17/02/2017 World News Today

Hello, this is BBC World News. Our top story. President Trump is still

searching for a National Security Advisor. His second choice but the

top post says no thank you. Under mental questions about the

future relationship with the EU and Russia. It is a fair demand that all

who benefit from the best alliance in the world carry their proportion

of chair of the necessary cost to defend our freedoms.

Princess Cristina, the sister of the Spanish king is cleared and tax

fraud trial but her husband has been given a six-year jail term.

And diplomacy with bear hugs and head locks, how Iran took on the

United States and one. -- won.

A day after President Trump told his Administration was running like a

fine tuned machine, it has been called to be in disarray.

The former naval admiral chosen by President Trump

to be his national security advisor has turned down the job.

The president returned to one of his favourite themes, of wing in jobs

back to America. He has been speaking to a factory in South

Carolina. As York resident, I am going to do everything I can to

unleash the power of the American spirit. And to put our great people

back to work. This is our mantra, by American and higher American. We

want the Bucs made in America, made by American hands.

Our correspondent Gary O'Donoghue is in Washington for us now.

It must be quite unusual for someone to turn down the offer of such a

prestigious job, particular when it has got to the stage there name is

being mentioned soap publicly in connection. Yes, you are talking

about the National Security Advisor. That is a conundrum, frankly. It is

bad enough losing your NSA within the first four weeks of coming into

office and that has derailed this presidency little bit in its early

days. But putting it about that they wanted Bob Harwood, the Vice Admiral

who had been the centre of command as well, you really want to make

sure he differently was to do it before you start putting that idea.

-- the deputy centre of command. He said he would rather stay at the

defence company. They are still costing around. The reason it is

important is Security Advisor is one of the absolute inner circle. They

are there to bring everything to the President in terms of security,

defence, and intelligence. They are the conduit for all the other parts

of the executive branch. They are in the situation room when something

big is kicking off, advising the presidency. It is a crucial role. He

will need to get someone in place pretty soon on that. We have seen

President Trump trying to retake the initiative today with this trip to

the Boeing factory in South Carolina. That is playing to his

base, and his dominant theme of bringing jobs back. Yes, it was

actually not a bad speech. It looked pretty controlled, he pressed a lot

of buttons, in terms of American jobs, the American dream, American

innovation, standing there in front of that great big Boeing dream

line-up they have been building, a symbol of American achievement. The

jobs issue is the thing that really did get him Alex did. It was the

thing that resonated Djibouti with those parts of America, particularly

the belt where jobs have been disappearing and probably still are.

He will tell you the jobs are all coming back. He will put tariffs on

American companies that move jobs outside the US. We will see how

successful that is as a policy. But this was a strongly economically

nationalist speech in that sense and that is what we have come to expect.

The slogan is America first. US vice-president Mike Pence

is to become the latest representative to shed light

on what Trump's America First policy He will speak at the Munich

Security Conference later. The conference is happening right

now - US policy towards Russia, the Middle East and Nato

are all on the table. And on Nato, the new US

Defence Secretary, James Mattis, insisted that Nato countries shared

a strong bond against instability. But he stressed the need for members

to contribute their fair share. President Trump came into office and

has thrown down his full support to Nato. He too espouses Nato's need to

adapt today's strategic situation for it to remain credible, capable

and relevant. It was noted last week that it was a fair demand that all

who benefit from the best alliance in the world currently a

proportionate share of the necessary costs to defend our freedoms, and we

are committed to keep those freedoms intact for the next generation. Lyse

Doucet has been following the events. We are here for the annual

security forum. There is real diplomacy, real negotiations going

on behind the scenes and sometimes even on public that forms to tackle

the world's red crisis. There is of this year because of the uncertainty

and quite some anxiety about the new policies emerging from President

Trump's new team in Washington. Most of all, there is concern about the

transatlantic relationship. James Mattis began the conference. Michael

Fallon, there has been comments from many of those attending St that you

weren't convinced by the speech. He repeated the commitment that

President Trump has already even. Our Prime Minister Theresa May was

told that America remains 100% committed to Nato. Secretary James

Mattis has been in Brussels with me for the last two years, with Nato

ministers and we are in no doubt that America is continuing to commit

to Nato. But the anxiety is such that even the chairman of the Munich

Security force said he wanted to hear from the United States that

they would not try to break up the European Union and destroyed the

killers that had been in place since the Second World War. -- back

pillars. This is the Munich security forum. You get some uncertainty

about new policies of the new administration, particular make

changes. Republican and Democrat and vice versa. That is inevitable. But

on the commitment to Nato, we are in the town that America is behind the

Alliance, they want Europe to do more to contribute more, we agreed

all that two and a half years ago, we agreed we would each spend two

and a half percent. In Britain, we do spend 2%. America was the other

countries to step up as well. Given the hour-long press conference that

President Trump gave yesterday, would you be worried about it? We

all handle these things in different ways. One thing, chaotic, ramming is

another. This is the beginning of the new administration for a very

new president. What is important is to judge this Administration on what

it actually does, not what was said during the camp aim. Over here,

secretary James Mattis has reassured all the allies that Nato remains

behind the Alliance. General Mattis has also been tasked with drawing up

a new plan with looking at Islamic State. You have said then is to be

more pressure on them in Syria and a lark -- Iraq. There is talk that

America could consider putting troops on the ground in Syria. Will

that be a good idea? We need to keep the momentum up. Half of Mosul, the

second biggest city in Iraq has been liberated. Some 2 million fewer

people live under the Daesh rule now than did. We need to keep up that

campaign and help the Iraqis, and we're helping with air strikes, with

intelligence, and with training. British troops have trained merely

40,000 Iraqi and Peshmerga troops. We will not deploy combat troops on

the ground but we are going to help local forces regained control of

their country. You've just come back from Iraq. If President Trump

decides it was more aggressive, kinetic action for a sonic State,

will question back him in that special relationship? We are making

probably the August two and reviews. Would you change if evident from

changes his condo Bijan? -- will you change your contribution if

President Trump changes his? We've been doing this for two and a half

years now. Many of the towns occupied in the Iraq have now been

lit related. We want -- liberated. In the end, the fighting has to be

done by local troops. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, thank you

per room at for joining us here in unique. Just getting underway, much

more coming from behind-the-scenes. One woman arrested in Malaysia over

the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader has said

she was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank -

that's according to Indonesia's national police chief who's been

briefed by Malaysian authorities. Kim Jong Nam died after being

attacked at Kuala Lumpur Meanwhile North Korea has made

a plea to Malaysia to release We strongly urge and demand from the

Malaysians side not to be entangled with the political plot via the

hostile forces towards us. And want to damage the image of our republic.

And to release the body, immediately, without any conditions.

A Spanish court has acquitted the Princess of being... Her husband was

found guilty of fraud and tax evasion and sentenced to six years

in jail. For more on this, we can speak to Raphael Timmy Gell, editor

of Elle Pace. Raphael, good to see you. Tell us more about this case.

It sounds extraordinary. It has been a very extra merry case. A very long

trial, almost seven years of a trial. It came at a time during

probably the worst economic and political crisis that Spain has

suffered in decades. The public romance with the monarchy, with the

institution that lasted so many years had started to erode because

of the public behaviour of the former King, and then when this case

erupted, the public anger towards the monarchy became more and more

intense. Now, as you probably know, the King abdicated and his son, King

Philip, the sects, and the public knew what the outcome of the trial

would be because the public persecution had renounced to push

against -- push a case against Princess Christina. But still, it

has been a very dramatic, of every hard case for the Spanish monarchy.

And the UK has a very tough work ahead to regain the public

confidence that his father once enjoyed. -- the new king. You

mentioned that the effect this has on the image of the monarchy, is

there any sense of how the king is going to try and restore that? Well,

it is going to be a very slow and tough process. He has started to

take distance from his sister and from all those past behaviours. The

institution, the monarchy, has started to put in place new

accountability and Rawls -- rules. The public behaviour of the new King

is very austere, in comparison to the former king. He has adhered to a

very strict constitutional role in order to regain that confidence,

because as I was telling you, it is going to be very hard. And among the

royal family and their advisers, there will be mixed feelings about

the outcome. Well, it is a very sad day, especially for Queen Sophia,

which has been very close to Princess Christina. In the case of

King Philip the six, he knew that in order to reserve the constitution,

he had to distance himself from her. Apart from that political decision,

the relations with tween them had grown very cold after he found out

all the things that his brother-in-law had done and all the

businesses he had engaged in. So, now you have very cold relations

between the king and his staff and it is indeed a very sad day for the

Royal family. -- the king and his sister.

Pakistan's security forces have carried out raids

across the country, killing and arresting dozens

It follows the suicide attack at a famous Sufi shrine in the south

The attack has been claimed by the so-called Islamic State.

Our Pakistan correspondent Secunder Kermani reports.

The shrine was packed with men, women and children for the special

devotional services that take place here on Thursday nights.

Jihadists believe Muslims who attend shines like this are heretics

Today the families of the dead began to bury their loved ones.

This woman's 13-year-old son was among those killed.

His uncle expressed the family's sorrow.

TRANSLATION: He only wanted to pay his respects at the shrine.

I raised him like my own child as I don't have any children.

He was my own child and they took him from me.

There have also been angry scenes close to the shrine where locals

have clashed with police, who they blame for not having done

We have been telling the police and other officials

that there was no security and that anything could happen any time

Security has been stepped up at religious sites considered

possible targets like this Sufi shrine.

Paramilitary forces say they have killed dozens of suspected militants

in raids carried out across the country today

but Pakistan has now suffered five attacks in five days carried out

One faction of the Pakistani Taliban has vowed to unleash

It's not known whether this latest attack by IS is linked to that

but many here now fear that after a recent significant

reduction in violence, the security situation

The US and Iran have gone head-to head in one of the ultimate

More than 300 people have broken through a fence separating

the Spanish territory of Ceuta from Morocco.

Most of the group are believed to be migrants from sub-Saharan Africa,

Video footage shows them using clubs and shears to create gaps

The former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has launched a campaign

to try to persuade people in the UK to change their minds about Brexit.

Mr Blair said no-one knew the true cost of what they were voting for.

The UK government is expected to start the formal procedure

Researchers based in New Zealand say they've found more evidence to back

the claim that the world has an additional continent.

The land mass, known as Zealandia, is shown here in grey

Although 94% of it is under water, the scientists say its geology

proves it was once a land mass in its own right.

The US and Iran have gone head-to head in one of the ultimate

Nothing to do with politics this time -

they were in fact locking horns in the Freestyle Wrestling

American and Iranian wrestlers battled it out in front of roaring

crowds in the city of Kermanshah and it was hosts Iran who pipped

There was initially doubt over whether the match would even go

ahead after the American team were barred from competing by Iran -

a retaliation for President Trump's ban on Iranian travellers.

With me is Nicholas Niksadat from the BBC's Persian Service.

The match that almost take place. Exactly. Obviously, the travel ban

was a big headline and affected many Iranians and originally it was

thought the government would retaliate but they changed their

mind. In fact, the Americans were the first team that arrived, and

much to a warm welcome from many members of the public. There is a

portion of the Iranian population that is very eager to show the

Westerners and Americans, especially, that they want a distant

themselves from the position of their government and in fact,

wrestling is one of very few channels of contact between the two

nations, other contacts obviously happening very tense situations

between politicians, mainly. In recent years it was volleyball, but

mainly wrestling revives channels for the two people to have contact

with each other. And so it was good-natured, despite the political

tension? Of course. Wrestling is a big sport in Iran. It is one of a

handful of disciplines where Iranians can winds at world level

and in fact when world medals at the Olympics. It is an ancient show of

their identity and culture. It is not a major sport in America.

Ironically, some of these American wrestlers are bigger stars in Iran

than they are in their own country and they have their own fans and

that makes the Iranians -- the Americans so popular in Iran. When

Americans are wrestling against third parties, the Iranians and the

crowd usually support the Americans. That is very interesting. And

something you alluded to a moment ago, even if conversations are

awkward and difficult on a political level, it is so important to have

channels like this must sport, weather two nations can come

together. Exactly because after all you have a chance to see that they

are normal people like you, you can seal a real, so to speak, persons,

people shake hands, they stand up for one another's national and is.

Some of these tournaments in the past five years, three of them have

been held in the US, in Los Angeles, specifically, whether as a Iranian

diaspora so it is pretty much like playing at home or the Iranians so

there is a lot that -- lot of contact from sport, also volleyball,

and that makes have hope for the future and I think maybe some

opportunities for mutual understanding that has been shot

down by politics can be opened through sport. Thank you very much.

The weekend is almost upon us which means for Donald Trump it's

almost time to head down to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.

He's owned the lavish private club and estate for decades,

but it's taken on a new prominence since he took office.

It seems destined to become his number one getaway retreat,

Welcome to the American President's Florida getaway.

A place where Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley

spent their honeymoon and actor Charlie Sheen once

Maralago, Spanish for "sea to lake", is a sprawling, 126-room mansion

nestled in some of the most expensive real estate in Palm Beach.

This is a great entrance hall to Maralago.

Mr Trump bought it as a holiday home back in 1985 for $10 million,

Back then it was a family retreat and a place to wine and dine

Never one to miss a moneymaking opportunity, Mr Trump turned it

A membership here will set you back a cool $200,000, double the price

Mr Trump has stayed at Maralago nearly every weekend

since his inauguration and some club members have bragged

about their access to the workings of state.

When North Korea tested a ballistic missile

during the Japanese Prime Minister's visit, witnesses said the two

leaders gathered with their advisers openly in front of other guests.

It's not unusual for presidents to have retreats, and Maralago

Its original owner, Marjorie Merriweather Post,

was herself a business tycoon who wanted to be

We really pay a certain reverence to Mrs Post

She left it to the Government in her will, but the United States

It took a future president to come along and make Maralago his own.

It is not unusual to be asked for direction but a lorry driver in

Kazakhstan has captured the moment a pilot landed on a highway to ask for

help after apparently losing his way. The eyelid asked how to get to

a city in the north-west of the country, much to the amusement of

the two lorry drivers. The pilot had been taking part in the bridge will

orientation exercise when he lost his bearings.

Dick Bruna, the Dutch illustrator and author who created

the much-loved cartoon rabbit Miffy, has died at age of 89.

He wrote more than 30 books about Miffy's adventures which sold

The reminder of our main news. President Trump has suffered a

setback in an attempt to finalise the administration, his latest

choice for National Security Advisor has turned the job down.

Don't forget you can get in touch with me and most of the team on

Twitter. David plenty more of the stories we have covered on our

website. Also available on the BBC News app. That is it from the

programme and from me in the team, thank you for watching.