http://192.168.2.6/english/20061207BBC.mp3

BBC world news with Joe Makintash.

A high level report on American policy in Iraq has called for a new diplomatic and military strategy to prevent a slide towards chaos. The former US Secretary of State James Baker who co-chaired the panel warned that the US strategy of staying the course was no longer viable. The report calls for fresh engagement with all of Iraq's neighbors. It also recommends that the main role of US forces in Iraq should be to train and support the Iraqi army. Our Washington correspondent Justin Web reports.
The details matter of course, but it's the tome of the report that must surely churn the blood of the Bush team, the very first words in the document are "the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating". Later it warns of the prospect of a slide towards chaos triggering the collapse of the Iraqi government and humanitarian catastrophe. The study group calls for the primary mission of US forces to become one of supporting the Iraqi army. It suggests most US combat brigades could be out of Iraq by early 2008. It also calls for direct talks, extensive and substantive, with Iraq and Syria. There is a call too for a new effort to bring Israel and the Palestinians to the negotiating table. The President says he will consider all 79 recommendations. He is due to appear with Tony Blair at a press conference.

The democratic leader in the US senate Harry Reid said it was now up to President Bush to implement the proposals. However, a Whie House spokesman Tony Snow said the US has ruled out one to one talks with Iran unless Tehran suspended uranium enrichment for its nuclear program. In its first reaction, the Iraqi government has welcomed the reports.
The publication of the report coincided with another day of violence in Iraq. The United States military says 10 American soldiers died in separate incidents during the day. Many other Iraqis were killed in attacks in and around the capital Baghdad.

The United States Senate has overwhelmingly confirmed Robert Gates as the new Defense Secretary. Mr.Gates who is a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency replaces Donald Romsfeld, one of the key architects of the miliary campaign in Iraq.

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Detectives in Britain have announced that they are treating the death 4 nights ago of the former Russian intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko in London as murder. As their enquiries continue, it's been disclosed that small traces of radioation have been found at the British embassy in Moscow. Richard Galbon reports from Moscow.
An official stressed there was a small area within the embassy which is being contaminated with traces of radioation. He refused to say whether polonium 210 was involved. The team of experts who started testing the embassy on Tuesday flew in from London with British detectives from the counter-terrorist command. They are in Moscow to interview key Russian witnesses in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. One of the most important witnesses is Andrew Locovoa, a former KGB agent turned businessman who met Mr.Litvinenko in London on several occasions, including November 1st, the day Mr.Litvinenko had said he was poisoned.

Scientists in the United States think they have evidence which suggested liquid water may still sometimes flow on the surface of the planet Mars. Rob Norays reports.
Writing in the respected journal Science, Amrican researchers say they compared photographs taken within the past few years by NASA's Mars global surveyer satellite and they found some significant differences on the surface of the planet. They looked at thousands of trenches and gullies and found evidence of new deposits, possibly of mud, salt or frost. There had been indications of the presence of water on Mars in the distant past and ices have been detected at the Martian north pole, but this appears to be the stronggest evidence yet to suggest that water may still be flowing there.

A new international television channel designed to present news from a French perspective has been launched from Paris. 20, Paris, France 24 is a joint venture between state and a private French television. Interviewed by the channel, President Jacques Chirac said it was essential for France's international image.
France is present on the international stage. Our soldiers to whom I want to pay homage are in Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Kosvow, Bosnia, Darfur, almost everywhere. This implys that France has its own image and supports these efforts to bring peace, modernity and humanist values. Vanitqet with its particular outlook is going to help a lot to bring these values to the world.

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for an African peacemaking force to be sent to Somalia to backup the transitional government which is trying to take control there. The resolution calls for the armed African force to be sent to Bydoa, the only town under the control of the transitional government.