11/03/2016 World News Today

This is tet-mac one -- World News Today.

A mystery over the death of one of President Putin's top aides

Mikhail Lesin's family says his death last year was a heart

attack but US officials now say he was killed by a blow

The IAAF says five countries are in "critical care"

over their drug testing systems with just months to go before

Five years on - Japan remembers the devastating earthquake

and tsunami that triggered the Fukushima nuclear meltdown.

Having his support adds total credence to what I am trying to do.

From throwing insults to hugs all round.

We'll look back at the relationship between Ben Carson and

Russia has demanded information from the United States

about the death of a former key ally of President Putin,

in a hotel in Washington last November.

US medical officials say Mikhail Lesin died from blunt force

injuries to the head, not a heart attack as initially reported.

Lesin also suffered injuries to the neck,

torso, arms and legs and there's reports he may have been assaulted

He was a former press minister and key

media advisor to President Putin, nicknamed "The Bulldozer"

for his crack down on media freedoms in Russia.

Let's get more from our Washington correspondent.

Mikhail Lesin was nicknamed the bulldozer. He was a member of what

you put in's inner circle and was once the press Minister, before

going on to find this TV station in Russia. In 2014, he retired and

moved to America's West Coast. Then, last November, Mikhail Lesin was

found dead. He was discovered at this hotel in Washington, DC. A, his

former news network RTE reported his family said he died of a heart

attack. -- RT. But the Washington, DC medical examiner said the cause

of death was... The other causes well... The manner of death was

undetermined. This latest development raises more questions

than answers. Most of top Tis A Beauty did in 90 days, so why did

this take so much longer? One newspaper reports that Mikhail Lesin

was involved in an altercation before retiring to his room. So how

did he die? In what seems like a very ordinary crime scene, the

circumstances around this man's death are anything but. Before he

died, he was being investigated by the FBI for money laundering and

corruption. As police in Washington continue enquiries, the Russian

Government is demanding more information from US authorities. So

far, officially at least, there are no suspects, motives or concrete

clues as to why a one-time aide to Vladimir Putin met an untimely and

brutal death. The International Association

of Athletics Federations, the IAAF, says its needs more time

to investigate Russia's anti-doping progress before this year's

Olympic Games in Rio. But it says the country

will not yet be reinstated Our sports correspondent

reports now. With the Rio Olympics under five

months away, the question of Russian athlete competing at the games

remained in the balance. The IAAF ruling received an update

from a task force charged with assessing whether Russia

is cleaning up its act, after evidence of widespread

state-sponsored doping was revealed The president of the IAAF revealed

the sheer scale of the task at hand. This is not a numbers game. I am not

here to be judged on how many athletes I can get to an Olympic

Games. I am yet to be judged on how mini athletes I can get from safe,

secure systems into free, fair and open competition. And that has to be

the sole arbiter. The final decision will be made on me but IAAF

officials warned that there are still significant things to be done

by Russia if they are to be readmitted to international

competitions. The US Government has intensified its attack on Apple over

refusing to help investigators. In a legal filing released on Thursday,

the Government made the point that Apple has previously held the

Chinese Government demands for iPhone data.

giant cooperated there, because China is such a huge

In its brief, the US Department of Justice said "As well as

providing data from nearly 4,000 iPhones to Chinese authorities,

Apple appears to have made special accommodations in China.

For example, moving Chinese user data to Chinese government servers,

and installing a different WiFi protocol for Chinese iPhones".

Apple's lawyer Bruce Sewell called the DoJ's brief a "cheap shot..."

Speculation based on no substance at all".

He said the brief "reads like an indictment.

Intended to smear the other side with false accusations

The correspondent is in Washington and has been following the fallout

closely. It is really intensify now. Yes, indeed. It is quite

entertaining to watch, actually. How much scope as the claims of the

Department of Justice God? What do we know about Apple's dealings with

China and exchange of data? The truth is, we do not explicitly

know what they have done to comply with Chinese laws. But what we do

know is that there is a very extensive patchwork of regulations

that smartphone companies have to comply with in order to operate in

China. Essentially, there are three layers of regulations. The first

being regulations from the Ministry of technology that requires

extensive audits compliant with Chinese standards. The second layer

is various surveillance regulations from the Ministry of Public

Security, requiring companies to facilitate access and decryption on

various technology platforms. And the third being bespoke requirements

that smartphone vendor is quite frankly have to comply with in order

to connect with mobile networks in China. These companies are all

state-owned. The unspoken rule is that, essentially, any types of

regulations that the Chinese Government does not explicitly want

to create in law, they achieved through contractual agreements and

state-owned mobile network operators, like China Telecom and

others. As you this is not just about an iPhone belonging to a

Government, this is about international strategy and policies

amongst many governments who want to know more about what view, potential

terror suspects and other criminals or two. Precisely. The Chinese

Government have similar concerns. If you look at the size of the China

market, it is the number one largest mobile, smartphone market in the

world. Number two is India, in fact, which just surpassed the US last

month. Number three is the United States. The Apple CEO Tim Cook has

explicitly said that China is Apple's future. If they wish to sell

products in China and access that market, I assume they will have to

find a way to comply with Chinese laws. Thank you for speaking to us

here. Five years ago today,

an earthquake and the tsunami it triggered

devastated communities along 18,000

people lost their lives, and the nuclear power plant

at Fukushima went into meltdown. Today commemorative events have been

taking place, including a ceremony in Tokyo at the exact hour

the earthquake struck. Our correspondent Rupert

Wingfield-Hayes reports. And the sounds of buildings

being crushed, of the terror of those watching, their homes

being swallowed by the waters. For too many, there

was no time to escape. Today in the ravaged

city, the sirens sounded It was in memory of the 18,000 who

died. These people are looking

for the spot their house When the sirens sounded

that day, their father rushed to help evacuating

people near the coast. I think it is our duty as survivors

to show the world how dear life is. Even with classmates

who have also lost TRANSLATION: If we talk about it,

I feel down. I sometimes want to know

what my friends went When the tsunami swept

in here, nearly 2000 people were killed in this one small

town, that is nearly Any government's first duty

is to protect its people and it is not

surprising that this Massive new walls like this

will stretch for 250 miles The whole landscape is being

re-engineered to make it safe But after five years,

this woman is waiting for a plot of land

with growing frustration. I sometimes think we would be much

better off if we left here after the tsunami and started

a new life somewhere else. We have waited so long

to rebuild our lives. In what was once their front

garden, they have found They decide to dig it up

to plant in their new house. The former candidate in the race

for the Republican presidential nomination, Ben Carson,

has pledged his support Mr Carson, who is a retired

neurosurgeon, becomes the second former rival to back the billionaire

businessman in the race Mr Carson made the announcement

at a joint news conference with Mr Trump in Florida,

ahead of the state's primary But were these two always

on such good terms? Let's take a look back over

the makings of what could be Today is something very, very

special because Doctor Ben Carson He went after his

mother with a hammer. He hit a friend of

his in the face with He took a knife and he went

after a friend and he lunged. Everybody loves him and truly,

truly admires what he has I don't want a person that's got

a pathological disease. His life has been

an incredible life. I just want to tell

you that having his support adds total credence

to what I'm trying to do. If you are pathological,

there is no cure. If you are a child molester,

a sick puppy, a child There is only one cure and we do not

want to talk about that. Some people said, why

would you get a hand I have come to know Donald Trump

over the last few years. He is actually a very intelligent

man who cares deeply What do you have to say

about Donald Trump? Here is what I would

say - now that he has completed his attacks,

why don't we press on and deal He said terrible things about you,

how can you support him? That was political stuff and,

you know, that happens Politics of personal destruction,

that is what people are tired of. I am hopeful that at some point

we reach the level of maturity that we can deal with the issues

that are facing us right now. We are moving on because it is not

about me, it is not about Mr Trump, How stupid are the people

to believe this crap? We thought you would find that

interesting. Do stay with us here. We're going live to the US in a

moment as the world says goodbye to the former first lady, Nancy Reagan.

Boris Johnson has been setting out why he is campaigning for Britain to

leave the EU. In his first major speech for the Vote Leave campaign,

Mr Johnson said the union was outdated and no-one in their right

minds would vote to join now. I know that there are people who say that

this country does not have the guts to get out. That we have no choice

but to remain. I have to say, I think they are hopelessly

underestimating this country of ours and what we can achieve. Because it

is precisely because we stayed out of the Euro that we were the most

successful economies of Europe. And if we burst into the shackles of

Brussels, we will be able to begin immediately with those long,

neglected free-trade opportunities that we can do at the moment. --

cannot do. You're watching BBC World News

Today. The latest headlines... Russia has demanded information from

the US about the death of a former key ally of President Hooton in a

hotel in Washington last November. -- resident Vladimir Putin. The IAAF

says five countries are in critical care over drug testing systems with

just monster goal before the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. -- just months to

go. Our chief international

correspondent has been covering the sale and conflict from the

beginning. Here, she talks to present Assad's media adviser,

asking whether this what could have been avoided.

It is absolutely not true because I worked here all the way through and

I remember from the 24th of March 2011, when the Syrian government

announced very important radical reform measures. And every time we

started to implement, one after another, the campaign against us,

followed by Western media and countries, the campaign got harder

and harder on Syria. What happened in Syria certainly is not about

making Syria better. Because if you ask any Syrian person anywhere, and

you know the people here, Syria is much better off five years ago than

now. What happened destroyed Syria and the Syrian people, not making

Syria better place for the Syrians. Now with the Russian, political and

moral support, do you feel... The Russian military support to fight

terrorism and restore peace and security. It is only when the

Russians came that the terrorist oil tanks were attacked and destroyed.

Well the so-called international coalition led by the United States

never destroyed anything from these oil tanks that were crossing Syria

to Turkey and Europe. So I think history will show the effort from

the Russian Government, this huge effort, against terrorism and in

favour not only of peace in Syria but of peace in Europe, of peace in

the world. Because terrorism is a threat to all of us, particularly to

Europe. And I think Russia is offering a service to Europe by

fighting terrorism in Syria. But the Russian intervention also turned the

tide for President Assad's forces. You now feel that the war is on your

side? There is no such thing as those forces. There is the Syrian

army that is defending the Syrian people and fighting terrorism and

this is where the Russian help is coming. Fascinating stuff. President

Assad's media adviser speaking to our correspondent. Let's catch up

with the world's sport. Premier League side Newcastle United

have a new man in charge. The former Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid

manager Rafa Benitez has signed a three-year contract after the club

sacked Steve McClaren early today. Newcastle are currently 19th in the

Premier League and the Spaniard's first match in charge will be

against Leicester City on Monday. Not easy.

Rafael Benitez began this season at Real Madrid and ends it facing one

of his biggest challenges. Newcastle and in the bottom three and lost a

Bournemouth at the weekend. When it is is their last talk. The type of

manager years, the players will react. -- he is. They will play

better and play for. If he stays with us next season, we could climb

the table hire, if you've given the money to bring in players he wants.

Fantastic. They guy has a lot of stature. Probably one of the best

since Sir Bobby. Very happy. Benitez has won the FA Cup Spanish league

and Champions League. The as the CV but the job description is

demanding. Newcastle's mix of external passion and internal

politics make it one of football's toughest jobs. Despite spending over

?80 million on players, they went out of the FA Cup in the third run

and have won just six league games all season. That cost Steve McClaren

his first level jobs since being sacked as international manager. He

had one week in limbo as his position was discussed by the board.

Few managers hang around long here. Benitez will be the eighth manager

since Mike Ashley bought the club, not counting caretakers. All the

managers appointed by Mike Ashley have been in a position of weakness.

Not being able to name terms. Busy not with the transfer system that

has not benefited the club of themselves. And other things. But

Rafa Benitez can come in, put down exactly what he wants. Benitez will

have ten games to keep Newcastle in the Premier League, starting against

league leaders Leicester on Monday. If he fails, it is understood there

is a break clause in his contract and it is certain that the Spaniard

is stepping into a storm. The FA Cup quarterfinals are taking

place this weekend and the first match between Championship side

reading and Premier League Crystal Palace is under way. It sees Alan

Pardew return to his former side. He has not seen that much action so

far. Not many chances and there are no goals after one hour of play.

Both matches at the 2020 World Cup in India had to be abandoned today

because of bad weather. Ireland against Bangladesh at already been

delayed before the Bangladeshis... Where that and against them and it

means Ireland and the Netherlands are now out of the tournament.

Lord Coe, president of the IAAF, says Russia will find out in May if

they can send a team to Rio de Janeiro.

We unanimously agreed with the recommendation from the task force

that they be given more time. Some progress has been made but they want

to see significant progress in key areas. Those areas are clear. We

have the five step changes be want to see. And the council will welcome

the task force back almost certainly in May to report, hopefully, and

further progress. That is the sport from now. 0-0 in the FA Cup match.

Almost 5000 guests and representatives from former White

House families have gathered for the memorial tribute to Nancy Reagan at

her husband's residential library in Southern California. Let's get more

on this from our correspondent. James, it is a who's Who of the

White House but no President Obama, much to the criticism of people on

Twitter. That is right. Although, in fairness

to President Obama, there is precedents for sitting president is

not attending funerals of former first lady 's, not least Ronald

Reagan himself. It was notable that he was not there. Also not there,

some other significant figures. But the people who were there, perhaps

most importantly given the occasion itself, as we can see, where the

former first lady is that my -- ladies that the picture there. The

women terming it to pay tribute to a first lady tribute two present

during a remarkable time in US politics. And as we had in the

ceremony, she played a very important part in her husband's

decision-making process throughout his time in the White House, for

eight years throughout the 1980s. The former chief of staff James

Baker spoke about her influence, saying she could be as tough as any

Marine drill Sergeant at times. She was also part of a loving

partnership with her husband, Ronald Reagan, described by some as the

greatest love story in the history of the American presidency. In terms

of that historical aspect, it is interesting to hear him note that

Nancy Reagan insisted her husband that he would have to negotiate with

Mikaeel Kular bridge off, the Soviet leader. -- Mikel Gorbachev. He --

she informed his views. You can see much more on Nancy

Reagan's funeral on the BBC News website. That is it from me and the

rest of the team. Thank you for watching.

We're moving into a very settled spell of weather across most of the

UK but what about elsewhere around the world? Settled is not a word you

would use of the southern states of the US, particularly Louisiana and

Texas,