Comes from it's b.b.c. Dot com for with Slash and stay tuned this is News and up next. You're listening to the b.b.c. World news on k. Or c c 2 Southern Colorado's n.p.r. Station broadcasts on 91.5 f.m. From our studios in Colorado Springs Colorado you can also hear cares you see in the following communities 88.5 f.m. In West Cliff and Gardner 89 point one f.m. In La Hunter 89.9 f.m. In Lyman 90 point one f.m. In Manitou Springs 91.7 f.m. In Trinidad and Raton New Mexico 94 point one f.m. In Walsenburg and love Fida 95.5 f.m. In Lake George and Hartsell 95.7 f.m. In saliva Buna Vista and Villa Grove and 105.7 f.m. In Canyon City for questions or comments please call 719-473-4801 during regular business hours you can always become a member of k. Or c c by going to k. Or c c dot au argy and making your financial contributions safely on line. Welcome to News Hour from the b.b.c. World Service I'm a backache has been today claim and counterclaim in Venezuela allegations that ballots in last weekend's elections were tampered with we'll get the latest from Caracas and ask who if anyone can broker a peace in a country that spiraling out of control I will have the mystery surrounding a foreigner Vietnamese official who disappeared in Berlin and reappeared in Hanoi but did he go voluntarily the German foreign ministry said that he had been kidnapped in the Berlin park by armed guards Plus is President Trump right to think that u.s. Relations with Russia are at an all time and very dangerously low and the Chinese authorities restrict what you can get on the internet but the people don't mind the word of the title we have too many people in China if the government doesn't control things they'll be chaos. Us the news. And Arwa Neil Newman is with the b.b.c. News President Trump repeatedly urged his Mexican counterpart to stop publicly saying his government would never pay for a planned border war according to $1.00 sense to be a leaked transcript of their phone conversation the Washington Post says Mr Trump told Enrica Pena Nieto in January that a formula could be worked out to fund the proposed war during his election campaign Mr Trump had insisted that Mexico would pay for the war the senior Republican senator Bob Corker said White House officials suspected of leaking information to the media should be sacked if there's even a thought that somebody was involved get rid of them I mean it is our insanely what is happening at the White House right now or what has been happening to have people there that are leaking information that are talking to each of you to try to have their public policy ample minute because they're getting you to argue on their behalf when we know it's happening these people should be fired President Trump has accused the u.s. Congress of plunging relations with Russia to an old time and very dangerous low his Twitter comments came after he reluctantly signed into law all new sanctions against Russia approved by both houses of Congress. The un says that Islamic state militants are continuing to commit wanted described as genocide against members of the years e.-d. Religious minority the statement came on the 3rd anniversary of the start of the militants assault on the years e.-d. Community in northern Iraq Alan Johnston reports the faith of the years e.d. People combines elements of various and Middle Eastern religions but in the eyes of the Islamic state militants the you see these were unbelievers fit to be slaughtered and then slaves on mass and a u.n. Commission says that 3 years after it began constitutes a campaign of genocide continues the militants still hold captive some 3000 years e.d. Women and girls subjecting them to rape and beatings China has warned India of serious consequences if it does not withdraw its troops from a Himalayan region claimed by Beijing a Chinese diplomat in Delhi said the move by Indian soldiers was illegal and by a senator Rajan has more details the strongly worded warning came a day after the Chinese foreign ministry issued a detailed document accusing the Indian fortress off trespassing in the dock land area which borders China India and Bhutan India Ses It sent troops into that disputed zone in June to stop the Chinese from building a new road earlier a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman accused the Delhi of building roads and deploying a large number of armed forces on the Indian side of the boundary he said the moves were certainly not conducive to peace this is the latest world news from the b.b.c. . A woman in the United States who encouraged her teenage boyfriend to kill himself in a series of text messages has been sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison Johnson Massachusetts ordered that Mitchell Carter who was 17 when her boyfriend Conrad Roy died should serve at least 15 months in jail the court heard that she repeatedly urged him to take his own life an autopsy has shown that a young Kenyan woman. Whose body was found along side that of a murdered senior election official was strangled to death on Wednesday doctors said that the official Christmas Sunday who had been tortured and then strangled the killings which came which came just days before next week's elections have provoked a great deal of anger in Kenya the Inspector General of Police Joseph pointed to gave details of the investigation we have taken statements from 6 individuals and Dad 4 other persons of interest and we are looking for and we ordered if you wish to pay the toll can understand that we allow the families has to moan and will once again also the fact that we had it happen to all get and not to us and of being then to justice the Brazilian football at Maymont has joined the friends champions parries and your mom for a world record is $263000000.00 payment of the fee triggered a release clause in the player's contract with Barcelona Neymar has signed a 5 year contract with p.s.g. Deal and more than $100000.00 a week then Mark have become the fust team to secure a place in the final of the women's European football championships they beat Austria 3 nil on penalties when their semifinal match ended mil mil after extra time in Sunday's final they'll meet the winners of the 2nd a semi final between the holes the Netherlands and in England which is now under way b.b.c. World news. Hello and welcome to News Hour live from the b.b.c. World Service in London with me Rebecca Kesse being in a moment with tensions remaining at blurring levels between the government and the opposition in Venezuela is a negotiated deal even still possible coming up later in the program we'll be looking at relations between Russia and the United States described by President Trump today as being at an all time and very dangerous low so what does that mean in practice and the distressing story of the case of the teenager who sent text messages to her boyfriend encouraging him to take his own life the defense based their case on this you know how can someone push someone to kill themselves they're just exchanging words over the phone but the prosecutor said you know in this day and age this is a way of communication now that's the case of Michelle Carter who's being sentenced today for involuntary manslaughter and we'll have more on that later but let's begin with Venezuela mired in months of political discord protests and violent clashes that have left dozens dead tomorrow the Madeira government plans to inaugurate the new constituent assembly it claims it has a mandate for following the elections on Sunday opposition groups boycotted the vote and planned to demonstrate on the streets again tomorrow this amid claims today that the vote had been meddled with while tame a Paris is former top aide to former President Hugo Chavez and Mr Madeira He says the political situation is a great concern of course in a normal country you would have a government that was for everybody and you would have a loyal opposition but that's not what you have in Venezuela in Venezuela you have a government that intends to make revolution and the not position that has at least a large group of it which has an insurrection all tactics which which has the aim of overthrowing the government. This is not a normal set of institutions is another not not a normal political system today we're on the brink of political violence becoming the norm. So what are the chances of bringing Venezuela back from that brink Jennifer McCoy is professor of political science at George state Georgia State University in Atlanta and is a former director of the Carter Center's America Program 1st though John Walsh is senior associate with the Washington Office on Latin America I asked him who if anyone now has the political clout to broker a deal between both sides in Venezuela No one actor has a political clout certainly not the United States certainly not the Organization of American States I think the idea of brokering a negotiated exit in genuine democratic elections for a new government that recognizes that Venezuela is a plural society is going to need to come from many different places including governments that are currently close to mature and Chevy's more historically and those who have been opposed and those who have been clear that the recent constituent assembly was in fact illegitimate that sounds like quite something to try and organize what are the chances of that happening any time soon well it's a tall order and it's always said about diplomacy that it it always feels until it succeeds I think it needs to be a very vigorous effort on behalf of everybody who wants to see Venezuela not just avoid a March to 30 years and dictatorship but also an even worse outcome of generalized violence and even civil war Jennifer McCoy What's your take on this and what do you think would have to happen to even get the 2 sides to a any sort of negotiating table yes well I do agree with what John has said that there's no. And currently a single person that's that's apparently it will take a person or an institution or a group acceptable to both sides to actually serve as a mediator. As happened previously in 2002 when I was the director at the Carter Center but at that time we had a combination of the OAS the United Nations and the Carter Center together and so sometimes it takes a group to be able to find the combination of people that both sides will trust I think that what's most important now is to think about not only pressures as are being discussed internationally in terms of the individual sanctions and in terms of diplomatic isolation but also incentives and that could include financial incentives promises of emergency loans and a but also offers to serve as guarantors for any agreement that is reached because both sides fear recrimination if the other is in power and persecution so there needs to be guarantors of due process protections of freedoms and rights and the international community can help with that as well possibly some sort of immunity from prosecution for both sides well transitional justice is a concept to help to move a country from war to peace or from authoritarianism to democracy and in that the contemporary idea of transitional justice is not strict amnesty not just wiping the slate clean for everyone but instead it is to hold accountable people particularly looking at the victims and giving reparations to victims in this case if we're talking about criminal activity in the form of human rights abuses and or corruption the victims may be quite widespread maybe the entire population if we're talking about the effects on. On health and food shortages so reparations is part of it up making financial cut but actual compensation or getting reduced sentences for severe crimes in exchange for telling the truth giving information. Ok and that sort of thing yeah John you talk about the pressure that needs to be put on the murderer government he's on the Quite a lot of considerable pressure already from neighbors the international community from within I don't mince of his own supporters and yet they do seem to be sticking with him including the military so far right I think there is building pressure but it's also really important to recognize that the government holds the cards right now they have the power they have the institutions they have the weapons and I think potential dissidents within the government and within Chevy small More broadly what we could refer to as democratic the small are going to be loathed to step out when they know that they could be next the repression could fall on them and I think that the signal that the government is trying to send with the Constituent Assembly now and its reaction to sanctions is that they are in control and people need to think twice before they speak out against them so they are looking to tamp down recognizing that it's a threat to them for people from their own movement to question the legitimacy of the steps are taking So what happens next and is there any model that we've seen in history or anywhere else in the world where this sort of negotiation extracting somebody from power or some sort of transition that could be drawn upon here that may work in them as well and yes. There have been cases of military regimes being helped internationally and one time to exit the scene one I'm thinking of is actually Haiti in. 1904 when negotiations with Sam Nunn Colin Powell and Jimmy. Carter helped to find a home for the military regime at that point in Panama to leave the country and to bring back President our understand who had been elected previously and then deposed that's one kind of example of helping to find an exit solution for those who may have been accused of actual crimes and very briefly John who might have the winning card internationally who may be the most significant foreign player in any brokered deal I think it does have to be a coalition and it has to be as an assembly of players who have trust both sides I think the Vatican can play a crucial role the u.n. Will need to play a crucial role I believe an assortment of countries in the region who would have the credibility with at least one side or the other even including smaller countries like El Salvador larger countries like Colombia those with a real interest in making sure that Venezuela does not fall apart John Walsh the senior associate with the Washington Office on Latin America and we also heard from Jennifer McCoy professor of political science at Georgia State University in Atlanta. That's close live now to Washington because in the past half an hour or so reports have been emerging that the special counsel appointed to investigate allegations of Russian interference in last year's election Robert Muller has impaneled or when rolled a grand jury we can get the details with our correspondent Anthony. Anthony politics is moving at breakneck speed in the States at the moment can you get us up to speed with who Robert Mueller is and what his role is Ok as you mentioned Robert Muller is the special counsel It was appointed by the deputy attorney. The general when the Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from this ongoing Russia investigation of meddling in the 2016 election so there was appointed by the deputy attorney general given a broad powers to investigate any possible ties between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government as far as meddling in the campaign goes and any issues surrounding it so it's a pretty extensive mandate and he's been operating ramping up hiring his staff as an office here in Washington d.c. For the past few months and and so we just got news today that he is as you mentioned impaneling a grand jury to assist him in this investigation Ok and what is the role of a grand jury how would they go about doing that Ok well Grand Jury of a federal grand jury is made up of between 16 and 23 people citizens average people who are given jury summons they come in every day and they are given the power to assist in criminal investigations they can issue subpoenas for documents they can take sworn testimony from people involved subject to the investigation and if they see fit and 12 of the members of the grand jury agree on that they can issue criminal indictments and bring people to trial so this really represents a new phase of this investigation a more serious phase and Reuters just just looking at a headline there they are reporting that the grand jury grand jury has issued subpoenas in connection with that June 26th meeting between Donald Trump Jr and members of the Trump campaign and Russian lawyers and another Russian lobbyist so this seems to be something specifically that this grand jury is going to be looking at that that controversial meeting from last year Ok That's interesting that's just happen now you know saying Ok so this system seemed to be in place so that putting the building blocks that we don't have any challenges at this point do we I mean what sort of time scale. Are we looking at in terms of moving forward on this right we don't have any charges and we may not get any criminal charges out of this a grand jury can be impaneled and can investigate and can conclude that there is nothing there usually these things can take months you know the citizens are called in every day for an extended period of time in order to conduct these investigations there is an old saying that if a prosecutor wanted a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich I mean there's so much discretion given to the prosecutors that they can they can tend to shape a grand jury the way they want to so if they have their eye on someone they can usually get an indictment out of it but but that does not necessarily mean that this grand jury is going to come up with any sort of indictments and there is actually already one grand jury operating according to reports that was looking into former national security advisor Michael Flynn and some of his long range deals while he was working on the Trump camp and phonies a great to hear from you thanks so much for that live in Washington now coming up later on the program we have a map of dark matter drawn up by 400 scientists studying a mind boggling Check this out 26000000 galaxies and there might be even more to come I'm still optimistic we might actually see something extra there but in the same time we're using this data as a way of preparing ourselves for the next generation providing you prefer a new Einstein to tell us what does it all mean why is the universe made the way these why indeed more of that to come under a mind of on top headlines from the news room this hour leaked transcripts appeared to show that Donald Trump repeatedly pressed Mexico's leader not to say that his country wouldn't pay for a planned border wall and 3 years after Islamic state generalities began their assault on Iraq he is it the minority the u.n. Says they continue to face genocide. You with news are live from the b.b.c. With me Rebecca Kaz Now this is a case that surely every parent's nightmare when 18 year old comrade Roy the 3rd from Massachusetts took his own life in his pickup truck he was encouraged to do so by his girlfriend Michelle Cottle that was the ruling made by the judge when he found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter last month what makes this case extraordinary is that the comments that the judge decided what instrumental in his death came as text messages which she's now been sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison with the judge saying that she must serve 15 months well during the trial called his defense team that and the depression medication that she was taking had had an effect on her judgment but I've been finding out more about the case from Jon Ronson Muser reporter with The Cook Boston Globe Michele and Conrad sent text messages over the span of 2012 when they 1st met and then all the way up until 2014 Oh a lot of the text messages were abou