:00:00. > :00:07.This is BBC World News Today, broadcasting in the UK
:00:08. > :00:14.The headlines: Millions in the US east coast begin digging out,
:00:15. > :00:21.Cities including Washington and New York battle to get
:00:22. > :00:28.their populations moving again but travel disruption continues.
:00:29. > :00:35.We want people to stay off the streets, keep their cars were they
:00:36. > :00:39.are parked. It's very important to recognise there is a lot of work
:00:40. > :00:41.being done to get the city up and running for Monday.
:00:42. > :00:44.A boost for Syrian government forces ahead of Monday's planned peace
:00:45. > :00:47.talks as they recapture the last rebel-held town in the coastal
:00:48. > :00:53.The message of thousands of Moldovans to the country's
:00:54. > :01:01.new government: resign and call new elections.
:01:02. > :01:07.This is one of the largest demonstrations that Moldova has seen
:01:08. > :01:11.in the last year but what sets this demonstration apart is that it
:01:12. > :01:14.brings together two groups that were previously in opposition.
:01:15. > :01:19.How spy cameras in Antarctica are helping to protect and conserve
:01:20. > :01:37.Tens of millions of Americans are digging themselves out after one
:01:38. > :01:40.of the biggest winter storms ever recorded in the eastern
:01:41. > :01:46.At least 20 people have died in road accidents or from shovelling snow.
:01:47. > :01:49.A state of emergency remains in place in 11 states
:01:50. > :01:52.including New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey,
:01:53. > :01:56.where 20,000 are still without power -
:01:57. > :02:01.another 50,000 have no electricity in the Carolinas.
:02:02. > :02:04.The authorities are also battling to clear blocked roads,
:02:05. > :02:12.Our Washington correspondent is Laura Bicker.
:02:13. > :02:18.It is beginning to look a little bit better, the roads are beginning to
:02:19. > :02:23.get a bit clearer, the pavements have been cleared and people are
:02:24. > :02:28.emerging from their homes after two days of hiding from this storm.
:02:29. > :02:32.Businesses are beginning to reopen, but the public transport system is
:02:33. > :02:37.still closed. This was billed as an historic storm, they said it would
:02:38. > :02:41.have the largest snowfall and it certainly has had, since the 1860s.
:02:42. > :02:50.Now the battle begins to clean up. The snow has finally stopped,
:02:51. > :02:52.but millions of people woke to mountains of snow on their
:02:53. > :02:54.doorsteps and the dig-out begins. Those stuck on this freezing
:02:55. > :02:57.motorway in Pennsylvania have They have been stranded
:02:58. > :03:00.since Friday night. We haven't had any
:03:01. > :03:07.food since yesterday. In an icy New York,
:03:08. > :03:13.where the snowfall broke records, businesses tried to reopen,
:03:14. > :03:16.and officials lifted a ban on travel If you do not need to be
:03:17. > :03:22.on the roads, you shouldn't be on the roads, because there
:03:23. > :03:24.are still dangerous spots, spots with black ice and this
:03:25. > :03:27.is still about getting the emergency In the nation's capital,
:03:28. > :03:38.airports remain closed. Thousands of flights
:03:39. > :03:40.have been cancelled. They are trying to clear runways
:03:41. > :03:43.but airlines have warned it could be People are beginning to venture out
:03:44. > :03:49.but that brings further risks. Five people have died shovelling
:03:50. > :03:52.snow during this storm, Emergency rooms say they expect
:03:53. > :04:00.to be busier over the next few days. The injuries we expect
:04:01. > :04:02.to see are the sprains, the strains, or worse, broken bones,
:04:03. > :04:06.primarily from slipping and falling, back pain related to snow
:04:07. > :04:10.shovelling, and then the worst we don't want to see
:04:11. > :04:12.but which does occur, heart attack related
:04:13. > :04:17.to the strenuous activity. But there is beauty in the aftermath
:04:18. > :04:20.of this storm, and fun A new landscape has
:04:21. > :04:26.brought new possibilities And they are enjoying
:04:27. > :04:40.it while it lasts. Some of the rule areas have been the
:04:41. > :04:46.hardest hit in West Virginia, they have had over a metre of snow, it
:04:47. > :04:52.could be sometime before the roads are passable. As you saw a number of
:04:53. > :04:55.people stuck on waterways for several hours, in fact in
:04:56. > :05:01.Pennsylvania for a number of days. They have been moved so people have
:05:02. > :05:05.managed to get on way. But it could be some time before all of the road
:05:06. > :05:09.networks are back up and running but they are giving it a good go.
:05:10. > :05:16.ABC's Marci Gonzalez joins me now from New York.
:05:17. > :05:24.New York is a city that is used to the cold, used to harsh winters, the
:05:25. > :05:33.mountains of snow I can see behind you, but this particular storm, has
:05:34. > :05:36.it not to New Yorkers sideways? It really hasn't. I spoke to the mayor
:05:37. > :05:43.and he said last night that the city had prepared for the worst so they
:05:44. > :05:45.were ready to handle all of this. We see the big snowdrifts but the
:05:46. > :05:51.sanitation department did an amazing job of keeping the roads clear and
:05:52. > :05:54.helping by the travel ban being in effect, drivers were off the road so
:05:55. > :05:59.they were able to get the snowploughs out and clear the area.
:06:00. > :06:04.People walking past, so many of them heading down the block to Central
:06:05. > :06:08.Park to enjoy the snow on the ground. So many families heading out
:06:09. > :06:13.to sled and have snowball fights, making the most of what mother
:06:14. > :06:16.nature has left behind. I was reading about a giant snowball fight
:06:17. > :06:22.breaking out in Times Square overnight. Great people are getting
:06:23. > :06:28.out and enjoying it, but on a more serious note, how is business
:06:29. > :06:36.suffering? Is life getting back to normal? Our shops and restaurants
:06:37. > :06:40.opening again? Very slowly getting back to normal. A few businesses
:06:41. > :06:45.that I try to visit today, I had some errands to run and I find those
:06:46. > :06:48.businesses closed. I am ordering delivery that normally takes 20
:06:49. > :06:52.minutes and I'm waiting an hour and a half for my lunch and it's still
:06:53. > :07:06.what here! Things are not back to more normal but by tomorrow things
:07:07. > :07:10.should be more resembling normality. I hope your lunch arrives soon and I
:07:11. > :07:20.wish you and everyone else in New York the best of lunch.
:07:21. > :07:23.The US east coast is not the only part of the world suffering
:07:24. > :07:27.Heavy snowfall and freezing weather in Far East Asia have been breaking
:07:28. > :07:28.temperature records, as well as causing
:07:29. > :07:39.Temperatures in China have hit a record low, this cold wave has
:07:40. > :07:43.brought snow and lots of it. Authorities have issued the
:07:44. > :07:49.country's weather alert on its four level scale, its coldest weather in
:07:50. > :07:53.decades. Homes lost power as the weight of frozen water caused bamboo
:07:54. > :08:00.trees to sag into electricity cables. Cutting the power lines. Icy
:08:01. > :08:03.conditions in the south-east left several thousand air travellers
:08:04. > :08:11.stranded overnight. And workers have been left battling to clear the
:08:12. > :08:13.roads of ice and store. -- snow. Hong Kong has a subtropical climate
:08:14. > :08:18.but this weekend signatures are plunged to the lowest point in
:08:19. > :08:22.almost 60 years. Frost dusting the mountain tops. Morning temperatures
:08:23. > :08:26.dropped below freezing in the mountainous areas around the city
:08:27. > :08:31.and around three Celsius in urban areas where many of the buildings
:08:32. > :08:35.lack central heating. But will there be snow? TRANSLATION: From the
:08:36. > :08:40.weather report it sounded like there might be frost so I came to check it
:08:41. > :08:45.out but I did expect so much. It's far too cold for me, Hong Kong is
:08:46. > :08:49.supposed to be warm, this is not Hong Kong! In Japan more flights
:08:50. > :08:54.forced to cancel and the speed of some of the bullet trains reduced as
:08:55. > :08:58.heavy snow and gusty winds hit West and central parts. The blanket of
:08:59. > :09:07.snow even reached as far as Nagasaki. Flights to and from the
:09:08. > :09:11.popular holiday island halted for a second day. It's in the biggest
:09:12. > :09:15.snowfall in three decades. Mobile phone footage shot by one of several
:09:16. > :09:20.thousands of passengers stranded at the Islands airports is more than
:09:21. > :09:24.500 flights were cancelled. Seriously inconvenient for very many
:09:25. > :09:27.but also many more are left enjoying the novelty of it all.
:09:28. > :09:29.The former Israeli President and Nobel Peace Prize winner,
:09:30. > :09:31.Shimon Peres, has been rushed to hospital with chest pains.
:09:32. > :09:34.A spokeswoman says Mr Peres, who's 92, will stay overnight
:09:35. > :09:36.at a hospital in Tel Aviv for observation and testing.
:09:37. > :09:42.He had a heart operation ten days ago.
:09:43. > :09:45.The Veteran African National Congress activist Denis Goldberg has
:09:46. > :09:49.called for leaders of the party to be replaced.
:09:50. > :09:51.In a BBC interview, Mr Goldberg alleged that the ANC leadership,
:09:52. > :09:53.locally and nationally, was riddled with corruption.
:09:54. > :09:55.Mr Goldberg said that leaders' focus on personal enrichment
:09:56. > :10:14.was threatening freedom in South Africa.
:10:15. > :10:23.It's not yet clear if he will avoid a run-off by taking 50%. The
:10:24. > :10:25.country's fragile government might the affected as the president can
:10:26. > :10:29.dissolve government in a crisis. Iran says it plans to buy more
:10:30. > :10:32.than 100 Airbus planes. Iranian media say that the deal
:10:33. > :10:34.will be signed during President Hassan Rouhani's visit
:10:35. > :10:36.to Paris on Wednesday. It follows the lifting
:10:37. > :10:38.of international sanctions over Supporters and opponents
:10:39. > :10:43.of Moldova's new government have taken to the streets of the capital
:10:44. > :10:46.Chisinau for the third time. The opposition - which includes both
:10:47. > :10:54.pro-Russian and pro-EU groups - is calling for the Prime Minister
:10:55. > :10:57.to be removed and new parliamentary The BBC's David Stern
:10:58. > :11:06.was at the demonstration. This is one of the largest
:11:07. > :11:11.demonstrations that Moldova has seen in the last year but what sets this
:11:12. > :11:17.demonstration apart is that it brings together two groups that were
:11:18. > :11:21.previously in opposition. People who are for closer integration with
:11:22. > :11:27.Europe and those who are for closer relations with Russia. They have
:11:28. > :11:32.thrown their differences to the site to come here and demand the
:11:33. > :11:36.resignation, the immediate resignation of this government. They
:11:37. > :11:39.say the government is rife with corruption, it is controlled by
:11:40. > :11:46.millionaires and billionaires and oligarchs as they call them. They
:11:47. > :11:50.say they want it immediate early elections. The government has not
:11:51. > :11:54.agreed to this so far but the momentum, the fact these people have
:11:55. > :11:59.come together is moving in that direction. I come here to hope to
:12:00. > :12:08.get down our government, politics who pretend to be, to represent
:12:09. > :12:15.European values, who in true are only Mafia, oligarch, they think
:12:16. > :12:22.only but for their money, their pocket, not for the people, the
:12:23. > :12:26.country. The police presence is significant but at the same time it
:12:27. > :12:31.must be said that so far this has been a very peaceful demonstration.
:12:32. > :12:34.The protesters themselves emphasise the peaceful nature, that they are
:12:35. > :12:39.bringing flowers to underline the fact that they don't want to see any
:12:40. > :12:43.type of violence whatsoever. They also emphasise that this is a
:12:44. > :12:46.different type of anti-government demonstration than what we saw in
:12:47. > :12:51.Ukraine which they believe, which they see as primarily ending in
:12:52. > :13:00.violence and with a violent revolution. They say that's not
:13:01. > :13:07.going to happen here. We are the people these demonstrators are
:13:08. > :13:10.shouting as we march through the centre of Chisinau. It's a peaceful
:13:11. > :13:16.demonstration but there is a great deal of emotion behind it. Moldova
:13:17. > :13:20.is by some estimates the poorest country in Europe and we have been
:13:21. > :13:23.hearing over and over from people how badly they are doing economic
:13:24. > :13:28.clay, how they are barely getting by. In addition to the political
:13:29. > :13:34.demands that people have been making during this demonstration, there is
:13:35. > :13:36.obviously a very deep-set discontent, deep-set anger which is
:13:37. > :13:38.driving this movement forward. David Stern there, reporting
:13:39. > :13:42.from the Moldovan capital Chisinau. Stay with us on BBC World News,
:13:43. > :13:45.still to come: All the sports news including Arsene Wenger missing out
:13:46. > :13:48.on taking Arsenal to the top of the English Premier League
:13:49. > :13:55.after Chelsea win at the Emirates. Here in the UK, three dead sperm
:13:56. > :13:59.whales found washed up on a beach in Lincolnshire are believed to be
:14:00. > :14:02.from the same pod as a whale HM Coastguard say two of the whales
:14:03. > :14:07.were found on a beach near Skegness last night,
:14:08. > :14:10.while a third was discovered earlier Members of the public
:14:11. > :14:15.are being advised to stay away from the whales whilst
:14:16. > :14:18.they remain on the beach. Experts will examine the bodies
:14:19. > :14:21.to determine if they are in fact Rob Deaville from the Zoological
:14:22. > :14:26.Society of London, who's heading the investigation explains how
:14:27. > :14:28.they'll be able to tell IF the whales are from the same
:14:29. > :14:41.pod as one which washed There have been suggestions that we
:14:42. > :14:45.can look at stomach contents and see if they had been feeding on similar
:14:46. > :14:49.prey species which might indicate if they are part of the same group or
:14:50. > :14:54.not, but that is work to be done down the line. Tomorrow we will try
:14:55. > :14:58.to carry out routine and systematic postmortem and try to learn more
:14:59. > :14:59.about perhaps what was wrong with the Wales and why they might have
:15:00. > :15:14.stranded. Millions of Americans have begun
:15:15. > :15:17.digging out after a mammoth Blezard which has paralysed Eastern cities
:15:18. > :15:19.including Washington and New York. -- blazered.
:15:20. > :15:22.The government of Syria's President Assad has received a boost ahead
:15:23. > :15:23.of Monday's planned peace talks in Geneva.
:15:24. > :15:26.It Regime forces have recaptured Rabiya, the last rebel-held town
:15:27. > :15:46.most likely the talks will take In the last hour I spoke
:15:47. > :15:49.most likely the talks will take place, there has been too much
:15:50. > :15:54.invested politically, diplomatically to have the talks take place. What
:15:55. > :15:59.counts is what happens on the negotiating table when the talks
:16:00. > :16:01.start. Two years ago we were all congregated in Geneva and it was the
:16:02. > :16:05.first time you would have the opposition sitting with the regime
:16:06. > :16:08.or certain parts of the opposition sitting with the regime and it fell
:16:09. > :16:11.through quickly because there was no real political will especially on
:16:12. > :16:15.the part of the President Assad regime and the opposition wanted the
:16:16. > :16:18.fulfilled early on and it wasn't possible. It's the same thing, now
:16:19. > :16:25.they are table, there is more political will,
:16:26. > :16:29.eight Security Council resolution calling for political solutions so
:16:30. > :16:36.they have all the work which has been done on the ground in terms of
:16:37. > :16:40.the diplomatic push but in reality militarily speaking both sides are
:16:41. > :16:41.still fighting quite strongly, and especially as we
:16:42. > :16:48.Russian military support they are likely to be less
:16:49. > :16:57.compromise, they still think they compromise, they still think they
:16:58. > :17:00.can win this mill and Ali. -- militarily. What does it do in term
:17:01. > :17:05.of the power table? This is the first time all
:17:06. > :17:12.the major stakeholders sitting around the same table, how
:17:13. > :17:17.do you see that playing out? How will it affect the effectiveness of
:17:18. > :17:21.the talks? In a way it is good you her having the different opposition
:17:22. > :17:25.groups come together with the Syrian regime, at least the majority. You
:17:26. > :17:29.still have certain elements who would be at the table. After all the
:17:30. > :17:33.diplomatic work which was done with the Iranians and Saudis along with
:17:34. > :17:39.other regional powers and European American support. But in reality
:17:40. > :17:41.since last September when the Russians started
:17:42. > :17:46.inside Syria the Russians have taken an active military role
:17:47. > :17:52.and making them feel this regime is indispensable. So that's given them
:17:53. > :18:00.a moral boost which was not their two years ago. On the other hand you
:18:01. > :18:01.have the Iranians who are now out from the cold diplomatically, the
:18:02. > :18:15.nuclear deal has come in. was a priority for America. These
:18:16. > :18:20.dynamics can either negative, it's hard to guess before
:18:21. > :18:31.people get to Geneva to talk but the real point I
:18:32. > :18:40.Op. It's what actually is going to happen.
:18:41. > :18:46.Since the US-led invasion in 2003, Iraq's Shia Muslim majority have
:18:47. > :18:51.largely held the power, sidelining many Sunnis,
:18:52. > :18:54.This month an attack on a cafe in the town
:18:55. > :18:57.of Muqdadiyah killed nearly 30 people -
:18:58. > :19:05.many of them Shia - and was followed by revenge attacks
:19:06. > :19:13.Our correspondent Jim Muir reports from there.
:19:14. > :19:19.Life seemed to be more or less back to normal on the surface.
:19:20. > :19:24.So-called Islamic State said they did it.
:19:25. > :19:29.Clearly the aim was to provoke trouble between Sunni's and Shia.
:19:30. > :19:32.They come from rival branches of Islam whose differences
:19:33. > :19:37.are sharply dividing the whole region.
:19:38. > :19:41.It's in mixed areas like this that the future of Iraq
:19:42. > :19:45.is being decided, if coexistence between Sunni and Shia does not work
:19:46. > :19:50.here the chances of it working elsewhere do not look good.
:19:51. > :19:53.Across the road the result of an outburst of revenge by angry
:19:54. > :20:03.Two journalists from a local TV station who tried to film
:20:04. > :20:12.Less than an hour's drive away Sunni families were on the move
:20:13. > :20:17.but they are not fleeing, they are coming back.
:20:18. > :20:21.These people ran away two years ago when the militants took over.
:20:22. > :20:25.Now they feel safe enough to come back, encouraged by the government
:20:26. > :20:34.and the Shia factions who drove IS out.
:20:35. > :20:37.TRANSLATION: I have got three kids, the two older ones remember
:20:38. > :20:43.the house here and are excited to come back to it.
:20:44. > :20:47.There was a big reception to welcome hundreds of Sunni families home.
:20:48. > :20:49.The head of the biggest Shia armed faction told them
:20:50. > :20:55.But in Iraq it is actions which count.
:20:56. > :20:58.Iraq's future will only be assured when all those who were operated
:20:59. > :21:13.And there are more than 3 million of them.
:21:14. > :21:19.Defeat for Arsenal today which has brought to a close another wonderful
:21:20. > :21:21.weekend for the Premier League leaders Leicester City. Arsenal
:21:22. > :21:23.would have replaced them at the top of the table if they had beaten
:21:24. > :21:30.Chelsea but instead they lost the Emirates. Arsenal played much of
:21:31. > :21:33.the match with ten men after Per Mertesacker was sent off in the
:21:34. > :21:38.first half for a challenge on Diego Costa who then scored the only goal
:21:39. > :21:42.of the game a few minutes later. Leicester remain three points clear
:21:43. > :21:51.at the top of the table. It was a very harsh decision but we had to
:21:52. > :21:56.cope with it. I do not know exactly what to say because it's a few games
:21:57. > :22:00.now that that happens. The one thing I think which is certainly clear
:22:01. > :22:06.having looked at it a few times is that Diego Costa made a lot of it.
:22:07. > :22:10.Would you agree? Yes, of course. But that's a bit of the game of the
:22:11. > :22:19.strike are you now? And Diego Costa is good at that as well. An
:22:20. > :22:21.important win Swansea City in the other match this afternoon, under
:22:22. > :22:25.new head coach Francesco Guidolin for the first time Swansea beat
:22:26. > :22:30.Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park a result which moves them four points
:22:31. > :22:33.clear of the relegation zone. England's cricketers are struggling
:22:34. > :22:37.to remain unbeaten in the Test series against South Africa. They
:22:38. > :22:40.trailed by 100 is the five runs in the fourth and final test. -- 175
:22:41. > :22:53.runs. Joe Root continued to play some
:22:54. > :22:59.impressive cricket on day three and soon completed his half-century.
:23:00. > :23:05.Alastair Cook's stay was cut short by Monre Morkel. After that a flurry
:23:06. > :23:09.of wickets for South Africa. Rabada dismissed Joe Root, James Taylor and
:23:10. > :23:12.Jonny Bairstow in no time. The rain gods then took over and play was
:23:13. > :23:18.stopped due to bad weather conditions. Ben Stokes collected
:23:19. > :23:23.some quick runs but he too was sent back to the pavilion by Rabada. He
:23:24. > :23:28.managed to pull out his best figures in tests by taking seven wickets in
:23:29. > :23:35.one innings. Moeen Ali took charge with the bat and scored a much 54
:23:36. > :23:41.England. In the end he was trapped by Monre Morkel and England were
:23:42. > :23:45.bowled out for 342, 133 runs behind the hosts. South Africa started the
:23:46. > :23:50.second innings under gloomy conditions. Jimmy Anderson's play
:23:51. > :23:54.was bright, Dean Elgar took an edge into the hands of wicketkeeper Jonny
:23:55. > :23:58.Bairstow. After that Hashim Amla and Stephen Cook kept the guards up
:23:59. > :24:07.until play was indeed you to bad light. South Africa 42-1. Novak
:24:08. > :24:11.Djokovic has survived a scare at the Gillian open, he needed five sets to
:24:12. > :24:18.beat the Frenchman Giles Simon in his fourth-round match. -- the
:24:19. > :24:21.Australian open. He made a total of 100 and forced errors before
:24:22. > :24:27.eventually serving at the final set 6-3. He will play eight seed Kei
:24:28. > :24:32.Nishikori in the quarterfinals. I don't think it can get much worse
:24:33. > :24:39.than this, 100 and forced errors per match is really to amend this for me
:24:40. > :24:44.and my style of the game. I am aggressive but still I like to
:24:45. > :24:47.construct a point, it's too many unforced errors today. I will make
:24:48. > :24:56.sure I increased that number at least more than half and hope the
:24:57. > :25:03.best. It was pretty easy for the top women, Serena Williams, she will
:25:04. > :25:10.play Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals.
:25:11. > :25:18.Southern Alaska has been rocked by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake,
:25:19. > :25:21.- 7.1, though there are no reports of injuries or serious damage.
:25:22. > :25:28.The epicentre was in the Kenai Peninsula,
:25:29. > :25:30.where buildings were shaken, knocking items off walls
:25:31. > :25:36.A number of homes were evacuated in Kenai after reports
:25:37. > :25:41.There's some damage to roads and power cuts have been reported
:25:42. > :26:08.From me and the rest of the team, goodbye.
:26:09. > :26:16.It was exceptionally mild to end the weekend, 16 degrees to the
:26:17. > :26:17.north-west of London but in the United States it's been all