Video 4

Thanks very much Valentina. Taiwan is putting the matter of a United Nations seat directly to the people. The country is gearing up to hold not one but two referendums about it next month. They’ll hold the votes on the same day as the presidential election March 22^nd. Both the ruling democratic progressive party and the opposition Kuomintang propose taking the nation’s pulse on the issue.

Alrighty then, I’ll take it from here. Ooga Chavez is one complicated guy. He’ll go the extra mile to help his countries poor rise to a higher standard of living but on the flip side critics accuse him of having no problem sidestepping a little democracy to do it. Case in point, the Venezuelan leaders latest effort to tackle food shortages includes a scary clause namely that any farm exporting food outside the country will be confiscated by the government and yes he means permanently. Chavez claims this is the best way to help feed the poor because it should dramatically lower the cost of meat, bread, eggs and milk.

Meanwhile some EU members of parliament want to abandon the bio fuel target set for 2010. The environmental audit committee says that current bio fuels only result in a negligible reduction in carbon emissions.

Hi everyone. I’m Katherine Curtis and it’s time to give you the scoop on today’s big entertainment headlines. First despite a year riddled with personal problems Amy Weinhouse dominated the Grammy Awards winning five out of the six Grammys she was up for including record and song of the year for rehab, best new artist, pop vocal album and female pop vocal performance. The only nomination she didn’t win was album of the year which in a surprise move went to jazz legend Herbie Hancock. Wild huh.

In Europe the British Council offices in Russia will likely remain closed until London and Moscow can settle their differences. Britain’s foreign secretary doesn’t want to take any chances with the safety of council staff and their families.

Thanks Audriene. We’ll begin in China and although the lunar New Year has arrived, there doesn’t appear to be much cause for celebration in the weather ravaged country. China’s central and southern provinces are still feeling the effects of the worst snow fall in decades. The extreme weather has caused everything from electricity failures to countless blocked roadways to massive food shortages. In fact the city of Chenzu alone has 4 million residents who’ve gone without power for nearly two weeks. In total an estimated 100 million people have been affected by the conditions so far with damages believed to be hovering at the $4 billion mark.

This next one is for all of you who just can’t separate yourselves from your cell phones. Almost since their introduction there have been fears that mobiles cause brain cancer.