point between them and the top table.
:18:20. > :18:26.Rugby union and particle or on Saturday in the Champions Cup, a
:18:27. > :18:31.thriller at the Bordeaux Stadium, the ospreys picking up two precious
:18:32. > :18:35.bonus points. Chris Ashton picked up a hat-trick of tries with sadness
:18:36. > :18:44.and scoring the counter, with a bonus points to win. Wasps beaten --
:18:45. > :18:47.was overturned by's unbeaten run and there is a quarter of an hour left
:18:48. > :18:53.to play between scallops in Glasgow where the score is 9-3 to Glasgow
:18:54. > :18:56.although Glasgow have a yellow card. And one of English football's most
:18:57. > :19:03.influential figures, Jimmy Hill, has died at 87. He was a player, a
:19:04. > :19:05.manager and as chairman of the footballers Association he led the
:19:06. > :19:06.campaign for the scrapping of maximum wages or professional
:19:07. > :19:19.footballers. Good evening and welcome
:19:20. > :19:21.to Match of the Day... The face of football,
:19:22. > :19:23.but so much more. Player, manager,
:19:24. > :19:24.broadcaster and innovator. Few have influenced the modern game
:19:25. > :19:26.as much as Jimmy Hill. Born in south London,
:19:27. > :19:30.he first made his name on the pitch Off it, he would soon
:19:31. > :19:43.have a greater impact. As head of the Players' Union,
:19:44. > :19:46.he brought an end the ?20 maximum wage cap and for the first time
:19:47. > :19:49.footballers could cash in. This is Jimmy Hill, Fulham's famous
:19:50. > :19:51.bearded inside right, As manager of Coventry in the 1960s,
:19:52. > :19:57.he brought promotion and also He introduced pre-match
:19:58. > :20:01.entertainment, trains to take fans Having guided them to the top
:20:02. > :20:08.flight, he suddenly quit At ITV, he created the idea
:20:09. > :20:14.of having football pundits before he moved to the BBC
:20:15. > :20:18.and Match of the Day. Good evening and welcome
:20:19. > :20:22.to Match of the Day. During the 1970s, that famous chin
:20:23. > :20:25.and distinctive beard turned him into football's biggest
:20:26. > :20:28.fixture, but all the time He returned to Coventry
:20:29. > :20:34.as chairman and led He pushed for the introduction
:20:35. > :20:38.of three points for a win So much of the current game,
:20:39. > :20:45.not least its wealthy players, A lot of professional footballers
:20:46. > :20:52.since then have a lot to thank him He stepped in as an emergency
:20:53. > :21:09.linesman at one game, took up horse riding for a TV
:21:10. > :21:11.programme, unsuccessfully, and was a regular
:21:12. > :21:14.target for satirists. He was more than happy
:21:15. > :21:16.to poke fun at himself. Losing games in football is not
:21:17. > :21:20.something you want to do. Winning, yes, losing,
:21:21. > :21:24.you don't want to do that. From his real-life
:21:25. > :21:28.colleagues, only affection. He was by my side, a reassuring
:21:29. > :21:32.figure, correcting me quietly He had that kind of personality
:21:33. > :21:39.and humanity, and a fantastic Most of all, he thought of things
:21:40. > :21:45.before other people did. Indeed, he was a man
:21:46. > :21:48.ahead of his time. While his forthright views may
:21:49. > :21:50.have divided opinion, his impact on modern football
:21:51. > :22:06.is surely beyond dispute. One of the World's leading
:22:07. > :22:08.conductors, Kurt Masur, Masur was music director
:22:09. > :22:15.of the New York Philharmonic He also spent 26 years leading
:22:16. > :22:24.the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra When Germany was reunited ,
:22:25. > :22:30.he directed Beethoven's Ninth Well, it's the last weekend before
:22:31. > :22:40.Christmas and the busiest shopping day of the year, it's known
:22:41. > :22:45.as Super-Saturday in the US and here in the UK it's
:22:46. > :22:48.called Panic-Saturday. Many retailers have
:22:49. > :22:50.started their sales early, rather than wait
:22:51. > :22:53.until after Christmas. Our business correspondent Joe Lynam
:22:54. > :23:07.has been out in the crowds Traditionally you always waited
:23:08. > :23:11.until after Christmas to get your winter sales but now because of the
:23:12. > :23:15.intense competition on the high street and retail market there are
:23:16. > :23:21.huge discounts to the God before Christmas, up to 50% we saw today on
:23:22. > :23:24.Oxford Street so the is huge opportunity and the consumers are
:23:25. > :23:27.the big winners. You talk about the high street but
:23:28. > :23:31.how many people are staying at home and logging onto the Internet? Huge
:23:32. > :23:35.numbers, I get the sense that there is an inflection point happening
:23:36. > :23:40.whereby people will buy soon more online than they are buying in the
:23:41. > :23:43.physical high Street. You could call it bricks and clicks, people are
:23:44. > :23:46.buying on the high Street but also doing their shopping beforehand,
:23:47. > :23:52.they get to know your product online first. You have been to Oxford
:23:53. > :23:57.Street, London's Centre for Christmas shopping, what have you
:23:58. > :24:02.been seeing in terms of London as a destination compared to other places
:24:03. > :24:05.in the world? London is a superb shopping destination, you will find
:24:06. > :24:10.that a university study, how retailers do it in the Oxford Street
:24:11. > :24:15.area, because that is so much expertise the shop windows
:24:16. > :24:17.accordingly and the staff accordingly and discount accordingly
:24:18. > :24:21.so people come from all over due to shop in London, but that is thanks
:24:22. > :24:25.to do with the strength of the euro against the pound but that is
:24:26. > :24:29.changing. Icelandic people, Nordic people where the currency is very
:24:30. > :24:32.strong, they find London very affordable so they come in huge
:24:33. > :24:36.numbers just before Christmas to get their burdens.
:24:37. > :24:37.Five shopping days left until Christmas.
:24:38. > :24:40.Star Wars fans have been out in force around the world as global
:24:41. > :24:42.ticket sales for the new film reached an estimated
:24:43. > :24:52.The latest instalment of the epic space adventure franchise has
:24:53. > :24:55.already broken records sales on its opening night
:24:56. > :25:05.It took 57 million dollars on Thursday, eclipsing the previous
:25:06. > :25:07.record set by the final Harry Potter movie in 2011.
:25:08. > :25:11.U.S and Canadian ticket sales rose to an estimated 125
:25:12. > :25:28.The reminder of the main news. Funerals are held for ten Iraqi
:25:29. > :25:31.soldiers mistakenly killed by a US air strike in the ledger. Washington
:25:32. > :25:37.says mistakes were made by both sides.
:25:38. > :25:41.And the US Secretary of State John Kerry said the UN plan for Syria is
:25:42. > :25:46.a milestone in the efforts to end the conflict there.
:25:47. > :25:50.That is all for now, but do remember if you would like to get in touch
:25:51. > :25:52.with me and some of the team you can through twitter.
:25:53. > :26:14.I know you have to pinch yourself that it is less than one week until
:26:15. > :26:16.Christmas Day, it has been another extraordinarily mild day. We have
:26:17. > :26:18.not broken any