31/10/2011 World News Today


31/10/2011

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This is BBC World News today. 7 billion and counting, the Very

:00:15.:00:23.

Special babies born on the day the UN marked a population milestone.

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But how will the planet cope? kind of world has 7 million -- 7

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billion people born into? The United Nations cultural agency,

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UNESCO, approves Palestine as a member.

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Another resignation at St Paul's Cathedral in London. This time the

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Dean over the continuing anti- capitalist protests.

:00:54.:01:04.

Two Russian oligarchs battle over Chelsea Football Club in the courts.

:01:04.:01:09.

Also coming up: They have come a long way from being seen as

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computer geek's Tories. But is the art establishment ready

:01:15.:01:24.

to embrace video games as art? And the hidden treasures of Islamic

:01:24.:01:34.
:01:34.:01:43.

art get a new home at New York's Welcome. Today, 31st October, is

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the date chosen by the United Nations to mark the arrival of the

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world's 7 billionth occupant. Exactly who that is is something we

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will never know for sure, but when the clock struck midnight there

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were many new arrivals showered with celebration.

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It is more about symbols than exact sums when it comes to global

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population. The UN has declared that in each country one of baby

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born on 31st October becomes the seven billionth person. There are

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many tiny candidates. The Philippines contribution to the 7th

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-- to the 7 billion is Danica Mae Camacho. Blissfully unaware of her

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celebrity status. Born into a crowded public hospital in Manila,

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she was greeted with a chocolate cake and speeches. Family planning

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is a controversial issue in this Catholic country. Her mother has

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decided to public -- critics who birth control.

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A quarrel is brewing in the far east of Russia were local

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politicians have dis -- declared another candidate as the first to

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be borne up on Monday. Russia's regions are competing to show how

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they are boosting the country's dwindling population.

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India has the opposite problem. India struggles with it a skewed

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sex ratio because of the cultural preference for boys. In the Uttar

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Pradesh officials said they would be appointing seven Dales born on

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Monday to symbolise the 7 billion. China is also dogged by a shortage

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of goals. But the government deems it so draconian family planning

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policy has paid dividends, helping to boost its economy. Its problem

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is now not in Nong -- not enough young Chinese to support its

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elderly population. There is also the urgent issue of

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inequality. 20 -- plenty of food but 21 billion people who are

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hungry. Lavish lifestyles for some and polys -- policy for others.

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Children die every day from drinking dirty water.

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So, 7 billion and counting and for many the key question, how to

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manage the Earth's scarce resources so that babies born now have a

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bright future? Let us speak to Simon Ross from

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Population Matters how worried should we be? I think population is

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really important, I think it does underpin diverse as see, climate

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change, resource such as food and energy. It is something I think we

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should be acting to address right now. It is the speed also in which

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the population has doubled. Backing 80 No 5, it was just 1 billion.

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Things have come on so fast. What is the model of where it will peak

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he? The un projection is that it will peak at around 10 billion.

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That is not certain and it depends on what we do now to spread family

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planning and encourage people to have a smaller families. And in

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terms of economic development, what are the fact is there? Presumably

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for some countries it has fed that growth but in other countries it

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will not. We are seeing a growing population and growing per capita

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consumption in countries that are industrialising. That is what makes

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it scary in terms of resources and the environment. We need to do more

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than just wait. Does it drop other issues like it GM foods for

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example? Given the fact that we know that -- what exists in terms

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of population, is that a strong argument for GM? Growing

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consumption, growing population pressures us down roads we might

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not want to go down like a buyer feels, like nuclear, like GM foods,

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which have negative side-effects that we would rather avoid. With

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the more that we can do to redress population the less likely we need

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to take those measures. Astonishing to think that in the Ice Age the

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human population was nearly extinct, look at where we are now. Do you

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think human ingenuity will save us and provide a solution to this

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growing population? I think human ingenuity has done a lot and will

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do a lot more. The real concern is that we cannot do without water and

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we find it difficult to do without fossil fuels which will not last

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for ever. The more we do to industrialised agriculture, the

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more we despoil the soil and stare up problems for the future. I am

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pessimistic that there will be another rabbit out of the hat that

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means this will not be a problem. Let us have a look at some of the

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avenues now: The interim government in Libya has appointed a new prime

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minister. Libya's new transitional

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authorities have asked NATO to keep a presence in the country.

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The Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, says that Greece will

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be holding a referendum next week. The German government has tried to

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deflect responsibility for an accountancy blunder that appeared

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to increase its debt by 55 billion euros.

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A Russian maternity home has paid to families compensation of

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$100,000 each for accidentally switching their daughters at birth

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12 years ago. Their story has captivated Russia and made

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headlines when the story came to light as the result of a paternity

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dispute. The girls do not want to swap parents.

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Unesco has voted in favour of membership from the Palestinians. A

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move that boosts the Palestinian bid for recognition of statehood.

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The vote caused the United States to announce they were cutting off

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funding, including a payment of $60 million for next month for the

:09:15.:09:25.
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organisation. As they went around the table in

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Paris today, it rapidly became clear who was going to win. The nos

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vastly outnumbered by the Yes from everyone else.

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Rudder it -- Russian Federation, yes. Then came the announcement.

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Ladies and gentlemen, the general conference has voted to adopt the

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draft resolution and admit Palestine as a member of UNESCO.

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Followed by jubilation from the Palestinian delegation. After

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decades of waiting, Palestine has formally been admitted to be a UN

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body as a state. To back in Ramallah, the Palestinian

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government was quick to claim victory. We believe that the

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acceptance of Palestine in UNESCO and the positive and overwhelming

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voting is an indicator to the growing international support to

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the Palestinian requirement from the international community to be

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recognised as a stake in the borders of 1967. A few kilometres

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away in Jerusalem and the reaction was less enthusiastic. That will

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not change the situation on the ground in any way and it will only

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make it much more difficult, and indeed Trickey, to actually renew

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constructive negotiation. Today's was a small but significant victory

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in their battle for recognition. The countries that voted yesterday,

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including France, Russia and China and, have all made a statement that

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they support the Palestinian bid for UN recognition. Next come the

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consequences. UNESCO protects hundreds of ancient and beautiful

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places around the world, including the old city of Jerusalem. Its

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world is funded in large part by American money, money that

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Washington is now almost certain to withdraw.

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It has been called the Battle of the oligarchs. A courtroom showdown

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between two of the richest men in Britain. One is Roman Abramovich

:11:56.:12:06.
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the other is Boris Berezovsky. Roman Abramovich arrived at court

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clicking remark -- relaxed and confident. He is the third richest

:12:15.:12:20.

person in the UK with an estimated fortune of over �10 billion. He

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bought Chelsea Football Club in 2003 and has the ear of the Russian

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Prime Minister. Suing him is 65- year-old Boris Berezovsky. He is

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worth �500 million and although he was politically powerful in the 90s,

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he fell out with a Vladimir Teuton and some now lives in England in

:12:44.:12:54.
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exile. He is suing for breach of trust and contract. Roman

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Abramovich denies the allegations and says the two men whenever

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business partners but that he paid Boris Berezovsky as a sort of power

:13:04.:13:14.
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Roman Abramovich's riches means he leads a very lavish life himself.

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This is a case about two men who got extremely rich after the

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collapse of the Soviet Union and the power struggles in modern

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Russia. Neither of the participants in this case is particularly

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popular among the Russian public. Both represent the kind of Russia

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many of us would rather not associate with. The secret,

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security obsessed, obscenely wealthy. Roman Abramovich is

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usually very private and publicity- shy. But hearing caught between his

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cross-examinations and the publication of all his witness

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statements in English and Russian light is being shared up on the man,

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his money and the manner in which he does his business.

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At least 12 people have been killed after unusually early snowstorms in

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the north-east of America. More than 3 million homes have been left

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without power. The worst storms stretch from Maryland to

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Massachusetts. So it begins again. The winter

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weather has come early to America's north-east. New Englanders are

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digging themselves out and it is only Hallowe'en. Over the weekend

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more than a third of its dense snow fell at, settling on trees that had

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not lost their leaves and causing tremendous damage. This is day

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three with no lights, we have seasoned -- senior citizens that

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are suffering, children that are suffering. No heat, no food, no

:14:58.:15:08.
:15:08.:15:08.

power and it is only October. jet was stuck on the tarmac in

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Connecticut for hours. The pilot pleaded for help. I have got a

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diabetic on here with the issues. I have got to get some help. Power

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lines he is still run above ground so when those branches come down,

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so do your electricity cables. Nobody wants to pay to put the

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cables underground. It has become a difficult political sell to say it

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makes sense to spend more money today to get a good infrastructure

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for decades into the future that will allow us both to get economic

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benefits but also health, safety, better living standards. When

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people talk about America's on reliable infrastructure, this is

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the have this sort of thing they mean. Many Americans feel that

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winter weather should not make them A building block computer-game is

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the first winner to recognise the art of video games. One craft

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created by Mojang a firm in Sweden, it allows users to construct

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buildings from blocks in a limitless world. It has won the

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first ever GameCity prize at the final of the GameCity festival in

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Nottingham. One of Europe's biggest festivals. It has not been released

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officially but in winning the award, Minecraft beat off stiff

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competition from international gaming giants like Microsoft and

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Nintendo. Judging panels said it was selected on its ability to

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encourage gamers to become more creative. Let's discuss if video

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games can be considered an art form. Ekow Eshun joins us. In what you

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have seen, is this art? I would say that for me video-games, most of

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video games do not reach the standard of art. My definition of

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art would be work that sets a ha -- higher bar and ask questions about

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the human condition, the deepest things that exist within us. Most

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cold for forms, video-games, a Hollywood movies, books, TV shows

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do not reach that bar. Many don't but some do but is it within video

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gaming are to produce works of art? It is within video gaming to

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produce that. I do not think they have yet and that is to say we are

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in a middle of a generational shift. In these last 20 years we have had

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sets of people growing up playing video games, as an integral part of

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their life experience and their work and their enthusiasm for that

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has influenced all sorts of things. If you look at movies, they are

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influenced by video games. The next step is games that themselves reach

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beyond some of the demarcations of the genre and ask the questions

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about how we love. Is it something to do with the people designing

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these games that perhaps they do not have a broad enough artistic

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base to cross reference some of those things. If you take music or

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literature where you can see that common thread dating back hundreds

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of years. They probably take issue with that. It is a new form and so

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it is finding its way. There are arguments to say that computer

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games are like Architecture, that you as the character are involved

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in this immerse it environment, you are the person finding their way

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round and to some extent you are the one who makes the rules,

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discovers... Are you excited by it? Absolutely. One of the fascinating

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things is you can play a game for 50 hours, that is a different

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experience to watching a film or reading a book. Somewhere along the

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way we will get to a point where you will discover deep experiences

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and truth that they come out of those games. Thank you very much

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for coming in. Let's turn to St Paul's Cathedral

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because the dean has resigned. The second prominent figure to be

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brought down around the crisis of the anti-capitalist protest taking

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place on the doorstep. The protests have prompted the cathedral to

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close its doors for the first time since the Second World War.

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Only hours from his magnate -- resignation, Graeme Knowles body

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language betrayed the pressure he was under. Visibly uncomfortable as

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he asked protesters to give St Paul's the space to pursue social

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justice in its own way. I find it quite difficult that you see him --

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Essien that I do not hold the same views as you because I do not use

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the same methods of expressing my views as you. Today the news that

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has shocked the whole church. A statement from the Dean read by a

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colleague saying he was going with immediate effect. It has become

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increasingly clear to me that as criticism of the cathedral has

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mounted in the press, media and in public opinion, my position as Dean

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of St Paul's was becoming untenable. Protesters said they had not wanted

:20:55.:21:02.

to force the Dean out. In times where there are certain amounts of

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pressure going around, I think in some cases a good show of honour to

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resign. Very shocked. Everyone is really shocked. I am saddened he

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has had to step down. What we want to do is get back to the issues

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that is what he and the bishop said. On October 15th when protesters

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were barred by police from the Stock Exchange, the cathedral

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appeared to offer them Zack trip. A week into the occupation, the

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cathedral suddenly closed citing health and safety concerned. On

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27th October, Canon Charles Frazier resigned saying he could not

:21:42.:21:46.

sanction the use of force to a bit the protesters. Today came the most

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dramatic development of all, the Dean of England's principal

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Cathedral forced out of office by a public protest. The Bishop of

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London will take over the Dean's duties. He said the resignation was

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tragic and saddened and shocked him. He made clear that the cathedral's

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policy would not change. I am not taking a softer line at all. I

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think as people were saying to me yesterday, the campsite has to

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disappear at some point, scaled- down. The cathedral is very prudent

:22:20.:22:25.

and sensible in exploring the legal territory. Graeme Knowles spoke of

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facing insurmountable issues and there is no sign tonight that the

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protesters will leave. The Dean's departure might do little to ease

:22:33.:22:41.

St Paul's agony. There is no debate about one of the

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finest collections of Islamic art in the world which has now been

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given a new home at me York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Drawn

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from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Asia the artifacts

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devote the rich diversity of his love. The museum is hoping its new

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galleries will help dispel stereotypes about Muslim culture in

:23:02.:23:12.
:23:12.:23:18.

We must recognise that we live in a nation where a widespread

:23:18.:23:23.

consciousness about Islamic world really did not exist until 10 years

:23:23.:23:29.

ago. And that awareness came at one of the darkest hours in American

:23:29.:23:39.
:23:39.:23:39.

A decade after New York was attacked by Muslim extremists, the

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City's pre-eminent museum has unveiled a new gallery which traced

:23:44.:23:50.

the full course of Islamic civilisation. We have one of the

:23:51.:23:56.

biggest collections of Islamic art in the Western world, some 12,000

:23:56.:24:00.

pieces. Are gonna waste and 1,400 years from the earliest origins of

:24:00.:24:08.

Muslim culture, through the variations across the world. Most

:24:08.:24:14.

of this collection was taken off display in 2003. Some in the Muslim

:24:14.:24:18.

community suspected this was done in retaliation for the attacks of

:24:18.:24:23.

9/11. Not so, says the Metropolitan Museum of Art, old galleries need

:24:23.:24:29.

to be reconfigured and new ones painstakingly built. This is an

:24:29.:24:35.

eight-year process. So many were involved. We had so many

:24:35.:24:39.

Conservatives, architects, engineers, every kind of person you

:24:39.:24:43.

can imagine right down to the people who were marbling pieces of

:24:43.:24:49.

what last week. A team of Moroccan artisans was even brought to New

:24:49.:24:54.

York to create an exquisite courtyard. It shows people that

:24:54.:24:58.

artists of this scale are still alive, still working. Are did not

:24:58.:25:08.
:25:08.:25:10.

Apart from being a major addition to the map's permanent collection,

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these new art galleries are part of a concerted effort in cultural

:25:14.:25:19.

diplomacy. It is hoped the artistic riches on display might go some way

:25:19.:25:23.

to improving the relations between the US and the Moslem world over

:25:24.:25:32.

the past 10 years. It is our midst and took a decade and help people

:25:32.:25:40.

with world culture. Showing things in a broader perspective. Sarah

:25:40.:25:45.

Sayeed from the into a centre of New York says the opening of these

:25:45.:25:47.

new galleries is a major breakthrough for Muslims in this

:25:47.:25:52.

city. Having a gallery like this will really help to broaden and

:25:52.:25:56.

deepen people's perceptions of who Muslims are. There is a real

:25:56.:26:00.

opportunity here. It is wonderful that this gallery is opening at

:26:00.:26:10.
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A reminder of Alamein years: countries across the world have

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been holding events to mark the birth of the seven billionth person

:26:17.:26:22.

on the planet. The UN says all the children born on 31st October could

:26:22.:26:27.

be considered the seven billionth baby. The Philippines was the first

:26:27.:26:30.

country to declare such a baby, Danica May Camacho he was born in

:26:30.:26:35.

the capital Manila. The US is stopping its financial

:26:35.:26:39.

contributions to UNESCO after the Palestinians were admitted to the

:26:40.:26:44.

organisation. The motion to admit the Palestinians was passed by a

:26:44.:26:49.

majority despite strong opposition from the US and Israel. Next the

:26:49.:26:59.
:26:59.:27:00.

weather. But from me and the rest It has been another very mild day

:27:00.:27:05.

across the country. A bit on the cloudy side. There were some rain

:27:05.:27:08.

in the West. That will clear tonight and for many, tomorrow will

:27:08.:27:13.

be a dry day. Tonight rain all courtesy of this weather front. It

:27:13.:27:18.

will be heavy for a time but it is Clearing eastwards and we have a

:27:18.:27:23.

window of dry weather following. It will stay cloudy tomorrow in the

:27:23.:27:27.

south-east corner. Some showers in the north and west but in between

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we have sunshine. Four North East England it will be dry and bright

:27:31.:27:37.

with highs or 14 or 15 degrees. A bit overcast in parts of East

:27:37.:27:42.

Anglia and south-east England. But sunny spells tomorrow for the south

:27:42.:27:47.

coast and wards parts of Devon and Cornwall. The breeze coming in from

:27:47.:27:52.

the south with temperatures of 14 and 15 degrees. Across Wales, the

:27:52.:27:56.

cloud thick enough at times for one or two isolated showers but for

:27:56.:28:01.

Northern Ireland, it will be a fine day. A big cooler with temperatures

:28:01.:28:07.

of 12 Celsius. A scattering of showers across western Scotland.

:28:07.:28:13.

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