THE NEWS IN ENGLISH

1. THE NEWS IN ENGLISH

2. INTRO

3. President of Guinea-Bissau is killed • President of Guinea-Bissau is killed • Joao Bernardo Vieira fueasesinado en la residenciapresidencial. • The president of Guinea Bissau, Nino Vieira, has been killed by the military. His residence came under attack hours after the head of the armed forces was killed. • Reporter: Will Ross •  Listen to the story • A military spokesman told the French news agency that President Nino Vieira was killed by the army as he tried to flee his house. There was heavy gunfire around the presidential palace during the night. A few hours earlier the head of the armed forces, General Tagme Na Waie was killed when a bomb exploded in the military headquarters. • The army spokesman suggested that the president had been behind the death of General Tagme Na Waie, and that is why he was then killed. There is however, no further confirmation of his death. • Guinea Bissau has a history of coups and unrest. Last November, President Vieira narrowly escaped when soldiers attacked his house and in January the head of the armed forces also survived what appeared to be an attempt on his life. • Guinea Bissau's fragility is down to the fact that its presidents have all been propped up by the military. President Vieira has been in power twice, he was ousted in 1999 after he had sacked the army commander.

4. Confucius in the great screen • Confucio en la pantalla grande • Estatua de Confucio • Confuciusthemovie • A film istobemade in China aboutthelife of theone of thecountry'smostfamousthinkers, Confucius. Thedecisionmarks a resurgencethere in theteachings of thephilosopherwholivedtwo-and-a-halfthousandyears ago. • Reporter: Keith Adams • Listen tothestory • Lights... cameras... philosophy... Anunlikelysubjectfora blockbusterwithanunlikelyleadingman. ChowYun-Fat, thestar of numerous Hong Kong gangstermovies, isto swap his sub-machine gunforthescholarly robes of Confucius. The film couldalsoseemunlikelygivenhowtheancientthinkerfellout of favour in China. Chairman Mao Zedongsaid he belongedtothe feudal age, and the Red Guards of the Cultural Revolutiondestroyedhis grave. • Butthatwas in the 1960s and 70s. NowChina'sleaders are turningtoConfuciustogivethe country somespiritual guidance. Hisemphasisonharmony and self-discipline, withoutreferencetoGod of course, has beenendorsedbythepresident. Confuciantextshavebeengivengreaterprominence in universities and thegovernmentisnowpartlyfundingthe 20-million-dollar film. • So whatwisdom can weexpectup onthesilverscreen? Better a diamondwith a flawthan a pebblewithout? OrperhapsonesuitedtoChowYun-Fat'searliermovies: beforeyouembarkon a journey of revenge, digtwo graves

5. Bottomsforcellsmother • Obama to fund stem cell research • President Obama will announce today that President Bush's ban on the funding of embryonic stem cell research is to be overturned. The move has been condemned by conservative groups but welcomed by many American scientists. • Reporter: Justin Webb •  Listen to the story • For eight years American scientists have been banned by law from using taxpa • yers' money to assist in work on most embryonic stem cell lines. The result, according to many scientists, has been a reduction in the effectiveness of their research. • Embryonic stem cells can morph into any cell in the body, and they might one day assist in curing chronic conditions such as diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. But their use involves the destruction of embryos, typically those left over from fertility treatment. • America's religious conservatives are deeply upset. One called the Obama announcement, 'a slap in the face to Americans who believe in the dignity of all human life'. The Republican Party is also opposing the move, which is yet another bold step away from the policies and ideology of the Bush years, in which religious faith often trumped scientific advice. That approach, Mister Obama will make clear today, is now history.

6. Acides destroys marine life • Acidezdestruyevida marina • Acidic oceans destroying sea life • La actual acidez de los océanoses la mayor en mediomillón de años. • Mankind is changing the chemistry of the oceans and may be causing the decline of sea life. Experts say the ocean is more acidic now than it has been at any time in the past half-million years. • Reporter: Roger Harrabin • Listen to the story • Carbon dioxide is an acidic gas and scientists say as it dissolves into the sea it's making seawater more acidic. They calculate that ocean acidity is up 30% since the Industrial Revolution. A new study shows the growth of some tiny shell forming creatures appears already to have been stunted by the change. • Research of this new branch of science suggests that as CO2 emissions continue to increase, many shell forming species may not survive the next 50 - 100 years. This would hit commercial fisheries and start to unpick the very web of life in the seas. • Dr Carol Turley, who is running today's acidification debate in Copenhagen, fears a mass extinction : ''55 million years ago there was a big production of CO2. That resulted in the mass extinction of seabed dwelling shell forming organisms . What we¿re doing now is far, far faster, so it may not be possible for organisms to adapt.'' • Sceptics say we can't be sure how ocean chemistry will respond in the future and whether creatures will adapt. The scientists in Denmark say we simply shouldn¿t take the risk.

7. UK hit by heavy snow • It was the heaviest snowfall in 18 years. Bus services in London carrying 6 million people have been cancelled. 10 of 11 underground lines are completely or partly suspended. The capital's main airport Heathrow has closed both runways for a while and there are still significant delays and cancellations, and there are no flights at all from City airport. Others are suffering long delays and cancellations too. • Several docks to the west have become iced up. And thousands are without piped water in Wales due to the frozen pipes. Hundreds of schools have been closed across the country and children at least are enjoying conditions. • The British like to complain that other countries handle the snow better than they do, that the merest sug • aring of snowflakes brings normal life to a standstill amidst transport chaos. So why does it happen? Well truly icy conditions here are rare indeed. So why make a massive investment to combat extreme weather conditions that may not be replayed for another 18 years? • At an individual level the costs of being prepared like some Alpine countries would be high too. The British, for instance, are not required to have winter tyres fitted to cars at the start of the season, nor do they routinely carry snow chains. On the other hand the Brits do like to complain, and secretly they also like being told... sorry you can't get to work.

8. Vaticangoesgreen • The first building to get the green go-ahead is the famous Nervi Hall, next to St Peter's Basilica, where the Pope holds general audiences. 2,400 solar panels have been fixed to its roof. • The new system will provide the energy needs of the Hall and several surrounding buildings all year round. It'll also allow the 108 acre site of the Vatican City to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by about 225 tons a year. The panels are not visible from below, and officials say the famous Vatican City skyline, including St Peter's, will remain untouched. • The Vatican plans to install more renewable energy sources to provide 20% of its needs by 2020, roughly in line with European Union goals. • Pope Benedict is a keen environmentalist. The Vatican has hosted a scientific conference to discuss global warming and climate change. Last year the Pope urged the human race to listen to the voice of the earth or risk destroying the planet.

9. Italy olive oilpolice • Twenty officers from the specialist food piracy branch of the paramilitary Carabinieri have just graduated as olive oil tasters. They've been trained to distinguish between top class extra virgin olive oil - that's unrefined, cold-pressed and expensive - and cheaper, adulterated stuff that's been diluted with poorer quality olive oil or other vegetable oils. They'll also be able to pick up subtle differences between oil produced in different regions of Italy and abroad. • The deployment of the unit comes months after Italian police uncovered the biggest olive oil fraud in a decade. Seven processing plants were seized - along with 25,000 litres of adulterated oil - and 39 people were arrested in an operation stretching from Bari and Naples in the south to Milan in the north. The suspects were accused of mixing olive oil with sunflower and soybean oils, then selling it on as top grade extra virgin oil. • Italy is the world's second biggest producer of olive oil after Spain - although production was down 15 per cent last year.

10. China deficit biggest in decades • To counter the challenges brought about by the global financial crisis, the Chinese Premier WenJiabao has announced the biggest budget deficit in 60 years. • Reporter: Shirong Chen in Beijing •  Listen to the story • In his lengthy speech, the Chinese Premier, WenJiabao, said China was faced with unprecedented difficulties and challenges. He said growth would be much slower, at around 8%, and there would be fewer jobs for graduates and migrant workers. The government's no longer confident that its GDP target will be met at the end of the year. • As the economy slows down, the government is promising to create nine million new jobs, two million fewer than last year. To counter the trend, the government's encouraging companies to keep staff on and has unveiled a budget deficit of 140bn US dollars, the biggest deficit since the Communist Party took power 60 years ago. • But there is no promise of extra money, apart from the already much publicisedstimulus package of nearly 600bn US dollars. Chinese stock markets nosedived after his speech.

11. FINAL