03/01/2016 World News Today

Saudi Arabia breaks diplomatic ties with Iran over the storming

The Saudi foreign minister says Iranian diplomats must leave

within 48 hours, and Saudi diplomats in Iran have been evacuated.

Hours earlier there were fresh protests in Tehran against

Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shia cleric -

tensions are rising throughout the Middle East.

IS militants release a video they say shows the killing of five

men who were allegedly spying for the UK.

Iraq said it had liberated the city a week ago,

but Islamic State militants are holding out.

Our correspondent enters the heart of the city.

Their flags are still flying just a few hundred yards from here...

And how the goat sent in as live prey for a tiger at a safari park

has managed to stay alive by befriending his potential

Saudi Arabia has broken diplomatic relations

with Iran following a row over the execution by Riyadh

of a prominent cleric from the Muslim Shia minority.

The Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said Riyadh would not

allow Iran to undermine its security.

He said Iranian diplomats must leave Saudi Arabia

Saudi diplomats in Iran are being evacuated.

The Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others were executed on Saturday.

They had been convicted of terrorism offences.

Hadi Nili from the BBC Persian Service joins me

How significant is this in terms of relations between Iran and Saudi

Arabia. The huge setback, clearly? Relations between Saudi Arabia and

Iran, it has not been a big surprise because even know relationships are

not very strong -- the Foreign Minister in Iran said he was very

hopeful they could improve their relations and maybe have some

ambassadors very soon in Riyadh. But with this new update it is not a

surprise with their relations. Considering that up until now they

have not had a very good religion ship. You are right. Also, we have

heard from Iran in the last few days -- good relationship. What do you

think Iran will do next? It has also been a matter of domestic politics

in recent days. Hardliners accuse governments and the reformers of

being soft. They want harsher rhetoric, partial words from the

government about Saudi Arabia. They also accuse some of the reformist

figures of being backed by the Saudi government which is not something

confirmed with any fact, but now having this execution in Saudi

Arabia and the hardliners also criticising the president for being

late, but the president today condemned the execution and also the

raid, he called for a responsible behaviour and also persecuting those

who broke into the embassy, to end this violence for a time, because

Iran has a history of Reading embassies. After the revolution,

there was the hostage crisis with the US and in 2011 hardliners

attacked a UK compound in Tehran and now the Saudi embassy -- a history

of raiding embassies. What have the Americans been saying and what do

you expect their reaction to this to be? After the raid on the Saudi

compound in Iran and US officials have been called for restraint and

also warning about increasing tensions, sick hearing intentions in

the region. They also called for, I mean, they call for the Saudi

Government to respect human rights -- warning about sectarian tensions.

They also are speaking about the legal process which led to the

execution of a number of people including al-Nimr. Our BBC Perisher

man in Washington, good to speak to you. -- BBC Persia.

Earlier, the leader of the Lebanese Shia movement,

Hezbollah, has launched a sharp verbal attack on the Saudis

for executing the Shia Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

In a television address, Hassan Nasrallah said the Saudis

wished to ignite a civil war between Sunnis and Shias

He urged Shias not to react in a way that he said played into the hands

And demonstrators again took to the streets in Tehran,

and there are reports of fresh protests at the Saudi

There were also demonstrations in Indian administered Kashmir and

Karachi in Pakistan. The decision to sever diplomatic ties with Iran,

after -- comes after the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran last

night. Kevin Connolly has been looking

at this developing story. It is not clear if the crowds

gathered at the Saudi embassy in Tehran were operating

with official encouragement. They reportedly chanted,

"death to the al-Sauds," the ruling They threw stones and petrol

bombs at the building, Some broke into the compound

and threw papers from the roof before

they were removed by the police. Iran has said that Saudi

Arabia will pay a heavy price for the execution of Nimr

al-Nimr but the country's supreme leader, warning that what he called

divine vengeance would befall TRANSLATION: This is really

a crime, a big crime. It is also a mistake

because his blood will catch up with Saudi Arabia,

without any doubt. The politicians, executives

and policy-makers of the Saudi government should have

no doubt this blood will catch up with them and it

will give them hell. Almighty God will not ignore

the blood of the innocent. Saudi Arabia, the leading

figure of Sunni Islam, will have expected an angry

reaction in the Shia world, like by Iran for the execution

of such a significant figure, but it is hard to project

how long and how intense The Islamic State militant group has

released a video that shows the killing of five men

who are accused of having The five are filmed making

statements that are presented Addressing the camera,

a masked militant - who appears to have a British accent

- makes threats towards the UK and the Prime Minister David Cameron

before the alleged spies are shot. Our security correspondent

Gordon Corera says it's the latest in a series of videos

the group has been posting, Two things make this

video stand out. One is that you will remember

Jihadi John, Mohammed Emwazi, who was killed in a drone strike

a couple of months ago. Well, now in this

video we have this new individual, who appears

to want to take up the mantle of Jihadi John as executioner

and propagandist in chief when it The authorities no doubt

will be investigating. Tonight the Foreign Office

are saying they are aware They will be trying to work

out exactly who he is. The second notable feature is,

quite chillingly, at the very end of the video there is

just a short section of a child, perhaps about five years

old, talking very briefly, apparently again

in a British accent. We do know that some families have

taken children out to Syria and so no doubt the authorities

will also be trying to identify that child featured at

the end of the video. The Iraqi city of Ramadi

was declared to have been liberated a week ago, but fighting

between the Iraqi army and Islamic State

militants there continues. Government forces say

they are gradually overcoming The army says about 200 militants

are still holding out. But counterattacks were being

repelled with the help of air-strikes by

the US-led coalition. The city had been occupied

by Islamic State since May. The BBC's Thomas Fessy travelled

into the heart of the city This is what the fight

against Islamic State has Six months of brutal Jihadi rule,

a government offensive and coalition air strikes

have devastated the city. We set off with the Iraqi

special forces to see what the victory they claimed

a week ago looks like. As we push into the centre,

it is clear that the This is the front line

in Iraq's war against IS. The soldiers say that they have

regained much of the city, but the fight is still going

on and IS militants still control Their flags are still

flying just a few hundred Peer through the sniper's

window and you can see But look to the right -

you can see the black banners The West has trained Iraqi

soldiers for this fight. The US, Britain and their partners

are conducting air strikes An air strike is called

in as families emerge The support from coalition forces is

important to us because without them there would be a lot more civilian

casualties. Iraqi troops are taking

them to safety. that she and her

husband were taken by Each time there was

bombing, our homes shook. We had no food, no bread,

no water and we were A warm meal and a first

taste of freedom. These families will soon be taken to

a nearby camp, joining the tens of thousands who have fled Islamic

State. This woman escaped with her

children, still traumatised. Their mother tells me how

IS ruled their lives. We were not allowed outside

without a man and we were forced We were not even allowed

to use mobile phones. The war against Islamic State

in Iraq is not ending - There will be more destruction

and more families to save. We speak to two wing-suit

enthusiasts about what pushes them First, the Government's pledged

an extra ?40 million for flood defences in Yorkshire,

after it was battered by storms over But drainage experts have warned

that the number of homes at risk of flooding nationwide could almost

double within 20 years, unless there's a significant

increase in spending. Tonight, flood defences

are being bolstered in Ballater, in Aberdeenshire and our

correspondent Catrina Renton More in a preparation for the worst

and a hope for the best coming from the council,

the emergency services and the electric companies

that have been working This defence over here has

not been tested yet. There are 800 sandbags

there, each of them containing a tonne of sand,

and I hope they will be able to hold back the River Dee

should she burst her banks again which she did last

Wednesday night when Storm Frank was at its very peak,

and it came over, burst the banks, came through the golf

course over there, right into the village,

flooding around 200 homes There's been fresh protests

in Tehran against Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shia

cleric, but Iran's president has condemned attacks on Saudi

diplomatic missions. Islamic State militants have

released a video they say shows the killing of five men

who were allegedly spying The Indian prime minister,

Narendra Modi, is chairing a high-level security meeting

in Delhi to discuss a militant attack

on an airbase in the north of the country that

began on Saturday. It is unclear whether all

the attackers who managed to enter the base in Pathankot

have been killed. The BBC's Nitin Shrivastav

reports from Pathankot. We are standing at the checkpoint

that leads up to the Indian air force base that was attacked

by militants in the early It is very unusual for residents

of this town, which is not very far from the Pakistan border,

to witness such heavy security They have seen heavily

armed military vehicles going in and going

out of the airbase. There are also reports of fresh

gunshots and blasts which have Although the Indian government has

been applauding the efforts of the security forces

in containing the attack, fresh questions are being raised

on why, despite intelligence inputs, the loss of

lives was not avoided. Israeli prosecutors have charged two

Jewish citizens in connection with an arson attack last summer

that killed three members of a Palestinian family

in the occupied West Bank. One adult has been

charged with murder. A second person is accused

of being an accessory to murder. Saad and Riham Dawabsha were killed

along with their 18-month-old China has defended its decision

to conduct a test flight to an airstrip that it's recently

finished building on a contested Beijing said it had sent a civilian

plane to the site to The airstrip is in an area

claimed by Vietnam. Ten spectators have been injured

in a preliminary stage of the famous Dakar Rally, being

held in Argentina. A Chinese driver in a Mini

veered off the course A ten-year-old boy and his father

are being treated in hospital The rally, which used to be

from Paris to Dakar in Senegal, has been held in South America

since 2009 following security Armed protesters have seized

a federal wildlife building in a remote part

of the United States and are urging militia groups

from across the country They're angry at the authorities'

treatment of two ranchers convicted of arson for lighting fires

in a protected area of Oregon. They have refused to rule out

the use of violence if they're It is the people's facility,

owned by the people, and it has been provided

for us to be able to come together and unite, making a hard

stand against this overreach, this taking of the people's

land and resources. The US Republican presidential

candidate, Donald Trump, has again defended his call

for a ban on Muslims entering the United States after it was used

in a propaganda video by the Somali On Sunday news shows,

Trump said it's no surprise America's enemies would exploit

comments of a presidential We are funding all of these people

that they want to bring in from Syria, we are

funding visa programmes. Which, by the way,

we have no idea who they are, where they came

from, and they're young and they are strong,

and there are a lot of men... John Watson has all the latest

sports News. Thank you very much indeed.

It's been an incredible day in the second Test between England

England all-rounder Ben Stokes completed the fastest double hundred

in English Test history as he and Jonny Bairstow put

on the biggest partnership for his side

Stokes's double century coming in 163 balls -

130 runs came the first session - that's the most scored before lunch

And it was a great day for Bairstow, too.

He was unbeaten on 150 when England finally declared before

South Africa lost two wickets - one off

the bowling of Stokes - and closed on 141.

the bowling of Stokes - and closed on 141-2.

The way I played after the second new ball was to set the whole thing

up. And then just carried on this morning. We were in a good position

before the first ball was bowled so I thought we already had enough runs

on it anyway. Then another five wickets to come, with a good

tailback line-up that we have. It was just a case of everything going

my way. The Premier League champions Chelsea

showed signs of a return to form under new manager Guus Hiddink

as they won 3-0 at Crystal Palace Oscar opened the scoring

in the first-half. A brilliant solo effort from Willian

then made it 2-0 midway back from suspension -

made it three for the Blues. Chelsea are still 13 points off

the Champions League spots, but perhaps showing signs

of the team that won Everyone knows that there is a lot

of quality, but sometimes I team who has just become champion has a

tendency to be complacent, and then it is difficult, and we have to get

back and wonder why we were champions, why the team were

champions. Trying to emphasise on that, everyone got a bit two steps

back to make three steps forward... Everton and Tottenham drew 1-1

in the late Premier League game. It means Tottenham's

impressive form continues - they've only lost twice

in the league this season. It was a former Spurs

player that had them Arron Lennon opening the scoring

with a great strike in the first half as Everton went ahead,

only for Delle Alli to equalise Spurs stay fourth, although the gap

in that final Champions League spot One of the best 45 minutes we have

played so forth. -- so far. OK, in the second half -

last 15 minutes maybe Everton got a little bit

of the game. We need to feel proud

for our players and keep working. We have a really good

defensive concentration. We have a really good defensive

intensity and great concentration. It was hard to take.

from Harry Kane and the corner The moment we conceded

was before half-time. The way we reacted

in the second half we wanted to play

in a different manner that was needed at that point.

It was a real display of security. Amur the Siberian tiger and Timur

the goat first met when one was released into the other's

enclosure as live prey. That was more than a month ago,

and despite the odds, the goat is still alive,

and the two animals are - apparently - living

in perfect harmony. TRANSLATION: For three years,

Amur would eat live goats, sheep and rabbits twice a week,

so we gave him a goat as usual But when we came back,

the goat was inside the tiger's shelter and Amur was up

on top - he was hungry. But in four days with the goat,

he did not eat him. So we said, OK, this

is Timur the Brave. And the two have been living,

playing and sleeping side by side, Timur the goat has four shelters,

but at night he sleeps If he leaves, Amur roars

and calls him back. Timur comes and the

tiger calms down. If he wants, the tiger

could eat Timur in seconds. It's friendship.

him a million times. The goat shows his character,

his braveness, and the tiger said, OK, I respect that,

let's be friends. This is hunter and prey living

together in peace and happiness. We humans fight, kill

and trick one another. But look at this, it is

an example for humanity. For now, there is no

reason to separate them. If the situation changes,

we can decide, but this is not just We still feed Amur live prey twice

a week, but we don't give him goats any more,

out of respect for Timur. Jumping off the side of a cliff

wearing nothing but a winged suit may not sound like everyone's idea

of fun, but it's an increasingly It goes without saying that it can

be dangerous indeed, but these

wingsuit enthusiasts insist Wingsuit base jumping is a sport

of jumping off a cliff on top of a mountain wearing a suit

with wings on it and once we jump off, it inflates and we are able

to fly down the mountain and land We have the same curvature and top

surface camber and all the design features you would find it a normal

aeroplane wing scaled down When we jump from the cliff,

you can see the air start It creates that duel

surface wing and off we go. It is basically a ram

air wing design. Wingsuit base jumping definitely

looks dangerous, but what you don't see when you look at it is all

the training and preparation People don't just arrive at the edge

of the cliff and jump off There are years of training

in a skydiving environment. Learning to fly parachutes and to

fly without your body in freefall. And finally learning to fly

the wingsuit and bringing all those The number of jumps completed

safely is astounding. There are several thousand people

around the world who jump regularly, And, yeah, people do up to hundreds

of jumps year without incident. Definitely not for me, thanks very

much! That is it from me and all of the team here at Bbc World News.

Thank you for watching. Do stay with us. Goodbye.