28/06/2011 World News Today

I am Jon Sopel live in Athens where violence has erupted on the city

streets. Demonstrators clashed with riot police as parliament debates

tough measures to slash savings. The IMF and the Europeans are

trying to make us pay adept we did not create. I will bring you of the

latest from Athens where in this square there is a party atmosphere

but outside the parliament there have been fresh clashes in the last

couple of minutes between police and protesters. Can China say the

euro? The Chinese premier has hinted he might buy a geek debt.

There is a first female head of the International Monetary Fund.

executive board proceeded to except her by consensus. Going through

drought and war in Somalia has created a large refugee group. 75

years on we see a detailed record by MI5. Hello and welcome to Greece

where you can probably see the flares being thrown at police and

tear gas rising into the night sky here in Athens. This violence has

just erupted in the last few moments taking away the joyous

celebration here that was in deep square for the last hour and a half.

He Rent-A-Center of Athens a small group of people are trying to shine

lasers into the eyes of the police. The police are retaliating with

tear gas. You can see the smoke rising as night falls here in

Athens. There was a joyous party atmosphere but for some that has

been dissipated by the violence that is just going on right next to

the parliament building. For a report on today's events are let's

hear now from our Europe Editor. The Greek police had expected

trouble. This was the key moment when they were voting on further

austerity measures. The protesters almost immediately turned violent.

There is a 48 hour general strike. Satellite vans were attacked and

set on fire. With all the tension in recent days it was almost

inevitable there would be an outbreak of violence. The police

fired hundreds of follies of stun grenades and tear gas to try to

clear the crowds. There is feelings IT in the Greek Government about

the extent of the violence. Away from this Squier large parts of the

Greek economy were brought to a halt by strikes. Earlier in the day

there were protest marches. The Government insist austerity

measures are needed. Without them, Creek -- D Reyes is heading for a

further crisis but many ordinary Greeks do not accept that. They are

lying. Everybody knows that. Time and again I heard ordinary Greeks

are telling me that they were not to blame for the debt crisis.

the IMF and the European Union are trying to make us pay a debt that

we didn't create. As the afternoon wore on the violence continued. The

question is whether the Government can implement spending cuts in the

face of such resistance. In the chaos some Greeks turned on each

other to try to stop the violence. Many ordinary Greeks are deeply

angry. That violence has carried on into the evening. Stun grenades are

being fired as well as tear gas. A whole corner of the square has now

been cleared by the riot police. They are making something of a

crash in the corner. I am joined by one of the protesters, a peaceful

protester, when I saw you you had rubber gloves on and were cleaning

the streets, why? I wanted to make a peaceful protest. It is what many

thousands of these people are trying to do. What do you think of

the people making the violence? They do not represent what I was

trying to say to everyone. They are just trying to separate us as a

country and show nothing but violence. And what do you think of

the week today's demonstration has unfolded? It is unfortunate that a

very small minority has been able to disrupt a protest that began

peacefully, a very large protest. It is something the Government

allowed to happen. When you say the Government allows it to happen, are

you saying there are Asha went provocateurs in the crowd? There

are people smashing things up to have been seen consulting with the

police. We do not know how rampant it is but it is certainly taking

place. If you are watching you will be seeing green lights. There is

somebody with a light down in deep crowd who is trying to shine the

lights in our eyes up here. What do you think will happen tomorrow

morning? What will happen if the Government does fought for further

austerity measures? I do not know. I really hope that more people will

come and more people will protest with no violence at all. Then we

can show that we really want things in the best way. Do you think if

the parliament votes for it will be the end of the protests? Absolutely

not. There are no great number of people from very different

backgrounds who are very upset about what is going on. Some of

them right fully so, others less so. The great challenge for Government

if the measures are passed tomorrow is to take some drastic measures

firstly against tax cheats and secondly against social spending in

the public sector to really reform Government and not try to continue

in the old bankrupt ways. Whatever happens tomorrow, whether it is

voted for or against, it seems the protests will continue? Yes,

because we do not trust this Government at all, whatever the EC.

The protests will go on because we want them to go away. Thank you for

being with us. There is a kind of joyous atmosphere there in the

square. If I can just show you that corner of the square which is now

empty which is where the police have been firing tear gas in the

past few minutes. They have just absolutely cleared that section of

the crowd. There is a line of riot police stopping people getting

anywhere close to the parliament. These green laser lights seemed to

be being aimed at anyone at the moment. From here it is Athens

ahead of tomorrow's crucial vote. Back you in the studio in London.

It has just been announced that the next person to head the

International Monetary Fund will be a woman who is at present the

French finance minister. Other reporter has more. With her jobs in

law and finance, she is used to breaking glass ceilings. Now she

shatters another, becoming the first female managing director of

the International Monetary Fund. terms of being a woman I think I

bring a new dimension that is not very often represented in financial

circles. This was her main director -- competitor. Even he thought she

was unstoppable, admitted during the race it was like starting a

soccer game with a 5-seal score. is very difficult to break at

tradition given the crisis in Europe, Europe thinks the needs it

requires, are marginally instinctive. With the eurozone in

crisis, Europe has never relied more on the IMF. While that may be

a selling point for some, others will see it as a source of weakness.

I have empathy in one sense for the European position but there is a

danger it could be seen as favouritism rather than technically

minded decision which will not serve Europe or the IMF well in the

long run. Strauss can quit the post to fight sexual assault charges in

New York. Many say Europeans have now got what they wanted but not

without treading on many people's tours. It is a victory they may

come to regret. To get the latest I am joined by a spokesperson from

New York. We have just had a statement from her in the last few

moments seeing how honoured she is to be chosen by the IMF to be the

next managing director. There was an interesting reference to serving

the entire membership of the International Monetary Fund. She

mentions this in particular because during this race there have been

questions about whether or not the tradition of having a European head

of the IMF and an American head of the World Bank is really right in

this day and age with emerging world markets. She was really

trying to address that criticism. Did she get much support from

emerging markets? In the end she did get some support particularly

from countries like Russia and Brazil. There was a? About her

candidacy among other smaller emerging markets. Really, her one

opponent simply did not galvanised the emerging countries into

supporting him, even though he himself is from Mexico. The other

interesting statement that we have also had in the last few minutes is

from the president of the World Bank. The World Bank and the IMF

work closely together. The World Bank try to relieve poverty around

the world. The top man here is talking about how closely they will

work together and that he is looking forward to doing more of

that in the future. The spectre of drought is once again haunting the

Horn of Africa. It is said to be the worst dry spell in 60 years. In

Somalia at the double hardship of war and drought has brought an

unprecedented number of refugees. There are reports that every day at

They are arriving here, hungry, exhausted and awaiting health. Save

the children says many people are turning up every day as keeping

Somalia, many of them children. Some walk for weeks to reach the

calm with almost no possessions. They have been coming here to

escape the war in Somalia, but now a severe drought is hitting hard.

Well some dried up in Somalia forcing people to flee. -- some

wells have dried up. People are trekking through the deserts under

the searing sun to arrive here at Dadaab to escape the drought and

soaring food prices that have put people at risk throughout East

Africa. Although made up of three settlements, Dadaab is often

referred to as the largest refugee calm in the world. It is home to

360,000 people, but designed for a quarter of that number. The

conditions are terrible. The organisation, Medecins Sans

Frontieres, is struggling to cope with the sharp rise in the number

of arrivals. It says because of conditions in Somalia and the

arduous journey, the refugees are arriving in urgent need of medical

care. Almost half of the children have never had a vaccination. Plans

to build a new refugee calm in the area have stalled. They are worried

about the prospect of even more refugees turning up. The war in

Somalia shows no sign of ending, and the drought is expected to

continue for several months. Conditions in this overcrowded area

at are likely to get even worse. -- overcrowded area.

Some of the other news today, the Chinese have charities are

demanding that the artist Ai Weiwei pays nearly $2 million in back

taxes for fines following his release from detention. A friend of

the art is said Ai Weiwei received a letter from Monday giving him

three days to reply to the demand. Ai Weiwei has been banned from

speaking in public since his release last week and it is unclear

at the excepts the tax demand. He was part of a campaign against the

commoners Party in China. Six men have pleaded not guilty to

the attempted murder of form or Rwanda of army chief, General

Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa. He fled to South Africa last year after

falling out with the President. A piece of flying debris has

narrowly missed the International Space Station for losing six

members of the crew to rush to their rescue. -- forcing six

members. Officials say that the debris past the station at 250

metres distance. The crew got the all-clear to return to their work

minutes after the collision was avoided.

In Libya, the BBC has learned that a medical crisis is looming in the

east. Hospitals and Ben Ghazni are running short of supplies and some

people have died for lack of life- saving medicines.

This is a six-year-old cancer patient returning from a severe

lung infections. -- covering. -- recovering. If she had been next in

line for a vaccine, she would be dead now. This little boy is not so

lucky. His cancer has spread but the doctor has said he is only

getting a partial course of treatment. It will not be enough to

save him. We tried to divide the drugs between the patients. Some

drugs Cirque not enough, so we have to leave it for other patients, and

it is not good. -- some drugs are not enough. The doctor's struggle

their meagre supplies, Sheringham among the children. -- struggle

with their meagre supplies. Across the city, medical supplies are

running out. Here, only enough anaesthetic for 60 operations.

Liquid paracetamol, crucial for intensive care, down to the last

box. There is enough here only for a few patients. Even the basic

supplies like medical equipment are needed. More than 20 patients have

died because of this supply problem. The director of the hospital is at

his wit's end with surgeons also treating frontline casualties from

Misrata. Some of them are, toes. We are frustrated. -- some of them are

in a coma. Nobody has given us anything. There has been some

emergency medical aid from abroad, but not enough to restock the

hospital. The Health Minister has said he is appealing to every

foreigner I P that visits. We ask them, everyone I sit with them, we

ask them for a list of medicines. We say, this is what I need. It is

not just a crisis and the hospitals here, it is a symptom of a bigger

problem. The rebel government has simply run out of money. They had

made desperate appeals to the outside world to unlock funds, but

so far, they say nothing has happened. A bureaucratic logjam

that is putting vulnerable lives at risk.

The Chinese premier has won many friends in Europe over the last few

days by promising to help out struggling economies. Today he is

in Germany, China's biggest European trading partner signing

deals worth $15 billion. Wen Jiabao emphasised his confidence in the

struggling economies and there are reports he may buy some of the

Greek debts. These new deals contribute to the continuing

investment that he has been bringing into Europe from China.

Europe is currently their biggest trading partner overtaking their

relationship with United States. In the last year, it is estimated

China has bought 40 billion euros worth of European assets. It has

already bought at least 6 billion euros worth of public debt in Spain

and a billion Euros in Portugal. To get more on this, we are joined by

chairman of the 48 Group Club, a business group that promotes

positive relationships with China. Stephen Parry, can they saved the

euro-zone? I think the Chinese are engaging in a positive way. There

is the issue would trying to diversify their large reserves.

They have three trillion dollars, they have too much in the US dollar,

they are moving away from that and the euro is the next biggest

opportunity. It also reflects a strategic relationship with Germany

and with Europe that China has chosen to make and participate in

trying to solve some of the European problems. How did that

relationship with Germany, about? It is particularly close now? In

quite a short space of time! could say it goes back to the

Lehman Brothers and the breakdown in the financial system in the West.

There is the situation were 18 of the last 20 centuries, some of the

nations have been over 50 % of the world's economies. There are now 25

% and going back to 50 %. Germany is deciding to engage with those

countries in a very major way and China is responding to these

overtures from Germany and we are seeing this relationship bonding in

a very real way. It is not just Germany and China, it is Germany

and Russia, Germany and Brazil. France, said Britain and United

States are a bit hesitant. Germany is engaging, the rest are standing

back a little bit. What about Greece, rumours, hopes that China

might buy some of their debts. What interest with China have in that?

They have already invested in a Greek infrastructure like one of

their ports. China is very active in investing in Europe across the

world. It starts in Germany, works from Eastern Europe, and Greece,

Portugal and Spain, they are taking particular interest in debt rescue

there. We do not know why lot of the terms. Is that because they are

going cheap because they are in crisis? The Chinese are being

careful not to make any major risks. Very few people are prepared, very

few countries are prepared to lend into this situation. Britain is

very hesitant. The Chinese being prepared to lend us a very good

thing. I'm sure their terms will be to make sure that their investment

is not frittered away. Is it not just a matter of time before China

overtakes the United States as the world's biggest economy? If so, are

we seeing China position itself strategically for that role? There

are different dates, 2020, 2030, China's six trillion dollars, the

United States, 15 trillion dollars. You are seeing a country expanding

in a very measured way and another country that is in crisis, the

United States, unable to handle its deficits and other problems

effectively. Hopefully that could change. At the moment, tiny is

mainly interested in China and it is participating in no way that it

would do so without much of restrictions. -- China's many

interested. The British citizens that went to

the Spanish Civil War is a long list of distinguished people. The

full extent has finally been released by the National Archives

here in Britain to mark the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of war.

The British government opposed intervention, but many volunteers

were driven by political beliefs. Spain's civil war tore the country

apart between 1936 and 1939. Defending the Republican government

against fascists also became a rallying point for those on the

political left, further afield, including Britain. A stream of

volunteers were drawn in to fight for the so-called international

brigade alongside the Republicans. Now for the first time, we have a

glimpse of how many there were. Because Britain was officially

neutral, some of the volunteers were Communists, the security

service MI5 kept tabs on who they were. Until the mid- 1950s, it

maintained this card index listing their personal details. Now, for

the first time, it has been digitised and made available online

by the National Archives. Among those that went out it was Eric

Blair, better known as George Orwell. His file notes personal

details and left-wing sympathies. He would write of his experiences

in Spain in his book, homage to Catalonia. Hundreds of others are

also listed and the files show that 4,000 people wanted to go to fight

against the fascists. Far higher than the previous estimates of 2500

volunteers. Hundreds of these people never made it back.

Interesting history. The main news, police in Athens had been using

tear gas against groups of youth during a series of protests against

Greece's austerity measures. There is a vote in Parliament on

Wednesday. That is all from the programme, Next, the weather, from

They heatwave in eastern England came to a stormy ends today, but

this will clear overnight to become cooler and easier to sleep in. A

more familiar British summer weather story tomorrow with

sunshine and showers. High pressure trying to build in across the UK

from the south-west to settle things down. The influence is not

strong enough yet to stop the shower is getting going during the

day. Some heavy showers possible. Hit-and-miss. Not everyone will get

them. Some showers across the north-east of England, but again,

some of us will avoid them and stay dry. Very few showers in the south-

east and for Wimbledon, but we cannot rule out the odd one showing

up, but nothing like the sundry rain that we had to date. In the

south-west, sunny spells, very few showers. In Wales in the afternoon,

the odd shower possible, but some sunshine around. Scattered showers

into north-west England and Northern Ireland, some showers. But

the two particularly heavy. 17 degrees in Belfast. A scattering of

heavy downpours in Scotland during the day, maybe some thunder also.