The syrian war is spreading out into lebanon. The french pleasant has spoken to diplomats here in paris earlier today. Theaid the situation in African Republic was heading toward the east even though the security issue the security situation was still too fragile. He made his address within the context of the ongoing reveals of his private life. Those are the headlines this afternoon. We are also going to be hearing for the National Security agency in the United States. Theyre set to modify the bulk data programs. The judicial fighting is required before the database is queried. That is according to senior official sources this morning. Close toas collected 200 million Text Messages per day. We are going to be talking about that with an International Specialist in just a moment. Our med headline our main headline this afternoon, the french president has spoken about the situation in the central African Republic. He said it was heading toward peace even though the security situation was still too fragile. He had to say to the diplomatic corps. Fresh revelations today a week on from the revelations of his alleged affair with a french actress. He suggests that affair could have lasted for two years. Herbert has been covering todays address and is there now. Thank you for joining us. That theen a week various appearances have been overshadowed by the row. What love affair . If you are listening to his was absolutely no mention of his private life. Francois hollande did his best to a did his best to avoid the issue. Atay was not on the agenda all. This was a speech really addressing foreign diplomats, the foreign envoys here in france. It basically outlined what frances ambitions are, what the foreignpolicy ambitions are. It was a very unapologetic speech. Earlier we saw it has been a full year since the molly intervention. That has been a military operation the french president has not been able to hold up as a relative success in the sense that there has been new national elections, you have managed to. Epel the extremists there seems to be a semblance of normality being restored to the country. Central african public African Republic is a far different beast. He basically said france had no choice. He had a moral obligation. He had the rwandan jessop rwandan genocide on the back of his mind. He said there was a human catastrophe that was looming and impending. If france had done nothing he wouldve had that on his conscience. He said it is not there alone, it is hoping to get support. European ministers will be meeting in a couple of days. They will be trying to bring some support to the french soldiers already on the ground there. Not an easy operation and already less than half the French Republic or at least more than half the republic is having some misgivings about this intervention, especially if it is open ended. Is economically at quite a squeeze. Thank you very much. On the list of topics covered by the french residence was also syria. It is under a weeks time that the geneva to peace conference is to take place in switzerland. The french president suggested and his address that it was piece that the majority of syrians now wanted. There is a vast community in syria of all fades who only want one thing. Reconciliation and democracy. France puts all pressure on its negotiations to prepare for the geneva conference. But it needs to have a clear objective. And that is to permit the and all theansition countries who share this goal are welcome to join. Ahead of that peace conference next week, damascus has made clear that it is prepared to make a certain number of concessions, concessions minister madeeign clear that syria had put to rush a plan suggesting a ceasefire and a Prisoner Exchange with syrian rebels. We can speak now to our correspondent in moscow. Thank you very much indeed. It was a press conference in know the world wanted to whether damascus whether damascus would make those concessions. It was important that damascus he seemed to be willing to make steps toward the Syrian Opposition come even as the Syrian Opposition decides whether to take part in this conference. We have certainly had a little bit of that. The Russian Foreign minister was strongly critical at the Syrian Opposition groups. Heard from one end is that it was a commitment that the government will be going to geneva. As you mentioned, the concessions that people have been waiting for he handed it planto survey, a detailed for a ceasefire. If it worked a could be expanded to other towns. Work . Ceasefire we havent seen anything successful before. They may not be willing to pay any attention to it at all. I think ahead of geneva, this is a little good of good news. What else was said at the press conference . Was there any mention made of iran . Of course we had the Iranian Foreign minister in moscow in the last two days. He had a number of meetings there. There is a feeling the head of geneva, russia is putting its cog on the table. His meeting with iran. This is quite a complex diplomacy game about what happens in geneva and what happens after geneva. We have very tangled relationships. For itsds russia weapons and she political support. America is trying to have at the same time iran is able to put on its own play on the u. S fear. U. S. s ahead to that conference and comparing it to the last one, geneva one, it seems this time syria is in a far stronger position than last time. I think that is right. And if you look at the situation has developed over the last 18 months, it has been quite surprising. There were times when it looked absolutely inconceivable. As we go into this geneva, we see the regime putting some concessions on the table. We see a divided Syrian Opposition. I think you are right, i think comparedte surprising to going into geneva one. Thank you very much indeed. Syrian opposition is to meet later on in his temple to discuss his participation. Talks will continue. We will cover that side of things and any developments regarding the participation or not of the Syrian National council next week. War on thethe ground, meanwhile, continues to spill across the border into lebanon. A rocket fired earlier and hit the border town on the lebanese side, killing at least seven people and wounding 15. That is according to a state news agency. These rockets are believed to have struck the frontier area withthe course of the day a single rocket causing the death toll and mentioned. The president of algeria has set a date for the countrys president ial election. It will be april 17. The date was announced on the day after his return to algeria. Many questions about whether or not he will be running and seeking a fourth term. A concern about him move in ukraine where laws were passed to protest him move to the opposition is calling it opposition leaders spoke to antigovernment protesters in Independence Square just hours after ukrainian president s party ran through parliament in an attempt to curb those protests. Braving the cold once again for what could be their last night in Independence Square. Setbacksuffered a major when attempting to curb the antigovernment protests. Voted on by a north by an unorthodox show of hands, a fine of over 15 days detention. The opposition denounced this move as an illegitimate paragraph. All the laws passed in violation with parliamentary procedure and therefore have no legal force. Outside the parliament, a. How of support the president has a legitimate mandate. This government was elected fairly. President andour want to show a couple of other points of view. The antigovernment protests remain unmoved. For many, this threat of this new law is still not enough to scare them off. Not afraid of anything because this law is illegitimate. Ando not have to be afraid we will keep fighting until we win. The law does not come into fined bytil it is president . Vegetarian by the president. You are watching live from paris, a look at the latest international headlines. He concessions were announced earlier by the countrys foreign minister. Concessions that had been asked of the regime with just days to go before the key geneva conference is held. Saynese Security Officials rockets have slammed into account along the countrys border. At least 17 people have died. The latest example of the spillover of syrian conflict into lebanon. President ench Francois Hollande says the situation in the republic is heading towards peace. He said the security situation remains to fragile. Those are the headlines. Barack obama is to announce changes to the american spy program. Of he has ordered steps to modify the bulk data program. If this is this is one of the things that has emerged ahead of the speech. Announcement comes as french revelations as fresh revelations emerge. The National Security agency has collected 200 million texts today. For more on the story, i am joined by an International Law professor. Thank you for being with us. Are waiting for these announcements and we are starting to get a sense of what some of those changes are going to be. Leaksre have been a few about his speech that is set to take place. Four main steps are reportedly due to be announced. Barack obama is expected to announce the creation of a new. Osition, Public Advocates it is the foreign Intelligence Surveillance court. These are the secret courts that improve the tapping of communications to foreigners. A public advocate will be created in front of the secret courts so that someone will be speaking for privacy and not just for security. Step, apparently some protections will be extended to foreigners because foreigners are particularly the targets of foreign intelligence collection in the United States and they have less protection than americans do. A third element would be increased oversight of the profits he used of profits used on the foreign tapping of leaders. Obama should be asking congress to deliberate about the appropriate boundaries of collection and telephone information. The idea is they will go some way toward pacifying much of the international average. If you mentioned angola merkel. These revelations over the course of the last few months have caused the United States a tremendous amount of damage. They have raised new calls for privacy. Drafter of solutions have been risen up and the united nations. I am not sure how far these new announcements will go toward a of the the u. S. U. S. s national partners. U. S. s national partners. We will need to talk about them in detail. The position of Public Advocates does not address the main issue, which is that the fisk is a secret court. Is a problem. Self we do not know how much information they will have, whether he will be able to speak to the witnesses. We dont know how much this procedural change is going to mean. As for asking congress to do liberate on the amount of data collected. Data collected, it seems like they are going to congress on the most significant issues. You mentioned the view in the United States by privacy advocates. Within the United States, how significant has this been of an issue . I think it has been a very significant issue. There haveups been legal challenges. Of these legal challenges remain to be seen. I am thinking of one legal challenge by Amnesty International back in 2008. These have not been successful in front of american courts. Reaction butn some i dont think it has been extremely effective so far. As for the publics reaction, i found it more muted than one could expect. Finally, these announcements are to be made in the context of revelations that continue to come out. These documents were so plentiful and the revelations will come out in effect. They make it harder for the American Administration to really come back. I think parts of what the speech is trying to do is trying to restore conference tried to restore confidence in the u. S. Data collection programs. That is going to be hard to do. Billions of Text Messages have been collected. Wasas revealed that the nsa also hacking into 100,000 a secret worldwide via radio network, not even using the internet. These things keep on coming out. The journalists have been working the worst revelations are yet to come. I think barack obama has his work cut out for him if he wants to restore confidence. Followill continue to events and the announcements when they are made by the president himself. Thank you for being with us today. It is time for the a look at the latest sports. Despite the heat, Serena Williams is through to the fourth round. ToSerena Williams is through the fourth round of the australian open. Williams set to avenge that third round loss. Another blazingly hot today. The relied on a booming serve and blistering forehand to get them out of trouble on crucial points. Five great points on the opening set. They finally she finally got her own a break. It only debate that only delayed the inevitable it only debate it only delayed the inevitable. The spanish beat a 15th straight grand slam. The hote short work of conditions in the arena during the first set. 62, 72, 62. The german knocked out three weeks before the winter. Lympics the french were in great form. Smoothed over the snow and secure the shooting range. She threw her chance of a first ever podium. A fastenalty loop penalty loop put her back into contention. A first she finishes behind the winner. Finishked targets to third. That traditional curtain raiser to the winter olympics, the european championships held in the hungarian capital of budapest. A great routine that scored 171 points. Of they were handed the metal they settle with taking bonds. The mens short program, the , theean championships spanish clearing 56 points. More than six points ahead of the second place. Thomas is ahead of Russian National championship maxton coughed and. The former Dutch International taking charge of his first Training Session following his appointment this week. He was sacked after the 43 defeat. The new team beat they will be home to verona on sunday. The dakar rally, stage 11 was through the heat and sand of the desert. Problem for the overall leader. A spanish kay tm writer finished up his third rally, fishing at three minutes ahead of the defending champion. He is now 52 minutes ahead of the competitor. Traveled through chile and the port of to the mining town of el salvador. Two and a half thousand meters above sea level and in the foothills of the andes in the middle of the desert. He extended his lead over defending champions to 5. 5 minutes. Cycling with a 119 colombo heard john to. Part of a breakaway, the 27 hang on to pick up the first ever victory. They arrived seven minutes before the packed but it do not alter the standings. M hello and welcome to the health show. From heart monitors to hospitals, today were looking at how good design can save lives. Coming up in the program, how scientists on opposite sides of the world are beating