kim jong il used to appear on a white horse. observers say these images are meant to cement kim jong un's legitimacy as leader. >> how is the transition of power going so far? >> the north korean regime is continuing to culture the personality ff kim jong un and was done for his father and grandfather. kim jong un is being portrayed as a man of the people. citizens are told how he ordered -- or how he himself replied to letters from ordinary workers. north korea is prepared for important celebrations to include the 70th anniversary of the birth of kim jong il on february 16th. and the 100th anniversary of his grandfather's birthday on april 15th. there's even crucial test for the the new leader who will likely be eager to display his legitimacy by holding public ceremonies. of course, the big question is whether kim jong un will be able to control the country's army and ruling party. he's still in his training and lacks practical experience. north korea set it national slogan to -- however sanctions will make building its econom

kim jong-il used to appear on a white horse. these images are meant to show his legitimacy as leader. it is continuing to create a cult of personality around kim jong-un as was done for his father and grandfather. kim jong-un is being portrayed as man of the people. citizens are told how he ordered food to be delivered, or how he can apply to letters from ordinary workers. expected to declare a bid for generosity. north korea is preparing in the coming months. they include the 70th anniversary of kim jong-il on february 16th and the birthday april 15. even a curable test for the new leader who will likely be eager to display his legitimacy. of course the big question is whether kim jong-un will be able to control the country's army and ruling party. he is still in his training and lacks political experience. north korea is to conduct a strong and prosperous nation this year. however, international sanctions will make rebuilding its economy difficult. observers are watching to see how kim jong-un will guide his country during the

kim jong-un used to ride a white horse. they are continuing to create a personality among kim jong-un as was his father and grandfather. kim jong-un is being portrayed as a man of the people. citizens are told how he ordered warm drinks to people during the cold december days to mourn his father's death or how he replied to letters from brokers. next month, the regime is expected to announce the generosity. north korea is preparing for celebrations of the birth of kim jong-il on february 16th. these are considered crucial tests for the new leader, he will be eager to hold ceremonies. of course, the big question is whether kim jong-un will control the country's army and controlling party. he lacks political experience. north korea is to construct a strong nation this year. international sanctions will make rebuilding the economy difficult. observers are watching to see now kim jong-un will guide the country during these tough times. >> nhk world's hiroki yajima reporting there. >>> an international rating agency is being ask

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due to a sudden illness. >> stephen: that's right, kim jong-il is kim jong-dead. and folks... (cheers and applause) his plan here, his little scheme here is so obvious he clearly slipped away while i was on break because he knew i would gloat. after all, i am his number-one global opponent. jim? i. >> north korea, an isolated country ruled by a lunch lady in meineke overalls. elevator repairman onesy. i was going to send a giant novelty check until i realized for kim jong-il this is a giant novelty check. not to mention, folks, i have personally crushed his spirit with my spot-on impression. (laughter) but even though kim jong-il was my sworn enemy, i do feel for the millions of north koreans who are fulfilling the central government's mandate to be grief stricken. so let's take a fond look back at the life of lil' kim jong-il. (laughter) jim? ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) welcome back, everybody. my guest tonight is the junior senator from vermont. who will be the first guest i've ever lured here with cheddar. please welcome senator bernie sanders. (cheers and applau

of kim jong il. the two sides remain at odds over their policies regarding north korea. south korean president met with chinese premier in beijing on tuesday. they asked to urge the north to promote reform and open door policy and join the international community. jointly released documents say the two countries want to take steps to resume the stalled six-party talks on north korea's nuclear program. the president stressed that north korea must halt its uranium erin jury chargement program. china's calling for early resumption of the multiparty negotiations. the president said during the meeting that early resumption of talks between the two koreas will be difficult. who reported citing north korea's strong discontent over the south korean's government failure to send representatives to the country. we have more on the differences between the two countries north korea policies. >> reporter: during the meetings china merely expressed itsz basic stance on north korea. there was a disappointment to sou

it's the first time state-run media have commented on japan since kim jong il's son, kim jong un, took charge of the reclusive nation. the report also says japan's government has darkened prospects for bilateral ties by not officially offering condolences after the late leader's death. it notes that instead, authorities put the nation on a higher security alert. the korean central news agency also criticizes the japanese government for not allowing a top official from the general association of korean residents in japan to attend kim jong il's funeral. >>> politicians are trying to inspire voters in elections in a could change taiwan's relationship with china. campaigning for the parliamentary election on january 14th, has just begun. parliamentary and presidential elections willing held simultaneously for the first time. most of the 113 seats are chosen by a plurality of the vote. others are chosen through proportional representation. the results will be critical to taiwan's relationship with china, the governing nationalist party seeks warmer ties across the taiwan strait. the democr

observers say kim jong-un visited the military unit to assert his position as successor to his father. >>> authorities in the u.s. state of washington have cordoned off a national park and are searching for a suspect in the fatal shooting of a park ranger. they say the man they are looking for is believed to be armed and hiding in mt. ranier national park. the local sheriff's office and says the suspect fired at the 34-year-old forest ranger when she tried to stop his car after he drove through a checkpoint on sunday. the man is believed to have run into the forest after deserting his car. authorities say the suspect may also be responsible for a pre-dawn shooting in a nearby residential area. four people were wounded. mount rainier national park attracts about 2 million visitors annually, including skiers. >>> the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has to juggle two huge tasks this year. one is to continue cooling the damaged reactors. the other is to start preparing for decommissioning. the japanese government said two weeks ago that the reactors had reached a state of

as north koreans buried and dramatically mourned their long-time tyrant, kim jong-il, the new government promised no change in its policies. that would mean no end to its repression. just before christmas lucky severson visited south korea. he reports today on two heroic pastors who are risking their lives helping north koreans trying to escape, through china to south korea. >> reporter: this is pyongyang, the capitol of the democratic people's republic of korea, and this is the way the regime wants you to see life in north korea, as a utopian paradise. it's not the way melanie kirkpatrick, a senior fellow at the hudson institute sees north korea. she's about to publish a book about the people who've escaped the north and those who have helped them. >> i'd argue, not only is it the most totalitarian regime in existence today, it's probably the most totalitarian regime in existence in history. it is hard to describe to americans the extent of the repression there. >> reporter: kwang jin kim was a north korean banker who defected eight years ago. he now lives in south korea. >> the life in

for kim jong un, maintaining stability is key. for the moment, at least in appearance, there seems to be little challenge against his leadership. >> the u.n. is warning villages in south sudan to flee for their lives. tens of thousands of members of the tribe have been displaced by an attack by the lou nuer. the u.n. soldiers in the town. the government is sending additional police and troops. let's go to nairobi and let's get more from our correspondent, will ross declining death toll, despite the presence of peacekeepers in the region. >> the scale of the fighting is so huge that it is way beyond anything the united nations peacekeepers will be able to deal with and anything that the south sudanese army could really deal with, unless it wants to get involved in trying to separate two huge communities that have been fighting each other for many years. the escalation of the attacks has reached such a scale now. basically, the u.n. and the south sudanese army are protecting the very center of the town, the administrative buildings.

. >>> north korea's leader kim jong-un inspected a tank force on sunday. he was officially appointed supreme commander of the military on saturday, a position held by his late father. the country's state media said that the inspection was conducted along with kim jong-il's brother-in-law and the chief of the north korean people's army general staff. kim jong-un told the tank force to prepare for action and maintain its readiness to react to any situation as quickly as possible. our correspondent says that kim jong-un visited a military unit as soon as possible to strengthen his position as successor to his father. >>> an arab advisory body is calling for immediate withdrawal of arab league monitoring team in syria. the arab parliament of representatives from each of the member states released a statement sunday. the statement reads the mission of the arab league team has missed its aim of stopping the killing of children and ensuring withdrawal of troops from the syrian streets, giving the syrian regime coverage to commit acts under the noses of the arab l

for kim jong-un, consolidation of power and maintaining stability is key. for the moment, there seems to be little challenge against his leadership. >> you are watching bbc world news. still to come, it is down to the wire here in des moines, iowa as they get ready to caucus tomorrow night. we will have more on the state's supersonics influence. british police officers have traveled to india to lead a mother and father who found out about their son's murder in the u.k. through the social net working site facebook. they have criticized the british and indian authorities for their handling of the case. and for north met the family. his report contains flash photography. >> remembering an only son. his parents and grandmother still cannot believe he is dead. a brilliant student and the manchester united fan, his debt -- his father tells me, and my best friend. >> it has left a big gap in my life. that cannot be filled. >> they first learned he was dead by -- from facebook, and ask why it took greater manchester police and so long to call when they had his mobi

in south in the south sudanese de jong glazed thousands of fires from the loony who are driving have played siege to a town of one of their rivals members of the tribe storm torching buildings stealing livestock and forcing spores their homes when troops deployed in the town were unable to prevent the attack this latest spate of violence comes as the governor of the state and the vice president tam to mediate talks between the tribes. and chinese bus driver has died in the first reported case of bird flu in the country in over eighteen months man was hospitalized with pneumonia but later tested positive for the deadly virus according to health authorities it had no contact with poultry a positive test on a dead chicken at a market just outside of hong kong last week prompted an immediate import ban on hold for meat to control the epidemic. and russian court has ruled it will not be. at a religious book central to the christian movement it rejected claims that the book was extremist in nature the case has angered around the world and the court's decision was welcome by india's foreign

for kim jong un, the third-generation heir, consolidation of power and maintaining stability is key, with a moment of appearance, at least, there seems to be little challenge against his leadership. kevin kim, bbc news, seoul. >> you're watching bbc world news america. still to come on tonight's program, it's down to the wire here in des moines, as iowa gets ready to caucus tomorrow night. we'll have more on this state's super-sized influence. british police have traveled to india to meet a mother and father who found out about their son's murder in the u.k. through the social networking site facebook. they've criticized the indian authorities for their handling of the case. our correspondent, andrew north, met the family and should warn you, his report contains flash photography. >> remembering an only son. the parents and his grandmother still can't believe he's dead. a brilliant student and a manchester united fan, his father tells me, and my best friend. >> there's a big gap in my life. it cannot be fulfilled. >> but they first learned he was dead from facebook and asked why it t

north korea's new leader, kim jong-un, inspected a tank force on sunday. he is now the supreme commander of the military, a position held by his late father. the country's state media said that the inspection was conducted along with jang song thaek, his brother-in-law and ri yong ho, chief of the north korean people's army general staff. kim jong-un told the tank force to prepare for action and maintain readiness to react to any situation as quickly as possible. otherers say he visited the mill tae un is to assert his position as successor to his father. >>> authorities in the u.s. state of washington have cordoned off a national park and are searching for a suspect in the fatal shooting of a park rain injure. they say the man they are looking for is believed to be armed and hiding in mt. ranier national park. the local sheriff's office and other sources say the suspect fired at the 34-year-old forest ranger when she tried to stop his car after he drove through a checkpoint on sunday. the man is believed to have run into the forest after deserting his car

il into the death it comes after a two day state funeral was held for his father kim jong il and the streets of the capital pyongyang are just more if a national has been looking into what we know about the new have the state. can the death of the north korean dictator has raised questions and hopes over whether the dictatorship one of the last in the world will follow or will this extremely close society remain isolated condit's new leader too so little is known about the late leader's great successor his third and youngest son kim jong un is a bit of a dark horse even his age remains a subject of speculation his thought to be twenty seven or twenty eight. his new ascension to power increases the media hunger for information about him so his expensive education in switzerland suddenly tracked it a lot more interest an entrepreneur in moscow with russian origins and allies on a hug and she believes he could have been one of kim's classmates when news prior that kim trannie may have gone to an elite school in this week's margins in late ninety's the businessman brought out his all the

un quote to the death that's going against hopes in the west that the death of kim jong il would herald a more open country but asia specialist dr tom beale thinks foreign nations have an interest in keeping things as they are. not as we know he was educated in switzerland not see that's going to happen. but letting go it's grossly overestimate is freedom of action. to the north korean system but also mainly respect to the outside world only new respect to the americans so it is not north korea since don't want to see americans and want to. trade some what's like they want to contain china to do something differently but it's all part of the same the same package so what one can do is in many respects fairly limited. we will again will have sued i don't really depends very much on the americans watching r.t. it's good to have you with us on this first day of two thousand and twelve prospects for the struggling european currency remain low in the new year as the euro fell sharply at the end of two thousand and eleven debt ridden countries are racing to implement more austerity measures w

life after that look at the future of north korea after its longtime leader kim jong il was finally laid to rest also. begin becky becky becky stansberry i'm going to say you know i don't know you know . we find out that it's a not only us presidential candidate struggling with their knowledge of the world. the u.s. says egypt has agreed to stop raids on pro-democracy rights groups this week soldiers and police stormed offices of nongovernmental organizations including some of those funded by washington the groups accused of the ruling military of using the same tactics of oppression as a previous mubarak regime documents and computers have been seized as part of an investigation into foreign funding of organizations the military took power in the country after an uprising in february which toppled president barack william engdahl believes washington's initial aim was to work for a while and send the region. i think the military has made a deal with the islamic brotherhood and washington doesn't want stabilization they want to be permanent on knees so that they can you know use that as a

some experts say kim jong un doesn't want people to know the foot shipments are foreign aid. the north korean industry issued a statement saying u.s. offered to resume food shipments and they have suspended assistance to north korea for more than two years. but the statement said that the u.s. has drastically changed the types of food being sent. analysts say the ministry aims to underscore a promise made by by the u.s. to deliver the remaining 300,000 tons of grain. >>> japan's leading economic data shows a slowing global demand. we have the business report. >> imports are up. japan managed a surplus and in the surplus fell for a ninth straight month. the finance ministry said in a preliminary report on thursday the current account balance fell 85.5% in yen terms from a year earlier to 1.8 billion. the trade balance was in the red for a second straight month, exports fell 3.1% while imports were up 14%, that's due largely to a price hike in crude oil and natural gas. the income surplus, however, grew 13%, helping the overall accoun balance to stay in the positive. the surplu

urged to make every effort to bring their country to perspire ready and to fan its new leader kim jong un known to the doubts that's going against hopes in the west that the death of kim jong il would herald a more open country but age especially as dr tim feel things foreign nations have an interest in keeping things as they are. as far as we know he was educated in switzerland dogs do that's going to have an effect don't you know but letting go it's grossly overestimating is freedom of action. part of the north korean system but also mainly in respect of the outside world immune respect to believe the americans so it is not north korea and since does not that soon merkel's and want to. constrain. somewhat like they want to contain china i would have sent you differently but it's all part of the same package so what one can do is in many respects fairly limited. we will again will have soon but i don't really depend so much on the americans. prospects for the struggling european currency remain low energy here as the euro fell sharply at the end of two thousand and eleven devry the co

some experts say kim jong-un doesn't want his people to know the food shipments are foreign aid. a statement was released last may saying the u.s. offered to resume food shipments. the u.s. has suspended assistance for more than two years, but the statement said the u.s. has drastically changed the types of food being sent. analysts say the ministry aims to underscore a promise made by the u.s. to deliver the remaining 300,000 tons of grain. >>> a nationwide monitoring system malfunctioned last month, sparking widespread concern. the operator says the system stopped operating due to poor maintenance. the emergency response and support system failed to transmit data to terminal screens at the nuclear and industrial safety agency for more than 24 # hours from december 30th. the agency also failed to notice the problem for more than one hour. the system monitors pressure, temperature, and other real-time conditions of reactors around the country as well as radiation levels in surrounding areas. an investigation by the government affiliated corporation that manages the system reveale

south korean president relations aren't turning point in the death of kim jong il. the australian state of wales connected on the detection of a rare but potentially deadly virus discovered in chicken. it is spread by mosquitoes and australians have been warned to protect themselves. let's get more from our sydney studio. how much of a risk is this to ordinary humans? how is it spread? >> the authorities here in southeastern australia believe in certain parts of this region, australians should wear looser fitting, light-colored clothing and use effective insect repellent because of the discovery of this virus. it was discovered in chickens between new south wales and victoria, two and neighboring states in the southeast of the country. officials have an early warning system. they use sentinel flocks of chicken that are kept near diseased hotspots. this is with the latest infection has been found. the virus usually affects birds, it can infect people. the warning or the fear is people who live or have visited rivers or wetlands would be at particular risk. >> we will

. >>> and also, the older brother of kim jong-il speaking out tonight, kim jong-un, and we will hear that. >>> and tonight, the co-founder of wikipedia is exclusively "outfront." what makes the sleep number store different? the sleep number bed. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. you can adjust it to whatever your needs are. so whatever you feel like, the sleep number bed's going to provide it for you. and now, the company that redefined sleep is redefining memory foam. save $400 on our all-new memory foam bed. and at our white sale, stock up and save on our exclusive bedding collection. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699. >>> we do this at the same time every night, the outer circle to reach out to the source around the world. tonight we begin in north korea. kim jong-il's oldest son predicting that the regime led by his half brother kim jong-un who was passed over of the exclusive estate when he enraged the father over a decade of ago trying to sneak into japan to visit disneyland

to kim jong-un has been going smoothly and that there has been no sudden or suspicious moves by the country's armed forces. >>> russia's foreign minister says he is open to discussions with japan about jointly developing a group of disputed islands. he is scheduled to visit japan later this month. sergei lavrov says the islands off hokkaido became part of russia at the end of world war ii. japan does not recognize russia's territorial claim. >> translator: as to signing a peace treaty with japan, including the demarcation of territorial borders, russia understands the importance of resolving issues in a way that is acceptable to both countries. >> lavrov says developing the islands jointly with japan would be possible under russian law. he said he wants to discuss the proposal with his japanese counterpart during his visit. >>> a japanese company is fielding a lot of calls about its life-saving plane. the u.s.-2 is an amphibious aircraft used for rescue operations, but only in japan that could soon change. the government is relaxing its stance on the export of defense-related equipm

. >>> and also, the older brother of kim jong-il speaking out tonight, kim jong-un, and we will hearhat. >>> and tonight, the co-founder of wikipedia is exclusively "outfront." sta at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsa

late leaders a state news agency says the amnesty will begin on the first of february in honor of kim jong il who died last month and is far. kim il sung it's unknown what kind of crimes will be pardoned or how many inmates will be released the u.n. estimates are the country holds around two hundred thousand people and political prisoner. north korea denies the claim. well a lot more online for you at r.t. dot com including america's foreign policy future president obama received a response from china after saying the u.s. should reduce its military might in asia but. just where it's placed in the region also for you on our web site. the possible reasons behind the failure of russia's first interplanetary mission in years. at r.t.

leaders the state news agency said the amnesty will begin on the first of february in honor of kim jong il who died last month and his father kim il sung it's unknown what kind of crimes will be pardoned or how many inmates will be released the u.n. estimates the country holds around two hundred thousand people in political prisoner camps. voting in the key primary of the u.s.

the test sometime over the next year and a half in an attempt to solidify the rule of new leader kim jong un. the south korean institute of foreign affairs and national security made the prediction in a report. the think tank is affiliated with the government. the report says north korea will likely carry out another provocation by the end of the year or early next year and the military launched an artillery attack in 2010 on a south korean island. the north has historically allowed tensions to rise at times of uncertainty within the regime. the report says the nuclear or

south korea's president is urging the north's new leader kim jong. il if they agree to suspend nuclear activities the leader said in a new year's speech that the korean peninsula is at a turning point but warned against further provocation by the north korea walked out of nuclear talks in two thousand and eight after objecting to south korea's request to inspect its atomic facilities the comments come just after kim jong un was named ruling party leader following the death of his father in december it comes just after north korea told its citizens to defend the new leader kim jong un to the day. riot police in bahrain have clashed with hundreds of demonstrators after the funeral of a fifteen year old protester killed a day earlier the opposition claims the teenager was hit by a tear gas canister at close range however authorities later raised questions about the circumstances of the death and said it would be investigated at least thirty five were left dead in the in bahrain in the unrest there during two thousand and eleven including police officers

kim jong-il's oldest son predicting that the regime led by his half brother kim jong-un will fail.ver as leader of the reclusive state when he enraged his father more than a decade ago after trying to sneak into japan to visit disneyland. he has been living in exile. he says that the brother is too young and not groomed for the position. we asked him what has given him the confidence to talk right now? >> the biggest mystery about north korea is the how kim jong-un could walk around without a body guard and make the subversive statements, and i think it is because beijing was protecting him. they perhaps saw the ability to insert him into peon young and use him as a puppet if circumstances warranted it. >>> and now the afghanistan. the u.s. is inching closer to the peace talks with the taliban. a representative for afghanistan and pakistan mark grossman is in the region to work out details. he is working the secret taliban negotiators for more than a year and this is on the heels of the taliban's announcement it plans to open up a political office in the gulf state of qatar. we ask

now a documentary in honor of kim jong-un's birthday gives us a new look at his life. this is a film that aired today on north korea state television praising kim jong-un as a military genius as showing him overseeing military exercises and talking with officials. the video also shows him riding horses and visiting an amusement park. he's believed to be in his 20s. >>> a 6-year-old oakland boy is safe despite the fact that a good samaritan spotted the child wandering alone on an oakland city street at 3:30 in the morning. that good samaritan called police after spotting this child in the parking lot of a chase bank on international boulevard yesterday morning. police say the boy was not distraught and was able to talk with officers, but he couldn't tell them where he lived. police eventually found out who the boy's mother was and now in found her. she could fae charges. in the meantime, the 6-year-old is under the care of child protective services. >> it looks like there's a case of negligence and child endangerment, then we would have to address that. if it looks like

north korea has announced a prisoner amnesty to celebrate the birthdays of the late leader kim jong il and his father will come into effect on the first of february but it's now not known how many prisoners will actually be released kim jong il died on december the seventeenth leaving the nation under the control of his youngest son seen here kim jong un. the international criminal court is still waiting for information from libya on the status of colonel gadhafi son saif al islam despite a deadline being set for tuesday the most prominent son of the late leader was captured in november while trying to flee libya site has been charged by the hague with crimes against humanity and is waiting to find out whether or not he will be handed over. to the u.s. state of new hampshire has started voting in the first republican primary favorite mitt romney is currently leading the polls with congressman ron paul and social conservative rick santorum still some way behind the head of the poll now that it's continuing political point scoring former massachusetts governor romney was mocked by rivals

do so little is known about the late leader is the great successor his third and youngest son kim jong named is a bit of a dark course even his age remains a subject of speculation his thought to be twenty seven or twenty eight his new ascension to power increases the media hunger for information about him so his expensive education in switzerland said lead tracked it's a lot more interest and entrepreneur in moscow with russian origins alexander how good she believes he could have been one of kim's classmates when news spread that kim charney may have gone to an elite school in this week's margins in late ninety's the businessman brought out his all the book to refresh his memory there were quite a few koreans. quieter than others. with the last name him. as kim is the most common name in korea alexander remembers that koreans always different from other students they were very disciplined they were very disciplined as a group of students. very serious for their. they wouldn't always take part. for the games that the other students were very hard studying to be top of the class they d