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from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news >> north korea's longtime ruler is dead and 11 days of official mourning. opposition activists in syria say dozens of people have been killed in the latest clashes. >> headquarters of olympus in japan is rated by investigators as part of an investigation into a legend accounting irregularities. researchers studying the bird flew virus are often not to print their findings for of your -- for fear their data could be used by terrorists trucks and welcome to newsday.

-- who could be used by terrorists. >> welcome to newsday. in north korea, the country's new leader has led mourners as they pay their respects to his father came john io. he died on saturday at the age of 69. -- his father, kim jong il. he died on saturday at age of 69. foreign powers have been monitoring a events closely. neighboring south korean -- >> kim jong il, a face so familiar to the outside world, revered, reviled, even character, now more and. this is the new guardian region and -- nor mourned. this is the new guardian, not

yet 30 years old and as enigmatic as his father. he is the man china and america will be negotiating with. these are the people he will be ruling. many are poorer and hungrier than when his father took power, and according some, more critical of those who lead them. the tears appeared just as real, but those who were there the last time north korea mourn their leaders say do not believe everything you see. >> you could not cry in public, so people used to pinch themselves to make themselves cry. others were just laughing. when i look at what is happening now, i think it is more fe. >> the great fear is not insincerity on the streets of p'yongyang but instability. >> how well the funeral is manus will be a test of the sun's

ability to -- and is managed to will be a test of kim jong un's ability to manage. >> and we get a picture of how this is unfolding and tensions in might produce. the slow creep of capitalism in their country maybe a bigger threat. this communist state has already had to loosened strict control on the economy. will its new leader choose more reform or more repression to hold it together? >> opposition forces in syria have described another day of heavy bloodshed in syria. activists say dozens of people were killed. arab league officials have called on damascus to end the violence.

>> gunfire going through the streets. this amateur video claims to show syrian security forces attacking activists, but it is almost impossible to verify its authenticity. the rest of the footage coming out of syria is amateur video, which has allegedly been reported by local residents and then up loaded onto social networking sites. on tuesday, gulf nations spoke. >> syria must embrace a plan that calls for pulling troops for population census, releasing prison treated releasing prisoners, and dialogue with opposition forces. >> as part of the plan, syria agreed to allow a team of

foreign servants into the country. the mission is to monitor syria's compliance with the peace plan, and that is a problem. they do not believe president assaad is serious about these talks. >> we have news that the headquarter of olympus has been rated. -- deraided. >> it has been reported they have raided the headquarters of olympus. camera and medical equipment manufacturer has been accused of trying to cover up a major losses. house prosecutors basically revealed what they found from this rain? -- raid? >> no, but they have been going into the homes of executives to look for evidence to back up

investigations that are already under way. this is one of the biggest corporate scandals in japanese history, so a highly unusual investigation by police and financial regulators is taking place. the scandal open back in october. that is when the chief executive, michael woodforde, went public with what he had been questioning internally. it is an unusual takeover deal. first, olympus and denied any wrongdoing and later admitted it had been cutting -- covering up losses dating back decades. >> stock price of olympus has been volatile. it was up by 12%, but when the

raid was announced, it plummeted. >> shareholders have had a rocky ride over the past few months. the value of the company went up by 80% as the scandal broke, but it has been returning to about half its position before october. the reason i think investors are behaving like that is that they hope the executives blame for this scandal could face harsh punishment. olympus' might survive. yesterday there were reports that olympus was going to be issuing shares to try to shore up its balance sheets, which had been badly damaged by the cover- up, which has now been merged into the light. -- now meremerged into the ligh.

>> the united states government has researchers to not publish data about the bird flu. they fear that information could be used to make a biological weapon. the director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases has more on this u.s. decision. >> it is a legitimate scientific question and needed to be asked about whether this virus can actually obtain the characteristics of easy spread while maintaining its ability to kill, so it was a legitimate public health question to help people doing surveillance to try and find out whether or not this will happen. the results of the experiment came up with a virus that had these characteristics, but when

you analyze the results, the decision was made to give the recommendation to publish the conclusions but to not make the information available to anyone and everyone who wants it, as is traditional, but to make it available for those scientists and public health officials who have a need to know for the public health thirgood. >> in hong kong, a serious bird flu alert has been issued after a chicken was found to have a deadly virus. the chicken was the third bird in three days to be diagnosed with a bird's solo. -- bird flu. they will be carrying out a mass slaughter of chickens. u.s. vice president joe biden

has had to stress the urgent need for the iraqi prime minister nouri al maliki to meet with other parties in iraq. it comes after an arrest warrant was issued for the vice president over alleged links to terrorism. he has denied all allegations and says the charges are fabrication. >> yesterday, my residence was stormed, doors destroyed by soldiers. computers and files were taken away, my staff stripped of the badges. now i am supposed to be vice president and deserve a better treatment. i have managed to escape to kurdistan, where i am now. >> efforts now are continuing to help the russian fishing boat which has been stranded for five

days. this boat started taking on water last week. an emergency rescue teams are flying out supplies and pumping of equipment to the stricken vessel. >> stranding and -- stranded and alone in new zealand in freezing conditions. not a fishing boat hit under water ice last friday, tearing a hole in it. it was every man to the account until the crew members were left stranded. -- it was every man to the pump until the crew members were left stranded. the royal defense force joined in. any rescue by sea has been hampered by heavy ice. >> we do not often do this on the ice, but the same procedures

apply. >> most of the water has been pumped out. a rescue ship is on its way, and the plan is to come out of fuel and well played over the whole. theeweld a plate over hole. >> still to come, how young people are turning to music to express their desire for peace. >> and a former editor of "the daily mirror" denies knowledge of phone hacking. water cannons, and plastic bullets, and live ammunition could be used by police in the event of another outbreak of civil unrest. they say new rules of engagement

are needed to protect the public. >> burning buildings are among the most powerful and poignant images. are sinners destroyed homes, shops, and livelihood, -- arson destroyed homes, shops and livelihoods. this shows why new rules of engagement need to be drawn up. >> in theory there will be enough of them to be able to restrain by sheer numbers, but if there is not, all the evidence says it will take a few hours to roster large numbers. they have to have some options to protect our citizens. >> in any similar unrest in the future, you must have more officers on the street. the police estimate they need to outnumber by at least three to one to make arrests, but they stress it is not just a question

of who's on the ground. they say they need to look at water cannons and plastic bullets. riots have been a problem. the rules state for police to open fire they have to believe there is a genuine threat to life. it was a police shooting that sparked a disturbance here. the man who was shot dead. his death is still being investigated. four months after a events which began the fatal shooting, the big question. if there is a repeat, should police make greater use of their firepower? >> i am in singapore. get >> headlines for you this

hour. in north korea, 11 days of official mourning for kim jong il began. >> more heavy bloodshed in syria. dozens of people have been killed in the latest clashes. >> one of the most timely has faced a difficult questions. the former editor was pressed repeatedly about phone hacking of the inquiry. he insisted he did not believe he would ever listened to voice messages. >> he has become a celebrity himself. the career of peers morgan has had ups and downs since his start. he became the august editor of "news of the world needed a

young guest editor of "news of the world." by 2006, he established a new career as a television talent show judge, and then earlier this year he was appointed host of a high-profile tv chat show. he makes no secret of the fact that he relishes his status as interrogator of the stars. he was placed under oath to answer questions. when they came to phone hacking, the dancers became noticeably shorter. >> your newspaper was year the stock and -- near the top of the list, wasn't it? of the perpetrators. you know that. >> you know that not a single person has made any formal or legal complaints against "the daily mirror" about hacking.

>> he was asked how he heard of private voice-mail message, kearney left for his then wife heather. >> -- voicemail message paul mccartney left for his then wife heather. mr. morgan said he had to protect his source, so he could not say any more about it. justice levenson was becoming frustrated. >> i am perfectly happy to call lady miss carney -- mccartney to give evidence about whether she allow you to listen to her voice mails. >> and then on to another celebrity's voice mails. >> did you listen to the voicemail relation -- in relation to that? >> mr. morgan was categoric.

he did not know any phone hacking was taking place. >> did you see this sort of thing? >> no. >> are you sure about that? price 100%. >> mr. morgan said he felt like a badly treated rock star whose low points were constantly replaying but whose successes were constantly ignored. >> the european commission has imposed tough new export controls for an aesthetic that can be used to execute people in the u.s. there is a shortage of drugs required for lethal injections. new restrictions mean european firms that will produce such drugs will have to provide reassurances they will not be used in executions in order to export them. officials in the southern philippines have begun to bury the victims. nearly 1000 people are known to have died and many others are

still missing. authorities have started to bury some of the bodies in large communal tombs and even landfill sites. their decision has angered many in the local community. a south american trading bloc that includes brazil and uruguay has agreed to stop flying the flag of the falkland islands. the dispute has heated up again as british companies have begun exploring for oil in waters around the island. for much of the past two decades, the kashmir valley has been in the insurgency, but details mean that is about to change. >> it looks like that is changing. thousands have been killed or have disappeared in separatist violence, though the violence in the moslem-dominated territories

has declined, and kashmir you have to turn to music to express anger and desire for peace. >> this has long been a favorite hangout spot. these days, they also make music. what they are singing is not traditional or folk songs. increasingly, is western songs to do with protest. cashmere now has its non rated cashmere now has its own star. -- kashmir now has its own star. he dedicates his music to those caught up in violence. >> i have seen people get shot. i have seen people disappear.

i have seen funerals, and rap gives you a freedom other genres do not give you. praxair day-to-day experiences -- >> day-to-day experiences cause them to write music with beats. this marks a change in the attitude of youth. >> there was a day they tried to express themselves. they feel there should be other means of expressing themselves, and they have started relating to this to john rupp of music. >> -- to this is jon ryan -- to this genre of music. >> restrictions are many. they do not have a good recording studios and exposure.

one then has gone a step further and opened a music school for young kashmiris. the school is hoping to shift the attention from guns to guitars. they say their music faces opposition from conservative sections, but they are keen to popularize their protest songs beyond this region and to let the world know what is happening in kashmir. >> they have found not what they say is the most important planet ever discovered outside our solar system. one of them may have had conditions close to earth and may have supported lives.

we explain the significance of this find. >> planets orbit many of the stars we see in the night sky. the big question is could one of them be like our own. scientists believe they found one that once was. orbiting a star 1000 light years away, this is the first planet scientists have discovered that is almost exactly the same size as our earth. it is too hot to support life now. millions of years ago, it was further from its son, said temperatures were much lower. >> if it was further from its sun, it may have been cooler. it may have had oceans of the water and may have perhaps been suitable for life. >> researchers have also discovered a second planet from the store that is slightly smaller, but it is too hot to support her life.

the discoveries were made now and with the space telescope. it looks for stars twinkling as planets pass in front of them. up until now, researchers found the most recent being kapla 22b. it is nearly two and a half times the earth. today they announced the discovery of a plan of the same size and one that is a little smaller -- of the planets and the same size and one that is a little smaller. scientists believe a planner at the same size as ours is more likely to support life. >> i think we will find life. maybe not intelligent life, but i think we will be there. >> scientists may not have long to wait. when with a telescope scanning 150,000 stars, is likely one of

them will be able to support life. >> before we go, a hotel in china is using a novel style of christmas decorations to help the environment. staff at the hotel in the southwestern province have constructed a christmas tree from around 23,000 used plastic water bottles. they say they wanted to take a different approach to protect the environment and encourage recycling. an environmentally friendly christmas season. >> that is a way forward. just a quick reminder of our main news. 11 days of official mourning have begun in north korea for kim jong il. his body is lying in the capital, of p'yongyang. thank you for watching. headlines are on the way next.

see you soon. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank.

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