13/08/2013 World News Today

A small step in the peace process. Israel prepares to release 26

Palestinian prisoners ahead of direct talks on Wednesday. The move

has angered many in Israel. Demonstrators are gathering outside

the jail from where the prisoners will be freed in the coming hours.

was forced to take these bags in my luggage. The two British women

arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling in Peru, claimed they had

no idea they were carrying cocaine. Also coming up: We meet the couple

who used Facebook to help them adopt a child. We'll discuss the ethics of

And the Vivaldi classic then gets a Middle Eastern makeover. Nigel

Kennedy teams up with the Palestinian Youth Orchestra for the

A very warm welcome to the programme. Israeli authorities are

preparing to release 26 Palestinian prisoners from jail, ahead of direct

peace talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday. The inmates were all

convicted of attacks carried out before 1993. Their release has

angered many in Israel. Well, tonight a small group of

demonstrators have gathered outside the jail from where the prisoners

will be freed. But ahead of the talks, there is angst in the West

Bank and Gaza, too. Palestinian negotiators have accused Israel of

trying to sabotage negotiations by announcing new settlement

construction. Kevin Connolly has more.

Another new dawn in the search for peace between Israel and the

Palestinians. But at this early stage, there isn't much warmth in

the light. The two sides are agreeing to take a few small steps

down a road they have travelled before. The Israelis and the

Palestinians have taken on a dramatic step towards a just,

lasting and comprehensive peace that is going to lift the lives of the

people of the Middle East. The optimism that characterised

earlier stages. Long process has largely disappeared. The talk these

days is more of the danger of breakdown, than the hope of

breakthrough. In the past, key political prisoners

have been released. It is now doing the same thing again, on a much

smaller scale. One of the men released back then - he was charged

withrd reunited with her cub orderering the killing of an Israely

informer - says it is a necessary step to build peace -- he was

charged with the orderering the killing. TRANSLATION: Those who

speak about real peace and coexistence should be ready to pay

the price. I miss him very much. For the

families of Israeli victims, the release re-opens old wounds.

This man's brother was abducted by Palestinians when he was 18, died up

and then stabbed to death. He says his killers should be freed only in

exchange for a peace deal, not just for the start of peace talks.

I think my parents they are - from the outside you can see they are

alive, they are family, grandchildren and children but

inside, the second it happened, they are dead. Don't let them go out.

Don't let them educate another generation of terrorists.

Please, I'm begging for our government - don't let them out.

In disputed territories like Jerusalem, it is easier to see the

problems than the opportunities. The long, grey wall here is Israel's

barrier that separates it from the Palestinians. This week's talks will

establish if the two sides have the will to overcome the issues that

Well, we will be speaking to someone from the Palestinian Legislative

Council in a few moments but let's cross over to other news now. Police

in central Cairo have #2350ird tear gas to end clashes between -- fired

tear gas to end clashes between supporters of the oust ousted

president and residents. Demonstrators back backing Mohamed

Morsi were protesting outside government buildings and tried to

enter them. The two sides began throwing bottles at each other. As

fears grow in Egypt that there might be more bloodshed, the country's

Coptic Christians are dreading further backlash. Since the Muslim

Brotherhood President, Mohamed Morsi was ousted, extremists have targeted

Egypt's Christians holding them partly responsible. Coptic

Christians make up around 10% of the population of Egypt. The Coptic

Church say 103 Christians have been killed since January 20011. Their

churches have been burned and individuals targeteded. Attacks

include this one on Cairo Coptic Or the docks Cathedral in April. Our

correspondent spoke to the distraught parents of a girl killed

last week. She was just ten. This mother's life changed forever

This mother's life changed forever last Tuesday. Her only child,

ten-year-old Jessi was shot dead as she walked home from Church in

Cairo. She says her daughter was just

becoming a young woman and that she'll miss her calling her "mum."

Phoebe and her husband, Egyptian Christians, believe Jessi was

targeted because she was a crustian. -- Christian.

-- Christian. SOBBING

TRANSLATION: Jessi was everything to us. Her killers didn't know that

Jessi was my life, my future. I Jessi was my life, my future. I

lived for her. I'm it willing you in the West that your -- I'm telling

you in the West that your taxes and Government aid go towards the

problems here by funding the Islamist parties. Though Muslims and

Christians stood together in Tahrir Square, radical Islamists have

blamed Egypt's ancient Coptic Christian community for helping to

move Mohamed Morsi from power and Jessi and others are paying the

price. Coptic and other Christians make up 10% of Egypt's population,

over 8 million people but are feeling increasingly vulnerable.

Jessi was one of several Christians killed in the last few months and

churches, homes and other properties have also been targeted. Many

Christians have left already. Who is Isle messages written -- hostile

messages written on the church walls where this church is luckier than

some. Others have been burnt down in places like this. Up until now, we

have every day sectarian problems, burning churches, killing people,

killing just a small child. She was ten years' old. It is not only the

Christians. It is everybody who receives this message of terror from

the Muslim Brotherhood and all the Islamic counterparts. As Jessi's

family and friends mourn her loss, many here hope and pray the current

violence will end soon and that the darkness of sectarian strife will be

lifted. Let's go back to our top story. We

are expecting in the next few hours the release of 26 Palestinian

prisoners from a prison in Israel. This is the scene live now, where

preparations are being made. We can speak to Mustafa Barghouti, a member

of the Palestinian Legislative Council and leader of the

Palestinian National Initiative. He joins us from Ramallah. Thank you

very much for your time. We are talking about the release of 26

prisoners out of 104. Compared to what was happening in the 1990s, the

figures are small. But in your opinion s this the right step

towards starting up those peace towards starting up those peace

talks? It's a very small step and it relates to a very sensitive issue.

Of course, 26 families will be happy today but 4,800 other families will

not be happy because their children and their brothers and fathers are

still in jail and some have been there for more than 25 years. So, it

is a very, very little step in comparison to what should happen.

Let me remind you that these 26 people, out of the 104 that will be

released, should have been released 20 years ago when the Oslo agreement

was signed and they were left in prison and they have lost 20 years

of their life. What about the Israeli families who are very

unhappy, they see these people as criminals, as murders, in some

cases? They speak about people who fell in a fight. But you can also

call so many Israeli generals and soldiers as even worse criminals

because the number of people killed by their hands is even bigger than

this number. But that's not the issue. The issue is if you want to

make peace, you have to close down that chapter and that means the

release of the prisoners but also the release of 4,800 prisoners and

also not to arrest more people. The problem is, that they would release

26 but the total number of people arrested in this month alone is more

than 100. The other problems, of course, are the continuation of

settlement expansion which is undermining the very possibility of

reaching an agreement. We want to see peace and we want the

negotiations that lead to an end of the conflict and not interim and

small deals that lead only to partial agreement. But, are you

willing to overlook those settlements and the comments now

that the tenders have been issued for further settlement buildings?

Are you willing to overlook that in the hope of finding peace? How could

we? Peace and settlements don't meet. The whole world, including

Europe and the United States, is saying that settlements Rhyl legal

and contradictive to international law. -- really illegal. Everybody

knows that with each expansion of settlement, the possibility of a

Palestinian state is being killed and that's the whole option of

two-state solution, going to be awe is as nated by the growth of these

settlements. -- assassinated. It is either peace of settlements.

You cannot combine both. That's why it was a mistake n my opinion, to

start negotiations on this fragile base, without first guaranteeing

that Israel will immediately stop and suspend all settlement

activities. If this Israeli government continues to build

settlements, they will be undermining the very peace process

that everybody was hoping for. I hope the United States and the

international community will immediately exercise pressure on

Israel to stop settlement expansion, if they want to save the peace

process. Otherwise we will see a repetition of what happened in Ywe

River and Camp David and a repetition of what happened in the

negotiations of Oslo, another peace process that fails because of the

Israeli expansionist policy. What about getting Hamas back to the

negotiating table? Ultimately their charter is the destruction of

Israel. With those kind of beliefs, it's very difficult to see how they

can be brought forward to any kind can be brought forward to any kind

of peace solution? A wise approach would be to support Palestinian

effortsed to bring back unity -- efforts, and have a unified

Palestinian leadership and to bring back the democracy that was lost

because of the internal division. We all know and understand that the

best peace that can survive and can be durable is the one between

democracies. Of course, today we have a divided Palestinian camp.

Unfortunately, many countries, including the United States, are

opposing the possibility of unity between Palestinians. I think unity

will help the progress towards peace and not the opposite. There is

already an agreement, which was signed in Cairo more than two years

ago, which says that Palestinians accept two-state solution. All of

them, including Hamas. The issue here is how to have a unified

Palestinian camp that uses democracy as an organiser of its internal

relationships and thus have a unified Palestinian position. I

think this would be conducive to peace. But unfortunately, some

people who want a peace process, want also to keep the Palestinian

internal division, including Israel which keeps saying we should keep

the Palestinians divided so they can stay week. What Israel and the world

needs is a strong Palestinian camp so we can have a strong peace.

Unfortunately peace will not happen as long as Israel continues to build

settlements. I apologise in advance for interrupting you. We are out of

time. We have to leave it there. Thank you very much for sharing your

Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with us. We'll continue to

monitor the release of the monitor the release of the

suspicion of drug smuggling in Peru, say they were forced to carry

cocaine discovered in their luggage. Michaella Connolly from Belfast and

Melissa Reid from Glasgow, were stopped and leave more last Tuesday.

Police say they were carrying drugs worth more than $2 million.

Appearing fairly calm considering their plight, this was Michaella

Connolly and Melissa Reid being questioned on arrest in Lima

airport. What is your name? Michaella Connolly. What is your

nationality? Irish. But the next and is by Miss Reid makes it clear she

is aware how serious the situation is. I was forced to take these bags

in my luggage. You know it contained drugs? No. These are the banks that

police claim were found in the women's luggage. It is alleged they

contain a total of more than 11 kilos of cocaine, with a street

value of �1.5 million. As far as their friends and family were aware,

the peer had been spending the summer working in a beta. They had

not been heard from since the 27th of July. Last Tuesday they were

arrested as they try to check in for a flight from Lima back to Spain.

Peru has become the biggest exporter of cocaine in the world offering

rich pickings for would-be smugglers. As authorities are making

a huge effort to wrest the tide. Even before these arrests there was

concern here about the extent of drugs more going in Peru. There are

currently more than 30 nationals -- British National is in jail there

for that offence. I was found with one kilo of cocaine in my stomach.

This video was made specifically to warn of the potential dangers.

arrested with 1.9 kilos of cocaine. I regret the day I said yes to the

supplier. Today Melissa Reid's father said there was no way has not

would get involved in smuggling drugs. The family -- family of

Michaella Connolly said the work distressed but few she will be

exonerated. The two women will make their first court appearance

tomorrow. The leader of Nigeria's militant

Islamist group Boko Haram denies the killing of 44 people at a mosque on

Sunday. Abubakar sheik who blamed the attacks on Nigeria's security

forces. -- Abubakar Shekhar. Is there limits to how we use social

media? A new trend appears to be emerging in the United States, where

would-be adopters are turning to Facebook to try and find a child.

Jane O'Brien has been to me one couple who used it to make initial

contact with a pregnant woman. Afterwards they drew up a legal

contract with the local adoption agency. We will talk about the

ethics of this in just a moment, but here is the story of how one little

boy was adopted. The two Brads and their son Tyler.

This is Tyler's mother. They met on Facebook. We created an ad that

appeared on the page of friends of friends. Six are sad and we put that

on Facebook, Tyler's mother contacted us. We e-mailed back and

forth and that led to phone calls. That also led to Skype chats with

her. After a few months, she was seven or eight months pregnant at

the time, she decided that this was what she wanted to do and we moved

forward. Once the decision was made, a licensed adoption agency drew up a

legal contract. But social media is changing the way parents of children

connect. We have friends who are in the adoption process as well and

they are doing the exact same things. They have their own website

setup, the Facebook, Twitter, to show the world they are open to

adopting and looking for a family. Technology is also crucial in

helping Tyler forge a relationship with his mother who are several

hundred miles away. Tyler lives and another state, I have been able to

be involved in his life through technology. Tyler does not know any

different. He has been growing at seeing videos of himself, pictures

of himself, the iPhone and the iPad. It kind of is his world right

now. The Brads share almost everything through social media,

even the disappointments. Two mothers change their mind about

releasing their children at the last minute but the Brads online

community help the couple recover. We were in the process where we had

to field adoptions. When we found out the news, the tragedy of both

were they did not end up coming home with us. It was part of healing,

too. It is not for everybody. Others would not do that we, they would be

more private and that is completely fine. We are choosing to be a little

bit more open some people have a better understanding of adoption

son Tyler. With us to talk about the ethics of this is a lean Devon from

the British Association for Adoption thinking of adoption, there is a lot

of things to think about. They get the opportunity to meet with a

social worker to think through what the implications of adoption are

going to be for them and for their child. They are supported through

the pregnancy to the point where the child is born and then they have

continued support in making decisions that point about whether

they are sure adoption is what they want to do. If it is then we would

support them thinking about how much contact me want, how often they want

to hear about the child and later life. I think it is important there

are those systems around four people because adoption as a lifetime a

dish -- commitment to all of those involved. We had the woman is they

are saying that she was actively encouraging the couple to use social

media. Is that not something that could be encouraged? Interestingly

what we are doing in the UK, we are looking at using online websites to

advertise some of the children who we find harder to place for

adoption. So we would profile children who are needing to be

adopted. Often that is an important start. But it is... I suppose the

vetting process four people in Boldon adoption, we would expect to

have through a social worker. So adopters are prepared for all

possible things that might happen along the way, before they are

linked up with particular children. We saw with the two Brads, the twice

had a child... The mother changed their mind. It shows how difficult

the decision is. In the UK, four people who had children and mothers

placing children for adoption, they cannot give consent to that adoption

until six weeks after the child is born. That is a difficult time, a

lot of emotions. People need to think about the long-term

implications as well as the short-term ones. Thank you very much

for coming in to share that. It is prom season here in the UK -

the summer classical music festival at London's Royal Albert Hall. This

year the world-famous violinist Nigel Kennedy has returned with

Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and he is accompanied by a user artist from

the Palestinian territories. Wissam Sayegh of BBC Arabic met the

musicians and Nigel at one of their rehearsals.

This masterpiece is known to millions around the world. But here

it has been given very different musical dialogue between East and

perspective on Western classical music, at the same time as still

having contact with the roots from music of their forefathers which is

so wonderful to hear. I am giving space for some of the kids to play

their own music as well as the classical format, to show what is a

call -- you to call Saul these musical -- classical music festival

in the world. The aim is to give a platform to these news issues from

the Palestinian territories. This is the first time the Palestinian

string orchestra will perform live in front of an audience the size,

not to mention the millions watching at home and online. To participate

in the Proms is an amazing experience. It gives even Palestine

a boost. We are showing people that we are not like what they think we

are. It is an opportunity for us to perform in front of people. It

builds a connection between us and it helps them to see what is

happening in Palestine and what the music is that we play. This

orchestra was formed two years ago. We are bringing something very

positive up from Palestine. We are seeing this as Palestine, these are

young Palestinians. We have something wonderful to share with

you. Nigel Kennedy's unique ambition is opening up new doors for these

musicians and breathing fresh life Great stuff. A reminder of our main

story: Israel is set to release 26 Palestinian prisoners in the coming

hours ahead of direct peace talks. Tomorrow we will continue to monitor

that and all of the day's news. From of us again tonight will get a

chance to catch clips of those shooting stars. An eastern parts of

the UK there will be some clear spells. The clouds are increasing

and in fact some areas will not get any clear whether this night. That

is across western parts of the UK. These areas will be cloudy through

the course of the night and tomorrow that is how it will be as well. The

East will have the best of the weather. In some areas up to 25

degrees. The further west you go, the further south west you go, you

get under that cloud, drips and drafts of rain, some mist around the

coast as well and the hills. Despite that, the temperatures in one or two

sports hovering around 20 degrees. It is a humid air mass that is

heading our way in this direction and it will be here to stay for the

next couple of days or so. There is a big difference between the Western