16/01/2017 World News Today

Hello and welcome, this is BBC World News Today

The German Chancellor says European unity is the best response

to outspoken comments made by Donald Trump.

In a newspaper interview, the US President-elect

called Nato obsolete, and said he expected more countries

Countries want their own identity. And the UK wanted its own identity.

The inquest opens into the Tunisian terror attack, when 38 tourists

And hitting back at fake news, Facebook introduces new tools

in Germany to highlight stories which seem to be false.

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has said that

European unity is the best response to outspoken comments

by Donald Trump, which challenged some long-standing principles

In an outspoken interview with the Times and Bild newspapers,

the US President-elect didn't hold back in his criticism.

He said the German Chancellor Angela Merkel had made a "catastrophic

mistake" by admitting more than a million migrants.

He said he thought Brexit was "smart" and "others will leave"

as the EU is basically a vehicle for Germany.

And Nato, he said, was obsolete, although he also insisted

Little wonder that there have been some terse comments

from Berlin and Brussels, as our diplomatic Correspondent

They've rehearsed the inauguration in Washington with a stand-in

for President Trump, but no one knows quite

what to expect at Friday's ceremony, still less

what will happen in the first 100 days with Donald Trump

What we do know is there will be nothing conventional about it,

because the President-elect has made that very clear.

Among his most eye-catching new quotes, Donald Trump says the EU

is on the brink of collapse, partly because Germany's leader

Angela Merkel made one very catastrophic mistake with

I think it's not good, I think it was a big

Germany's Chancellor was diplomatically

TRANSLATION: The fight against terrorism is a great

We see this as a pan-European and a global task.

I would separate this from the task of helping refugees.

The majority of refugees have left Syria because of their

Donald Trump also warned Germany its car companies would have

Start building them in the US, he said, not in Germany,

and certainly not in Mexico, or face a 35% tax.

So what about the most complicated Trump relationship of all,

Mr Trump will explore making "good deals" with Russia.

As part of that, nuclear weapons on both sides should be

It's true both the United States and Russia have more than enough

missiles and warheads to destroy each other and Mr Trump hinted

a nuclear negotiation might involve offering Mr Putin the easing

But Mr Trump was also highly critical of Vladimir Putin's

intervention in Syria, calling it "a very rough thing."

The bombardment of Aleppo, he said, was nasty, with troops,

in his words "shooting old ladies walking out of town."

So, how to reconcile all that with the President-elect on Nato,

"Nato is obsolete," he keeps repeating.

So, what could that mean for America's new deployment

of heavy armour to Poland to deter any future Russian threat?

TRANSLATION: At Nato, remarks made by President-elect Trump

As world leaders gather in the Swiss Alps for their annual

Davos forum, many will be perplexed, even alarmed, not knowing what sort

With me is our diplomatic and defence correspondent

What was the most striking line out of this interview? Was it that the

President-elect thinks Nato is obsolete? It is a contradiction,

everything he says. He does saying Nato was obsolete. But, then, he

goes onto say that it is very for him. He says the European Union is

simply a vehicle for Germany and is essentially in part setup just a

rival the United States economically. When asked about US

security guarantees to Europe, he says, I feel very strongly towards

Europe. It's those kinds of contradictions. One strange lead

others haven't picked up but I think when he was asked about this

question of moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in Israel,

that's something he appears throughout his campaign to have

insisted he's going to do. He refused to actually talk about that

any further. Maybe some sign of a softening on his position.

Essentially this man was a very unconventional candidate. It's going

to be a very unconventional president. And I think people are

gradually realising that perhaps he isn't going to change and they going

to have to get used to that. What you make of the German response?

Angela Merkel said he had great respect for her. He also said that

she made a catastrophic mistake. Her response was that we Europeans have

fate in our hands. That's what she said. Hers were the most diplomatic

responses to it. Others were far more critical. The problem is that

in many areas, the Europeans cannot stand on their own. The continent is

obsessed now with Brexit and the problems of Britain's withdrawal

from you. You have crucial elections in other countries, the Netherlands,

in France the presidential elections which similarly could put a spoke in

the works of the European project in various ways. As we saw there, in

James' film report, the US tanks arriving in Europe, fundamentally

whatever the European nations do in defence, and they do a lot but not

enough, it is ultimately American security and American forces that

guarantee Nato's defences. Whilst Europe can talk tough, it is beset

by problems. It is the set with difficulties on trying to elaborate

a wider foreign policy at a time when so many countries are looking

inward to the problems of the EU itself. It isn't sufficient for the

German chancellor to say that Europe will make its own destiny. You talk

about contradictions, Donald Trump is known for contradicting himself

repeatedly. At what point do people like Angela Merkel expect his point

of view to crystallise? The German foreign secretary said he'd even

contradicted himself on native. The fact contradicts key officeholders

in his upcoming Cabinet is, I suppose, not surprising. A lot of

the test will be when this government gets going, when we

actually see the US Secretary of State out and about, expressing US

policy, the policy of the Trump administration. Are we going to hear

a cacophony of voices with Mr Trump second guessing them? A lack of

clarity and so on? If that is the case, it will be very serious

indeed. We have already seen one of the best and most positive responses

to Mr Trump's comments today in this interview on Nato, which of course

came from the Russians. They picked up his view that Nato is obsolete.

They've been saying that since the end of the Cold War. So he has a

receptive audience in some places but he has to convince America's

allies and the West and the Middle East that he has their backs and

that there will be a single, clear and coherent policy coming out of

Washington. On the evidence so far, that will be a tall order. Thank

you. In that interview, Donald Trump

also said that Britain was "smart" to leave the EU,

and he thought other It comes ahead of a major speech

on Brexit on Tuesday by the British Prime

Minister Theresa May. Our political correspondent

Vicki Young is in Central London. How much of a boost have Donald

Trump's words about a traitor with the UK coming soon have been for the

Brexiteers? Well it has been welcomed by Downing Street as

Theresa May prepares to make this speech, as the UK looks about its

future. She's going to talk about the need to make global trade deals,

how she wants Britain to be outward looking, which helps make the

argument that Britain is open for business, despite the Brexit vote.

Similar kinds of problems will be foremost in their minds. First of

all, Donald Trump, he is unpredictable and will he follow

through with the words he wants this very quick trade deal? Some

suggesting that he could want it in three months. Some suggest he will

want America's interest that hard. Can we really get a good deal out of

America? The other problem is a quick trade deal, it's all very well

to say that but these things in the past have taken the years. And then

there's the problem that under EU rules Britain isn't allowed to sign

of any trade deals until we've left the European Union, and that could

be two years away. Downing Street saying we would abide by our

obligations whilst were in the EU although they did suggest they could

be scoping exercises and I certainly know there are discussions going on

with countries like New Zealand and Australia. So, in formal talks. But

I don't think they think this is signed and sealed you.

18 months ago, 30 British holiday-makers died

Now an inquest into their deaths has been told that some of the victims

might still be alive, if local security forces

The inquest heard that Tunisian officers had "deliberately delayed"

For them, the inquests matter so much.

After the anguish and grief of the past 18 months,

As the hearing began, the names of those who died were read out,

30 British tourists, murdered on holiday.

They included three generations of one family, married

The inquest heard they had needlessly lost their lives.

Mobile phone footage shows the chaos and confusion during the attacks.

The families watched it in court, listening to the sound of gunfire

The gunman was Seifeddine Rezgui, a 23-year-old who was eventually

But he'd been intent on killing tourists.

The inquest also watched CCTV footage from around

The lone gunman on the beach, armed with an automatic

And also roaming around inside the hotel, looking

A British police team put together this map of his movements.

The red arrow indicates where he started shooting,

near the sun loungers, before moving to the terrorists

and outdoor pool area, and then into the hotel.

There were no clear signs of any police or security

Samantha Leek QC, counsel to the inquest,

referred to a statement from a Tunisian witness.

These inquests can't lay blame but they can offer guidance.

The families here just want to know how their loved ones came to die

A gunman has killed five people at a club hosting an electronic

music festival in the Mexican resort of Playa del Carmen,

Among those killed are two Canadians, an Italian

Elections will take place in Northern Ireland

in March after the collapse of the power sharing executive.

It follows the resignation of Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness,

in protest at the handling of controversial energy scheme.

The Russian performance artist known for protest acts

like nailing his scrotum to the cobblestones of Red Square

says he's fled the country and plans to seek asylum in France.

Pyotr Pavlensky said he and his partner were questioned

Upon their release, pending an investigation,

Mr Pavlensky says they were being framed by the Russian authorities.

A Turkish cargo plane has crashed into a residential area close

Local authorities say at least 37 people have been killed.

The Boeing 737 was en route from Hong Kong.

Abduljalil Abdurasulov sent this report.

The plane crashed and hit the buildings of the village,

TRANSLATION: I heard a strong shot, and after that,

Of course, everyone got frightened and started to run out

Nobody understood what was going on because there was a fog.

Rescue workers arrived at the scene to help survivors.

There are children among the injured.

And doctors fear she may lose her baby.

This accident shocked many in Kyrgyzstan.

Grief and sorrow were in the eyes of the emergency workers

as they pulled out dead bodies from the rubble.

No one from the crew survived the crash.

The plane was operated by a Turkish company, ACT Airlines,

which flew under the name of My Cargo Airlines.

Although it was a foggy day, authorities say that conditions

for landing were good, since other flights managed

to successfully land prior to the crash.

A special committee has been set up to investigate the accident.

Facebook is introducing new tools in Germany to help combat the spread

The world's largest social network said it would enable users to flag

up stories which appear to be fabricated.

The BBC is also assembling a permanent team to fact check

and debunk deliberately misleading stories.

With me is our media editor, Amol Rajan.

First of all, what has brought Facebook to the point it feels it

needs to do this? Fake news is nothing new but we had in the

electoral campaign last year, we had some stories which went viral which

turned out not to be true. Those that claim the Pope back Donald

Trump. Those that claim Denzel Washington backed Donald Trump.

There is no evidence to suggest those claims were decisive in making

sure Trump was elected but they may have been a factor and they were

read by millions. The point is that new digital technologies, like

social media, Facebook, Twitter etc, have created the potential for false

information to go viral, to reach millions of people very fast. Mark

Zuckerberg initially said it is a crazy idea, there's no way Facebook

can influence the election but now he realises there is a lot of fake

news around and he's taking action not only in America but in Germany,

too. Essentially, what goes on Facebook is going to need some

editing but how will this be done? Facebook has also been resistant to

being the arbiters of truth. And, actually, now they've accepted some

responsibility for the fact they need to do that, they need to make

editorial judgments. What they going to do is in Germany, with elections

forthcoming, there is going to be an alarm button. If people are looking

at something and people think it is dodgy, Facebook will employ

independent fact checkers, and if they find this stuff is unverified

or false, there will be a mark that says this information is disputed,

here's an explanation. It will not get rid of that content from the

social network, but it is a way of flagging stuff that is suspicious.

The words fake news are still bringing in the air after last

week's press conference by Donald Trump but what our media

organisations doing, like the BBC? All media organisations feel that

what Donald Trump said last week, when he looked at CNN and said, you

have fake news, it is an attack on mainstream organisations. And

organisations like the BBC are saying we believe there is a thing

such as true news and it is our job to find out the truth and to be the

people that stand up for it. We have had a reality check service, and

last week the BBC announced a couple of things. A partnership with

Facebook to help fact checking on more of the stuff on Facebook. And

an attempt to make fact checking a bigger part of news stories that

appear online. It's fair to say the BBC sees itself as being in the

front line in the fight against fake news, whatever may be. Thank you

very much. Let's return to the big

international event of the week, Friday's inauguration of Donald

Trump. The new President will take power,

despite taking fewer votes than his rival,

because of victories Our correspondent John Kay has been

to find out just why people there are so keen

on their new leader. Milwaukee, known for its harsh

winters, for making cheese and beer, and now for its role in America's

fragile new politics. This is no place for fragile -

junior ice hockey. This is the Green

Bay Junior Gamblers. He likes Donald Trump

because he's different, It just goes back to an alternative

that's outside of the box, He's a billionaire,

though, isn't he? He's a TV star, he's

not exactly every man. No, he certainly is not,

but I think there's something to be said for him being able to relate

to, you know, a plumber, The State of Wisconsin switched

sides in this election. The large white working-class

electorate normally votes Democrat, They like giving new things a try

here, even if it's risky. Your gloves and nearly as big

as my hands, aren't they? After nine redundancy

threats in six years, he says it's time for a businessman

in the Oval Office. It'll be nice to have a little bit

more stability in the job front. I'm hoping, from an economic

stand-point, that Trump reflects giving that stability back

to the country. Some of America's top ice athletes

practice on this rink. I understand you like to do this

thing, but you're not stopping to do that,

you're not doing that Nancy was an Olympian

and is now a coach. She told me Donald Trump

can bring a winner's Trump makes a decision,

he gets it done. Do you have any reservations

about his personality, I mean, the things he's said

about women, for example? Yeah, I think everybody

who is behind him has some reservations, because they really

do not know the truth behind that and they are just hoping

at this point in his life, Wisconsin may have voted Trump,

but only by 1% and some here are still struggling

with the result. This is one of the most

important jobs in the world, and I'm not certain that he's

prepared for it. Hockey mum Liela is willing to give

the new president a chance, even though, as a Muslim,

she is worried by some I think we have to just wait

and see what happens. You sound to me like maybe

you're a little nervous? We heard that a lot here,

a desire to unite, but an acceptance It's a case that might have baffled

Sherlock Holmes himself. Who leaked a copy of the final

episode of the BBC's The fact that it was dubbed

into Russian is a major clue. But was it criminal

piracy, done for money? Calmly, Sherlock, or I

will finish right now. The last episode of Sherlock,

eagerly awaited by millions, but on Saturday, a copy was leaked

online dubbed into Russian. It was a spoiler and

broadcasters don't like those. Everything up to this point has been

planned with the intention of presenting this programme,

this very important finale, as a global event, as a collective

community of fans coming together and very much experiencing it

for the first time and this has put The Russian version

was widely shared online. The mystery - worthy

of an old-fashioned Sherlock Holmes story -

who leaked it and why? One theory, the episode was put

online to damage the BBC, which the Kremlin doesn't much

like at present because the Beeb is increasing its radio

broadcasts to Russia. Another theory, it's just somebody

trying to make money out Experts say film and television

piracy is widespread in Russia. With Russia, it's hard to tell

and today, the mystery deepened when the Russian state-owned

television channel who broadcasted the series denied responsibility

for the leak and claimed But who could the external

third party be? No one seems to know

and the conspiracy theorists A wedding is often described

as the happiest day of someone's life, but, for one bridegroom

in Japan, it may have turned This is newly-wed Masatsugu Kasai,

who's about to undergo a traditional ceremony

known as bridegroom-throwing. His wife, Kiyomi, was waiting

for him at the bottom, as he was quite literally

launched into marriage. The practice is meant to bring

the couple a lifetime of luck. Presumably, once they'd got back

into some warm, dry clothes. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel

says European unity is the best events following controversial

comments made by Donald Trump. The President-elect has praised the UK's

decision to leave the EU. Francois Hollande has just replied saying the

EU has no need for outside advice in its affairs. That's the French

President in the last few minutes. Thanks very much for watching.