17/02/2012 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today. Rupert Murdoch flies into London to

try to reassure angry journalists that News International that they

still have his support in what is being called the biggest rebellion

by staff he has ever faced, we ask if problems in his new cake -- UK

news empire could plummet -- damages global interest. Tension

still lurk behind the smiles and handshakes at this summit. Italian

police seized fake US Treasury bonds with a value equal to almost

half the entire US national debt. Also coming up: give me a kiss.

Meet the sea lion who is helping scientists find out why her kind

He opened up music to a new audience. Now the magic of Leonard

Bernstein's "Concerts for Young People" is revived for a new

Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Britain's biggest-selling newspaper,

the Sun, has been trying to reassure worried staff that they

have his support. His news empire as a whole has been rocked by the

phone hacking scandal in the UK. In the past few days, 10 of the Sun

newspaper's current journalists have been arrested in relation to

alleged payments to corrupt A tabloid newspaper might have

called it Rupert's red top rescue. Mr Murdoch landed late last night

in Britain, the troublesome at Post Office global media empire. He had

had a night to consider how to boost morale at the Sun newspaper,

and by this morning News crews were waiting for him, besieging the

entrances of his headquarters. Rupert Murdoch was driven into the

building at speed to avoid them. He must have known what to expect, the

hacks were hacked off with Rupert Murdoch. Nine senior Sun newspaper

journalists, past and present, have been arrested and information has

been passed to the police by a committee set up by News

Corporation. So perhaps to boost morale, before said -- stepping

into the newsroom, Rupert Murdoch gave staff to pieces of news.

Firstly, arrested staff suspended would be able to return to work,

and secondly, a new son on Sunday would be published soon. He also

The journalists union said that would not placate staff. They feel

completely and utterly betrayed. They feel as though they have been

thrown to the wards, that this is a company who is set on placating the

anger and growing hostility amongst the American investors and that

this is another cynical act of damage limitation in precisely the

same way the closure of the News of the world was. Rupert Murdoch's e-

mail played on his 43 year history with the sun, the paper that

brought him into the media market I am not surprised about launching

the new Sunday title. I don't think there was every question of what

had been discovered so far of the Sun newspaper being closed in that

dramatic way. But a seven-day Sun newspaper brought this reaction

from one phone hacking victim. is ludicrously premature, deeply

cynical, and News International themselves say they are trying to

drain the swamp. I do not see how this one can bring forth a new

creature we want to see. Rupert Murdoch may be gripping the issues,

but with protests, angry staff and a circling police investigation,

his tabloid troubles are not over I am joined here by the commentator

and journalist Steve Hewlett, who saw briefly. Has he managed to pull

it off, Rupert Murdoch? It is a pretty bold move. You could say

there is life in the old dog yet. He looks like he has gained control

but there are two things which are separate. The seven-day son, in a

way that is not really a surprise given that there staff were worried

about the News of the World style event, that they would find him

closing the paper down. He is saying he is committed to the paper

and that he is with us and has been for 40 odd years and we will have a

new title soon, he made them feel better. The other thing is this. If

you what Rupert Murdoch and you think you want to own the paper

forever or whether you what the News Corp investor, so it is

because they can, it doesn't matter. Either way the Sunday son is no bad

thing to do. It could blow up in his face. Yes, but the likelihood

is it will succeed well enough. would expect him to put some

distance between his global empire and the scandal that has been

engulfing his newspapers in the UK. He has to give something to both.

Do you think he has managed this? If the managing Standards Committee,

which is causing the other problem, which is about handing over

information to the police because there is evidence that payments may

have been made to public officials, that was causing ructions at the

beginning of the week. The Sunday title is slightly separate. The

thing causing trouble was that journalists felt they were thrown

to the walls and in order to clean house in the way he Hasted,

remember it goes back to the News of the world and the company's

abject failure to deal with the disgraced or goings on and the

cover-up that followed. In order to clean house as thoroughly as he

appears to need to defend his own reputation and that of the company

in the US, that is why the management standards committee a

handing everything they find to the police. Murdoch clearly has an

emotional attachment to his newspapers in the UK, but as part

of his corporation, it is a tiny part. But could problems here

affect the global empire? If he is seen not to clean house folly, of

course it could. If there is evidence that the company was

involved in corrupt practices then there is the corrupt practices Act

in the USA which may or may not apply here. The main thing is that

the journalists feel that with the way they are being treated, it is a

consequence to the fact that Rupert Murdoch has to protect his own

interests and reputation first, and the Sunday son might not solve that

problem. To how the mighty have fallen. Prime ministers used to

seek his advice and he was invited all these official functions and it

is quite a spectacular fall. That is true. He is still running News

Corporation. News Corporation investors, lots of the analysts

would say, strategically, newspaper are ink and paper in the digital

age, so get rid of them. The stink coming out of Wapping is likely to

go across the Atlantic and made things difficult. In terms of News

Corporation, aged only really Rupert he wants to keep the

newspapers. The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has spoken out

against what he described as foreign interference in the affairs

of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mr Ahmadinejad made his comments at

the end of a summit in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in

which the presidents of the three countries discussed security, trade

and smuggling. All three leaders stressed the need for regional co-

operation but their summit was marred by a row between Afghanistan

and Pakistan over peace talks with the Taliban. From Islamabad, Aleem

If there is to be peace in Afghanistan, Pakistan has to be

onside. Public messages show there is now harmony, but behind the

scenes, Afghan delegates at the summit say their President argued

with his Pakistani counterpart telling him that Islamabad was not

doing enough to push forward reconciliation with the Taliban.

The Pakistanis insists that as much as possible they will do whatever

President Karzai asks. Let him tell whoever he wants, the way he wants,

but if you are asking us to get a particular group around the table

it will not be possible for Pakistan. If we were that

influential with the Taliban there would be no terrorism in Pakistan.

But the summit was ultimately dominated by this man. President

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, clearly relishing another opportunity to

speak on an international platform. He talked of the determination in

the West to control and suppress the region and said it was foreign

interference that had caused all the problems here. He said that

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran had He got the photo opportunity he

wanted as well. With American's two allies in the region. Here in

Pakistan there is undoubtedly support for Iran in its nuclear

endeavours. What we are supporting is the right to pursue a nuclear

strategy, which they say is a peaceful one. America is a nuclear

power, so yes, if you have more nuclear powers in the world it will

balance it in a way. At a time when Washington is trying to persuade

other countries to put more pressure on to a romp over its

nuclear programme, Pakistan has just agreed to go ahead with a deal

to buy billions of dollars worth of gas from Iran. That, and today's

show of brotherly affection, will have made many in the West very

Now a look at some of the days other news: Germany's President

Christian Wulff has resigned after prosecutors called for his immunity

to be lifted. He'd become embroiled in a scandal over a home loan he

had accepted before being appointed head of state. Mr Wulff denies any

wrongdoing. A bomb attack in north-west

Pakistan has killed at least 21 people. The explosion happened in

the town of Parachinar, near the Afghan border. Local officials said

the blast was caused by a suicide bomber targeting Shia Muslims.

Libyans are celebrating the first anniversary of the start of the

revolution that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. The main festivities are

in the central square in Benghazi, where the uprising began. Thousands

have gathered there, with mothers holding pictures of their sons who

died in the fighting. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron and

the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy agreed deals to work more

closely on military operations and civil nuclear power. Their

relationship had come under scrutiny after the UK refused to

join a European fiscal pact. But Mr Cameron said they had an

"incredibly strong relationship Police in Italy say they have

seized fake US Treasury bonds worth six trillion dollars, a value equal

to almost half the entire US national debt. Police say the bonds

were hidden in forced compartments of three safety deposit boxes in

the Swiss city of Zurich. Let's get more on this story from Allan

Johnston. Tell us more about this. It is a fantastic amount of fake

bonds. It is indeed, and it all began in a much smaller way, down

in the far south of Italy, where police were investigating a mafia

group thought to be interested in loan sharking. But then a raid on a

suspect's house revealed American fake Treasury bonds and it was

realised that this was a gang with ambitions very much grander than

just loan sharking in southern Italy. An inquiry followed, across

several countries, and one year on that we hear today that this

seizure of a staggering six trillion dollars worth of fake US

bonds has been made by police in Switzerland, acting on information

from phone-tapping performed by the Italian police. The raid was

carried out in January, and today we heard news of arrests in Italy.

Several in various parts of the country. Is this an Italian

operation or was it an international one? Do we have an

idea who was arrested? Very much an Italian operation. It began here,

and all of the arrests have been made here. But it is international

in scope. We understand that the chests full of Treasury bonds began

their journey in Hong Kong in 2007 and were shipped to Europe and then

unearthed in the raid in Zurich by the Swiss police last month. Allen,

Police in southern Greece are hunting for two armed robbers who

stole around 60 artifacts from the museum in the town of Olympiad. It

is the second major museum theft. The Greek culture minister has

offered his resignation. Two men entered the museum. They

asked a female employee for various ancient objects. She refused, she

was tied up, and the men started to smash glass cabinets. This raises

immense questions about museums security in Greece, because around

one month ago, the National Gallery was also Birkle. Paintings were

stolen in the early hours of the morning. -- was also burgled. There

are questions about other elements here, security in museums, housing

some important treasures. A top Chinese official is visiting

Syria as the violent crackdown against opposition groups continues.

It is not known what message the Chinese envoy has far President

Assad, but the country voted against a UN resolution calling for

him to step down. Demonstrations after Friday prayers.

Activists say security forces opened fire, killing several

protesters, wounding others. In the far north, there were shooting.

That was an upturn that has not yet been fully caught up in the revolt.

Activists released footage of killings in the east. Similar

scenes were reported in many other places. In the centre of the

country, tanks were firing at short range.

Parts of the city have been battered like this for nearly two

weeks, as security forces tried to dislodge hundreds of armed rebels.

Activists say these 15 men were captured near the northern border

with Turkey, and some executed. Such claims cannot be verified but

the pictures would be difficult to fake. The passing of the resolution

at the UN General Assembly is not affecting results on the ground.

Russia and China voted against it, saying they want a Syrian solution,

not regime change. I will work with the international community and

play a positive role in appropriately resolving the issues

of Syria. The Chinese deputy minister is in Damascus.

The chances of successful mediation right now seem very slight. Arab

powers will meet in Tunisia next week. They what the regime to call.

Two days after that, surreal will go ahead with a referendum on a new

constitution. There is no dialogue except on the battlefield.

The vice-president of south Sudan, Riek Machar, has been speaking

exclusively to the BBC. He says his country will survive despite the

fact it has stopped its oil production. South Sudan separated

from Sudan last year, but they have never agreed on fees for the

pipelines. Oil provides 90 % of revenue. Riek Machar said he had no

concerns about how they would cope without it. We have now decided to

build new pipelines, as opposed to the pipeline going through Sudan,

and we hope within 30 months, the oil revenue will flower again.

talk about 30 months, where you find the money? Oil reserves.

big enough to cover that? -- are the big enough? We will see, we

have other revenue sources. Will you be to get loans? -- need.

need loans, it will be for development budgets. For building

alternative pipelines. To conduct the normal business, provide

business services, we will need that. Sudan's president has said

the crisis with oil has brought these countries close to war? Do

you share that analysis? I do not share that, there is no reason for

the two countries to go to war. The oil is our resource, if we feel

that we are not getting a good deal, we have a right to shut it down.

When they provide a good deal we will talk. There is no reason for

war. South Sudan's vice president, Riek Machar. For sea-lions, it is

the ultimate in self-help. The mammals themselves have been

trained to take part in a scientific experiment to find out

why the species is dying out. Scientists in Vancouver have

strapped cameras and tracking equipment onto them.

The sea lion is not ordinary. Not just a performing seal, the first

the line in the world to be top voice commands and hand signals to

work with scientists. -- first sea lion. We spend a lot of time with

the animals and it is really important for the bond of trust.

Her kind are dying out, nobody knows why. To find out, Canadian

researchers have fitted her and 300 other sea lions with tracking

equipment and cameras. She seems happy to help. She is taken on her

own personal speedboat. The icy waters are more or mild here. It is

the perfect place to study how she hunts for food. They will put her

to the test. Using this equipment, researchers hope to learn more

about what happens when she dies. - - dives. She finds her way into an

enclosure underneath the platform. She goes to the bottom of the water,

then the measure precisely the energy she uses. They discovered it

is much harder for her to hunt near the surface, a clue as to why her

kind are dying out. To understand their daily lives you need to spend

24 hours a day with them. You need to find out what times of the year

are critical, how they do them. We're getting into their heads.

the first time, researchers are looking at the world through the

eyes of sea-lions. They will see if they can reverse the decline of

these magnificent creatures. Leonard Bernstein was one of the

greatest musical figures of the 20th century. He composed hit

musicals and many symphonies. He also worked with the world's top

orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, and made a TV series

with them called Concerts for Young People. That tradition is being

revived by a his data. -- by his daughter. She told us how her

father brought music the young people. Most pop tunes fit Apache

and strictly. The only difference is that usually the first section

is repeated right away it before at the next section comes. In the

beginning they were alive, black and white, there were no telly

proctors, so my father had to memorise his script. He would have

little notes hidden in the piano. They would remind him where he was.

Basically, he was doing it off the top of his head. Firstly there is

the first section. # I give her all my love. #. That was my father's

genius, he made his music accessible, music that people might

find daunting, it difficult. When he talked about it he just made it

regular and unthreatening. # You'd love her too. That is the first

section. One of the ground-breaking elements

in these televised concerts was my father made it very clear he did

not make value judgements between one genre of music and another, as

long as music was good, delicious. My 14-year-old doctor mac happen to

ask me why certain Beatles song had such funny harmony. I explained

that it was a model. -- modal. People were very rigid about

compartmentalise in music, some people thought pop-music --

classical music was worthy, but did not think highly of rock and roll.

Looking back on it, we feel like we were the guinea pigs for young

people. He would try out the material for us, and in the course

of our conversations he would come up with the script. We would be in

the car talking about modes. would tell us what a Maude was. The

next concert would be about modes. When he got to mix a Lydian, he

would go to the piano. -- Mixolydian. # You really got me

now... # That was Leonard Bernstein, and

that is all. Now the weather.

Good evening. It has been a mild Good evening. It has been a mild

week. It will be noticeably colder. Temperatures will drop away, there

will be some snow showers in the north. The wind will strengthen

overnight, blowing and band of rain said these words across the UK.

Then sunshine and colder weather will follow. Some wintry showers in

the north. The afternoon looks bright and sunny in the North of

England, but it will feel colder. The last of the Mile there is in

the south-east of England during the afternoon but it looked like it

could be wet by then. -- the milder here. The temperatures will really

drop in the afternoon, apart from some late sunshine. A bright and

sunny picture in Wales, across the Irish Sea, some showers. We will

find some snow at lower levels in Scotland, could well have blizzards