15/03/2012 World News Today

This is World News Today. One year on in the Syrian uprising

and the country is divide and in the midst of conflex. Rallies in

support of the government in Damascus, as a newspaper publishes

when it says are President Bashar al-Assad's personal e-mails.

As antiAmerican sentiment hardens, the Taliban suspends, talks with

the United States. One of China's best-known and flamboyant

politicians, is sacked suddenly from his post. What does this tell

us about China's future political direction? Also coming up in the

programme: Loss and grief in the Swiss Alps. As Belgium announces a

day of mourning, investigation noose the accident continue. And in

Greece, the potato sellers helping families squeezed by the debt

Hello and welcome. I'm Zeinab Badawi. One year on and

the Arab Spring in Syria has been likened by some to an Arab autumn.

The leaves falling off a deeply embedded tree, as a metaphor for

the number of people killed in the Syrian uprising, while the Assad

government is solid. Many thousands have fled their

homes to escape the conflict. Yes this report.

Against the odds, Syria's rebels continue to fight back.

The pictures are difficult to very few.

This is thought to be in the central town of Hama.

They celebrate a small victory. But the Free Syrian Army is heavily

outgunned and outnumbered. In homss -- Homs, opposition activists

release film of security forces going house-to-house. Activists say

that the government is carrying out a scorched earth policy, destroying

everything of use to the opposition, but in Damascus, a mass rally in

support of President Bashar al- Assad, broadcast on state

television. It was spring, 2011 that saw the

first demonstrations. Starting in the southern town of

Deraa. The target of people's anger,

President Bashar al-Assad. His family have ruled Syria for

more than 40 years. As the protests spread, the

response of the security forces became increasingly violent.

Some members of the Syria army defected to fight for the

opposition, but not in big enough numbers to tip the balance.

The government has tried to deal with the situation with a

combination of miner concessions and brute force. In April,

President Bashar al-Assad promised a new constitution. Offering

multiparty elections. The government says it is facing an

armed insurgency and has blamed terrorist gangs for the violence.

But at the same time, the authorities have continued to use

force against unarmed protesters. Opposition strongholds like Homs

and Idlib have been besieged and bombarded.

There have been reports of troops going house-to-house in some areas,

killing civilians, including women and children.

Just as Syria has been divided, so has the international community.

The can I has been suspended from the Arab League, while the EU and

the Us have imsupposed sanctions, however, there has been no

agreement to call for the end to the violence, because of Russian

and Chinese objections. Hopes are now pinned on the new international

envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, but his push for a peace plan, which began

in Damascus, last weekend, has yet to yield any results.

While military intervention has been ruled out by Western nations,

there are calls by some Arab countries to arm the opposition. An

option that would surely see the country slip further into Civil War.

Well, one year on and some intriguing details about President

Bashar al-Assad in the midst of the uprising have epercentaged. More

than 3,000 of his personal e-mails have apparently been leaked by

Syrian opposition figures to the British newspaper, the Guardian.

They shed light on his private life and reveal advice given by

individuals, including officials from Iran on how to respond to the

opposition. We cannot verify the e-mail's

authenticity, but it is believed they are genuine. In one e-mail,

President Bashar al-Assad jokes about reforms in a message to his

wife and refers to:, "The rubbish laws of parties, elections and

media. Later, President Bashar al- Assad is advised to take a hard

line against the opposition in an e-mail from Hamza Al-Khatib.

The e-mail seems to confirm the strong bond between President

Bashar al-Assad and his British- born wife, Asma.

The Syrian government has denied these were President Bashar al-

Assad's personal e-mails. Well, a taste there of what was

contained in some of the e-mails. Now, Hamid Karzai has called for

NATO-led forces to pull back to their bases and end patrols in

Afghan villages. The remarks come after the killing of 16 civilians

by an American soldier last weekend. In a separate development, there

has been a setback for peace talks before they even started. The

Taliban suspending negotiations as they objected to the involvement of

the Afghan government. Lyse Doucet told us what is known about the

reasons for the Taliban's opposition.

Even though the Taliban have been trying to capitalise on the late's

violence in the country, including the killing of Afghan civilians, 16,

this has less to do with that, than the tentative process of dialogue

with the Americans. It was a significant achievement that the

Taliban had agreed to open a political office in Qatar, had

agreed to talk to the Americans about getting their prisoners out

of Guantanamo Bay and other detention centres, given the gap of

confidence between the two sides and the fact that they are still

attacking each other, but what is also clear is that they have

different ideas about where the dialogue goes next. They say they

want to talk about their prisoners and only to talk to the Americans

about that, not to Hamid Karzai. Where as the Americans were told,

had made it clear to their Taliban interlock terse, that the next step

was to bring in the Afghan government.

Now let's take a look at some of the day's other nis. In Egypt,

prosecutors have charged 75 people in connection with last month's

football rioting in which more than 70 people were killed. The writhe

happened in Port Said. Days of protest followed the writhe, with

thousands holding the governing Military Council responsible.

Evidence emerges shows that another 7,000 women in the UK I may have

received faulty breast implants from PIP. This brings to 47,000 the

number of women affected. The Department of Health has advised

those with worries to see their doctors.

David Cameron has visited Ground Zero in New York on the last leg of

his official visit to the United States.

Last night he and President Obama paid tribute to each other at a

star-studded banquet at the White House in Washington.

Now one of China's most flamboyant politicians, Bo Xilai, has been

sacked as the Communist Party boss in the city of Chongqing. Bo Xilai

had been a contender for promotion to China's top leadership, but he

is thought to have upset some with his high-profile campaign against

corruption and a revival of Maoist ideology.

We look at what went wrong with this politician.

He is one of China's most high- profile politicians.

Bo Xilai is comfortable in the limelight. He had been tipped for a

top position dure this year's leadership change.

He made his name launching a campaign against organised crime in

Chongqing, where he was the party chief, but since last month, there

has been intense speculation over his future.

His police chief, shown here on the right, apparently tried to defect

at a US Consulate. Bo Xilai's close associate is now under

investigation. It was this extraordinary political scandal

that now appears to have claimed Bo Xilai.

On Wednesday, Premier Wen took the highly unusual step of critising

his colleague in public. TRANSLATION: The present Chongqing

municipal party Committee and government must reflect seriously

on this incident. Bo Xilai appeared withdrawn at this

year's Parliamentary session. He may have already known that his

days were numbered. Later this year, a new generation

of leaders will start assuming power in China. Bo Xilai was

expected to be among them, but with his career now over, he's become a

casualty in a struggle at the very top of Chinese politics.

I've been joined in the studio by Rod Wye. He was a senior officer in

Beijing, and head of the Group of Research of Beijing. The write was

on the wall for Bo Xilai, but why did he have to go sooner, rather

than later, do you think? I think that the pressure got too much.

It was clear, you are right, that at the beginning of this month when

there was the disappearance of his right-hand man, that nothing good

could come of this. There after it was a matter of time before he was

formerly removed. Does this suggest that there is

some kind of a struggle at the top of the power, the hierarchy in

China? Does it mean that one faction is triumphant with his

sacking? Well it is played out, obviously, against the background

of the forthcoming party Congress, when a new leadership is to be

established. That leadership could last ten years. So the stakes are

high. Bo Xilai has been campaigning hard to become a member of the

Politburo standing Committee, but something went seriously wrong.

Quite what that is, we don't know. We know about the deforeign

exchange, or the attempted deforeign exchange of Wang Lijun,

but what was deeper behind that, we don't know it is not clear. We

don't know who has won. But outgoing prem aire wen, to make

a criticism like this, when he says something like we don't want to see

a return to the cultural revolution, the revival of Maoist ideology,

what does that tell us about where China is heading -- Premier Wen.

Premier Wen was stronger on reform than he had been previously. I

think that the question of the cultural revolution is no so much a

veiled criticism of Bo Xilai and his Red Songs. There is a warning

that unless reforms were pushed through, China faced really serious

political trouble. That is the way it is going to go?

That is really on that path? It is not I rev -- I revkobl. I think

that the strikes high. I don't think that Bo Xilai's disappearance

is complete for one group nor the other. We don't know what group he

represented. Why? On the one hand he was pushing

Maoist ideology, but on the other hand his economic reforms were very

much in keeping with the kind of things that the leadership now want.

Is he simply down but not out? A popular politician that could yet

cause mischief? I think he's out. My goodness, you took me by

surprise, you were so brief. Thank you very much. You did not mince

your words, but he is out for the count. Thank you very much.

Now, to the top story, as we've been saying it's a year since the

Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and in that year

around 8,000 people are estimated to have died and thousands more

have fled to neighbouring countries like Turkey and Jordan. To talk a

little more about this anniversary, we are joined by the Syrian lawyer

and dissident, Katherine AlTully, what a difference a year has made.

A lot of deaths, but Assad is still in power, are you beginning to

think it is worth it? The last year was the dignity and the freedom

year to all of Syrian people. The Syrian people went out to the

streets for their freedom and their dignity and because they want this

Syrian regime to be a throw away. The Syrian people, when they went

to the streets, they were knowing that this regime is bloody, but

they decided to get their freedom and went to the streets for that

Of course, all want freedom and dignity and democracy deserve, even

if we pay our life for that, and Syrian people felt that and decided

to let the President Bashar al- Assad regime, go out from Syria.

Up he is using tanks against the city. He has surrendered the city.

People are hungry and have no water. I want to ask, we have seen

pictures of a massive brawl are sad rally. It is not controversial to

say Bashar al-Assad commands the support it in his area up.

Sectarian is sent to be rife in Syria. You have made mistakes,

haven't you? All the Syrian people know that if we can say that a

group of people in the street. Security forces forced people who

have worked with the state and students are forced with guns to

sure the media that he still has support. We know all this is not a

truce. Serbian opposition is not united. This is not a democracy.

All Serie a's opposition is United on wanting the Government to be

overthrown. The opposition also support the people on the street

and we want it peacefully. All international laws and Syrian

losses say defending yourself is you're right. I am sorry to cut you

off. The families of the children killed

in a court should crash and Switzerland have attended a

memorial service. Relatives and community members are more men the

children and adults killed in the trap. Two drivers were also killed

in the crash. The last year of primary school and

Fortrose of the annual ski trip to the Alps. Incomprehensible that

such a holiday can end in this way. The mountain village has been

welcoming this that -- group for years. Local mountain guide saw the

children on the last day of their holiday. TRANSLATION: they were

clattering through the village. In a small village like this, every

child feels like one of your own. It has been a brittle 24 hours or

parents. Today, they left the hotel for the grim task of identifying

the dead. Some wanted to see the crash site. The Belgian ambassador

has been here throughout. You feel the emotion. It is terrible. A

terrible accident in, all these young people. What can you say?

coach crashed at the end of or winding mountain road on a stretch

of water we. Because of the accident is still unknown. It has

focused on the driver. Here, the crash investigators are working

through the wreckage to try to find out why the boss swear it. At the

moment, there are more questions than answers. There was no other

vehicle and all that, 0 apiece. Did the driver have a heart attack?

TRANSLATION: the police told me they are conducting post-mortems.

One fears that he was handling a DVD at the time.

As Greece sinks deeper into recession, ordinary Greeks are

struggling to call and are looking for ways to live cheaply. One

initiative has sprung up to sell basic products like potatoes. The

initiative started in northern Greece and has spread to Athens

with thousands are benefiting. They're calling it the potato

revolution. Ordinary Greeks squeezed by the recession waging

war on prices they can no longer afford. A simple strategy with

simple product but it is drawing the crowds. Hundreds are taking

part forcing supermarkets to cut prices. The idea as a growing fast.

Salary so. The taxes are high. We have to spend a lot of money to buy

the basic goods. All sides benefit. Farmers are no longer paying fees

to wholesalers. TRANSLATION: middle man exploits us. We want to help

the consumer in these difficult times. It sends the message that a

few people cannot profit from us. Greeks are coming up with new

wheeze and ideas of dealing with this recession. This is a positive

by-product of the financial crisis. One buyer is this man. At home, he

and his wife tell a familiar tale, a family trying to lead a normal

life. I have to Galway from Greece and find another country, a country

that can give me the right circumstances to have a better

future. This is a movement with fur it -- far reaching implications.

To talk more about the social dimensions, we have a journalist

and novelist who has been loving in Greece for years. Their impact of

the crisis, it has taken its toll. I saw how people really wear.

has been a huge shock for people. It happens so suddenly. It tickets

call extremely quickly. Salaries were slashed. One statistic was

that the number of suicides in 2011 went up by 40 %. Yes, and younger

people, tragically. There is this terrible suffering. There is also

the other side witches solidarity among people. They have to group

together. For the last few years, there has been a sense of, where

did this problem come from? People have done a lot of soul-searching.

How did it come out of the blue? I think, I can see people have got

over the initial shock and or seeing how they can rebuild their

lives. Our they are resourceful people? The Greek family is

famously strong. If parents are finding a few children coming back,

that is a strange, isn't it definitely. There is a set common

in Greece about adult children going back to live with their

parents. You are a naturalised Greek. You are a descendant of

Catherine the Great. Does it give you the advantage of being Annan's

-- outsider? I have published a novel which looks at present the

Athens but tries to go back to see below historical factors. Big deals

with the riots of true 1008. -- 2008. They have a yearning for

freedom within them. For me, it was interesting to go back into the

history. Do you think the crisis has irretrievably changed the

Greeks IK? And nor, I don't. The Greeks are freighters. -- fighters.

There has been civil war, and Nazi occupation. The Greeks have come

back from far worse. Thank you the first anniversary of the uprising