20/04/2012 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today, with me Zeinab Badawi in London.

And I'm Jon Sopel, in Paris, where campaigning is coming to a close

and voting is set to begin on Sunday for the first round of the

presidential election. Also coming up in the programme...

A chilling account of mass murder in Norway.

Anders Breivik tells an Oslo court how he shot dead 69 people on

Utoeya Island. Hopes fade for survivors, after a

passenger jet with 127 people on board crashes near the Pakistani

capital Islamabad. A senior Chinese journalist tells

the BBC that the police covered up the murder of British businessman

Neil Heywood, because of his links to a powerful politician.

And we say farewell to the man who taught us to Play In A Day.

Guitarist Bert Weedon has died, at Hello and welcome. There are only

five hours of campaigning left for the first round of the French

Presidential election and the two top contenders, Nicolas Sarkozy and

Francois Hollande, are campaigning up until the last moment. Polls put

Hollande just ahead of Sarkozy for the first round on Sunday and

predict he will win in the second. Sarkozy's camp says it is still all

to play for. Let us speak now to the BBC's Jon

Sopel, who is in Paris. He Nicolas Sarkozy people saying there is

still a lot to play for. Absolutely. He is a great campaigner and it

would be foolish to count anyone out at this stage. I remember that

decade ago, there was an utter shock when we got the first-round

results and saw that the socialist campaigner had not even made it

through to the second round. The latest polls show that between 25 %

and 40 % of French voters have still to make up their minds of how

they will vote on Sunday. So, is there everything to play for? Yes,

you bet. There is uncertainty and that makes it even more fascinating

as to what will unfold. In French politics, on Friday evening,

everyone stops to draw breath. There is no more campaigning to

more or polls and all that matters is what happens on Sunday. A not

since 1981 as the Socialist challenger won the French

presidency. Last night, he dare to believe. Francois Hollande knows

that the first round fought will be close, but the polls suggest he

will win the run-off against Nicolas Sarkozy in a fortnight's

time. One Sunday, the President's appeal to the revolutionary spirit

of the country. Unemployment has risen and working class resentment

has surrounded the President and he is sensitive to accusations that he

he is not helping. He gives the impression that the more you work,

the more you will get, but most people do not see it that way.

think he is helping the rich people. Critics say that both main

candidates have been keeping quiet about the cuts which will be needed

whichever one is elected. The real issue is that there will be strong

noises coming from any party from the left on the right. A that is

why perhaps up to one-third of the French people will vote for up to

political extremes - on the one side D Communist Party and on the

other, the equivalent of a of the National Front. The two extremes do

become part of the event. The National Front has built Nicolas

Sarkozy to the right to an Francois Hollande has been built to the left.

And he if the left is to win on a fortnight time, there could be big

changes on the way, with changes to the Eurozone situation with Germany.

But other parties are very keen to get the young vote, which is seen

crucial in this election. Let us speak to E three young people who

will be voting. You are supporting a one? You are supporting the

Centre Party candidate and you are voting for or Francois Hollande?

Now, at Nicolas Sarkozy appears to be unpopular and at the centre of

so many problems, so why are you voting for him? I think he has

dealt very well with the crisis. The Eurozone crisis? Yes, I think

he did very well and I appreciated it. Every politician can recognise

that he dealt good with it. At where you supporting someone who is

likely to come nowhere in the election race? My politics are

generally to the centre and I have not been convinced by any of the

other candidates. A do you think it is interesting and French politics

that the centre parties in France, whereas in Britain they are the

third party, they may even, in 5th, be behind both the main parties of

the Left and Right and the two extreme parties of the left and

right? Yes, but that ensures that there is a way forward for the

Centre Party in France in the future. So, what are the

differences which mark you out from the Socialists or the right wing

parties? Well, it is quite plain that you can make alliances with

other parties and Kate policies which will appeal to our voters.

But this the, Francois Hollande is ahead in the polls at the moment,

but he does not appear to create a lot of excitement? I would

disagree! I think a lot of people in France, particularly young

people are looking for change. We are still having the problems of

the economic crisis and with unemployment and we need dramatic

change. But during the time of crisis, is a not best they you

stick with someone who showed great leadership through it, Nicolas

Sarkozy? Not, I do not agree with that. He did not have good results

from this. We are hearing from the International Monetary Fund that

that was not the case. Nor, at the economic growth was 1.7 % at the

end of 2011, which is not bad, given the economic crisis. But we

have the trade deficit of 70 billion euros. Is it not a hard

message to sell to people opposed to Nicolas Sarkozy, when you say

unemployment has gone up by one million, but it could have been so

much worse under somebody else. do not know, it is very hard to say.

It is hard to say whether it would have been worse a better if

Francois Hollande had been President at the time. But I think

he showed leadership and the degree job. I used struggling to find, are

all your friends going to vote on Sunday? Yes, they will, but some of

them will be abstaining. Why is there such disaffection? That is

the interesting thing about French politics. I think it is linked in

with the Fifth Republic. People feel a little bit lost, because

they're not sure what we can do. think a lot of people do not feel

affected by the political system and a lot of them were are not

going to Fort. It is evidence that young people do not really believe

in politics. I do not think people want to have a fight. I do not want

to fight for anything, but maybe we are not a generation who want to

fight for some stuff, but just want to have jobs and get on with our

lives. Thank you very much for joining us and I wish you all good

luck. I know that not all three of you will be happy after the

election. May well bring you coverage of these election results

on Sunday on the BBC news channel. They do very much for joining us

and was that not three very articulate young voters in Paris?

Now a look at some of the day's other news. South Sudan has ordered

the immediate withdrawal of its troops from the disputed border

region of Heglig, which it seized last week from Sudan. The incursion

had prompted fears of a return to full-scale war between the two

neighbours. A statement issued by President Salva Kiir in South

Sudan's capital, Juba, said the withdrawal would be completed

within three days. Formula One teams have been

practicing in Bahrain today, despite ongoing protests in the

kingdom. Standing firm against demands to cancel Sunday's Grand

Prix, the country's Crown Prince said that calling off the race

would play into the hands of "extremists".

Thousands of Egyptians have been gathering in Tahrir Square in Cairo,

in a new protest demanding the handover of power to civilian rule.

The demonstration, one of the largest in recent months, follows

the disqualification of several leading presidential candidates.

In the United States, a neighbourhood watch volunteer who

shot dead unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida has been

granted bail. The judge has set bail at $150,000 for George

Zimmerman. During the hearing, Mr Zimmerman told the teenager's

parents that he was sorry for the loss of their son.

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has made a rare

appearance at the Milan court, where he is on trial for allegedly

paying an underage prostitute for sex. He is accused of paying for

sex with a 17-year-old, then abusing his powers by getting

police to release her when she was arrested for stealing. Mr

Berlusconi, who resigned over the economic crisis, denies the charges.

The man on trial for the murder of 77 people in Norway last summer,

shocked the courtroom with grisly descriptions of his massacre on

Utoya Island. Anders Breivik claimed he deliberately dehumanised

himself in order to carry out the killings. The at mishear it caught

change to be. The country braced itself although few could have

imagined what was to come. Threw out his detachment that is what has

been most disturbing. Today he taught his killing speak as if it

was the day at work. Under normal circumstances, I am a nice person.

When he reached the island, he said, I do not want to do this, but then

he thought, this is now or never. He killed 66 -- 67 on the island

and to other people drowned trying to escape. Anders Breivik went

through a catalogue of what happened on the island. The details

where horrific. At one point, he said that people where paralysed

with fear in front of them. By putting more ammunition will Major

stood there. I then shot them in their head. Then, he tricked people

by asking if they had seen the terrorist. When they get close

enough, I'd shot the first one in their head. Many who survived the

attacks left the courtroom in shock. It's is really hard. I want to get

angry, but I just feel empty inside. I cannot explain the feeling.

way's newspapers chose not to pay the trial on the front pages today.

Some people do not want to hear from him again, others feel. For

nine more weeks, they will pick a The scandal and controversy

surrounding the mysterious death in China of the British businessman

Neil Heywood deepened today. A former senior journalist working in

the state media has told the BBC that the police in Chongqing knew

that Mr Heywood was murdered but they covered it up. He claims the

authorities panicked because of Neil Heywood's close connections to

one of China's most powerful politicians, Bo Xilai. Earlier this

month Bo Xilai's wife was detained as a suspect in Heywood's murder.

From Chongqing, here's Damian Grammaticas.

It is the question the point go away. How did Neil Heywood died

here at this hotel in a secluded villa last November? The Communist

Party and meshed in the scandal has promised the role of law will

prevail. The party has said that the 41-year-old British businessman

may have been murdered. His once powerful friend Joan Chen's chief

Bo Xilai has been sacked. The word is his wife ordered the killing or

was there when cyanide was slipped into Neil Heywood's drink. The area

is home to more than 20 million and the rule was ruthless. Bo Xilai's

signature policy was a crackdown on crime and he cracked down on Mafia

gangs and many were arrested including businessman who were

forced to hand over their wealth. This man was a billionaire and was

accused of crimes he did not commit and was tortured by henchmen. The

police took this photo of him after he secured his own freedom by

paying millions. When he fled to China he says his family were

arrested as well. I was tortured for six days and nights he says. He

is in a sum but was sentenced to 16 years in prison. There are

thousands like him. The Bo Xilai and his deputies killed people to

silence them. He deserves to die. Before Neil Heywood's deaf, Bo

Xilai's disregard for the law did not bother the Communist Party. He

was charismatic and populist and feted as a rising star. He spent

billions on popular projects in the areas such as cheap housing for the

poor and made it the fastest- growing population in China. He did

great things for the people this woman says. She supports him and

wants him reinstated. As you dig down through this story it seems

that Bo Xilai's popularity had become a threat for the other man

at the top of the Communist Party. He was building his own power voice

and the death of Neil Heywood has provided them with the opportunity

to bring him down. Will China Open not just Neil Heywood's case but

hundreds more. This is the smack -- this businessman says he is too

scared to come back until China has the rule of law and democracy. For

now it still has the role of the Communist Party. Many say they are

victims too and they wonder if they will see justice. Police in

Pakistan say there's little chance anyone could have survived after a

passenger jet crashed while trying to land in bad weather near

Islamabad. The Bhoja Air flight from Karachi was carrying 127

people. Are we to assume that everybody on

board was killed, where their injuries on the ground? We have

been receiving ambulances from the site. We have counted six in the

last 15 minutes. Unfortunately no wounded. They have all been the

remains of those who have been killed. Of 118 passengers and nine

crew were on board the plane and it came down in bad weather just

before it was due to land, just minutes before it was due to land.

Eyewitnesses say it exploded on impact but others say they thought

it was struck by lightning. Experts think it was either caught in a in

a cute down draft during a very violent storm which was over the

area at the time or it could have been struck by lightning. There are

questions about the aircraft itself. We hear it was an old aircraft. It

was a 737 that had been bought from another airline. We hear it was

flight were free but as yet there are no real details. We have seen

distressing scenes here of relatives to a waiting for

something to be able to bury now because they have been told by the

doctors that they do not expect to have any survivors. Every time one

of those ambulances come we hear Wales and cries going up from the

relatives. Thank you very much. The world's biggest prizes for

conservation, known as the Nobel Prize for the environment have been

awarded to six activists. Each Goldman Environmental Prize comes

with $150,000. And this year it has been awarded for work at the

grassroots, ranging from cleaning up Chinese industry to protecting

the Arctic from oil exploration. One of the winners is the Kenyan

activist Ikal Angelei, who is leading a campaign against the

building of a huge dam in Ethiopia that she believes threatens Kenya's

Lake Turkana. She joins us now from Washington.

First of all, congratulations. Thank you very much. Tell us, why

were you so opposed to the building of this down. Our Government did

not mention to us about the construction of the dam so the

communities that depend on the river were not aware and then later

on inquiring and talking to experts who work in the region and experts

in the field, they helped us to understand how the control of flow

or the stop of flow from the river would affect the lake and the coast

is some -- ecosystem and damage the way of life of the people.

important is this lake to the people, are we talking about

hundreds of thousands in a? Hundreds of thousands of people.

First, it is their identity. People there I able to identify with the

lake and the livelihood and their culture and access to water. In

that region especially the have problems just accessing water and

the Daily date -- in the day-to-day life of communities. People have

livestock and animals and over time that the change of climate we are

looking for other ways of lively had to support the existing people

who are suffering from the climate changes that we are experiencing.

When you began your campaign, you found yourself fighting against

many vested interests, government officials, business and so on, did

you ever think you would succeed? Did you think you would have such a

hard time? We did not have an option but to fight on. Our only

option was to believe that we would succeed. Along the way, the belief

in the success was greater. It grew. There were vested interests from

the governments and development banks but we kept believing, step-

by-step. In principle, you were not put -- opposed to development. The

idea was to build a Hydro-Electric dam which would provide much-needed

power to communities everywhere and you accept that sometimes there has

to be a trade-off between maintaining the traditions and old

lively goods in order Prew progress. We respect the need for energy, not

just in Kenya and Ethiopia and with enough -- Africa but we also

recognise we have alternatives. At what cost should we be looking for

electricity or energy. We have alternatives, we have geothermal

power, so energy, wind power. These options that governments should

look into before they look at his story ecosystems. We have seen a

humanity depending on these ecosystems for thousands of years

and we needed in the future. the Carl Angelei, congratulations

again and thank you very much for joining us live from Washington.

The guitarist, Bert Weedon, has died, he was 91. He became famous

in the 1950s for his books called, Play The Guitar In A Day. The books,

were popular with the likes of John Lennon and Pete Townshend and are

still in print today! Lizo Mzimba looks back at the life of the man

who taught the world to play the electric guitar. Good evening

ladies and gentlemen. I want to play you a tune that is 1,000 years

old. His name might well be instantly recognisable but he is

regarded as many as one of music's most influential figures. The list

of those whose early grounding in the guitar reads like a Who's Who

of music. It Brian May, Pete Townshend, this lesson was not

learned from him. Even Eric Clapton said he did not know any player who

had not learned from these books. The book first came out in 1957 and

sold millions and is still published today. It made the claim

that people could learn to play the guitar in a day. I just do not know

what it is about the guitar but to my mind it is the loveliest

instrument of all. The violin is great, the hop is great, the cello

is great and I love all those instruments but the guitar is

number one with me. The DJ Mike Read had and regular spot dedicated

to him on his Radio 1 show and he says it is hard to overestimate his

importance. He marched on through their it generations inspiring

generation after generation to play. His name came out again and again

and even children today know him. He inspired so many people. He is a

fantastic man. He will be remembered as someone who helped so

many begin a lifelong relationship with the guitar. From professionals

at the top of the industry to the thousands to his book are taught

how to he simply play for pleasure. Lizo Mzimba on Bert Weedon who has

died at the age of 91. That tends the addition of the programme but

from me and the team, goodbye and from me and the team, goodbye and

enjoy your weekend. It is a different day but the story

remains the same. April showers are set to continue across the country.

Some of those showers are heavy and slow moving. It is a similar story

on Saturday and Sunday. There is still an area of low pressure

drifting off into the North Sea with weather fronts spiralling

around the low. On Saturday we may start of dry and Keat mist and fog

across central and southern areas but showers are developing and they

will be widespread in the middle of the afternoon. They will be

particularly in northern England, in Lincolnshire and East Anglia. If

you get caught in one of the showers, the temperatures will drop

away quite suddenly. The further west you come, maybe those showers

will be fairly isolated away from the area of low pressure so much of

Cornwall and Devon, you will see a few showers but they will be

isolated. The same in west Wales. In Northern Ireland a few showers

drifting on to the north coast with brighter skies. Some of the showers

in central and southern areas of Scotland will be pretty heavy and