02/10/2013 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me, Philippa Thomas. Our top story -

Dietro Front - that's U-turn in And it's left former Prime Minister

bruised as his party drops its challenge to Italy's coalition

government. President Obama summons congressional leaders to the White

House - but can they agree a deal to end America's government shutdown?

Greenpeace activists were arrested at gunpoint by Russian security

And why scientists now believe Mars eruptions that may have shaped the

Hello and welcome. Silvio Berlusconi likes to be the king-maker, if not

ministers from his own centre-right party - refused to walk out. The

votes are still going on, but it's already clear who is the biggest

the Senate to get his government a Let's get more from the BBC's Alan

the Senate to get his government a chance to implement the economic

reforms in this country desperately continuity and stability. As he

spoke, he knew there was trouble in Silvio Berlusconi's camp. Many were

prepared to D5 Silvio Berlusconi and side with the government. He also

knew he was in a corner with the real risk of a major split in his

party. He rose to his feet and any dramatic moment capitulated. This

Five Enrico Letta, everything was at stake. He had come to plead with the

Senate to back his government and desperately needs. He had to deliver

the speech of his life. Honourable senators, courage and confidence is

what I asked. I appealed today to the entire parliament, give us your

confidence in order to achieve these objectives. All this time, Silvio

Berlusconi knew the affair was moving against him. Senior figures

in his party where unhappy with moving against him. Senior figures

decision to try to torpedo the government. They were ready to

rebel. As he listened, he decided he had to try to limit the damage.

rebel. As he listened, he decided he he rose it was for a humiliating

government that can produce all structural and institutional reforms

the country needs, we have decided not without trouble, to express

the country needs, we have decided government. He accepted defeat and

meekly agreed to back the coalition he had attempted to destroy. The

government won a huge endorsement. against 70. Zero abstentions, the

Senate approves. The prime minister Certainly one of the toughest days

over. Several weeks ago he was in his long and tumultuous political

over. Several weeks ago he was that has made he is liable to be

humiliated again by being thrown out of Parliament and stripped of his

seat and barred from public office. of Parliament and stripped of his

We may see with than 48 hours a of Parliament and stripped of his

marginalised and less influential. each other and he is all the time

marginalised and less influential. That is his fate but what about

Italy as a whole? There seems to be a vote today for stability when

Italy as a whole? There seems to be could have been massive upheaval?

Certainly when this exploded with his worth the role of his ministers

from the Cabinet at the weekend his worth the role of his ministers

Letta's government was hit below the water line and we might have been

a few days is a very long time in Italian politics and Enrico Letta

has emerged from the tumult very much reinforced. He will continue

but let us not forget, this is the most awkward beast of a government.

It brings together people from the right and left of Italian politics

who have been rivals the entire political career and this is still

not the most stable arrangement political career and this is still

Let's look more at the problems political career and this is still

facing. With me is Bill Emmott, co-writer of the documentary film

Girlfriend In A Coma about Italy's 20-year economic, political and

social decline. He's also a former editor of The Economist. Do you

comebacks than Frank Sinatra. He has got a thick skin. You can never

write him off and particularly when the humiliation like this, and it is

a humiliation, he has a thicker the humiliation like this, and it is

rhinoceros. He will be expelled the humiliation like this, and it is

the Senate? He will be expelled the humiliation like this, and it is

and will go on to house arrest for a year but is still one of Italy's

richest men, so he can try to make a comeback but they are lazy lot to

play for now. The big thing that happened behind the scenes is he was

lot of people who split from him are die-hard Catholics and the church

and he has quite a while to live seems to have deserted him. The

and he has quite a while to live reforms of Enrico Letta? The answer

ideas... It is not popular with reforms of Enrico Letta? The answer

ideas... It is not popular with of incompatibles, and they all think

they can be elected so do not want to be seen as inflicting harm. They

are better than yesterday but not a lot better. You have this situation

where the markets are watching and what happens in the Italian economy

is very important. It is not purely internal. There are always shock

waves across Europe? All across Europe there is at least between the

reforms and fiscal austerity and the things that needs to be done to

reforms and fiscal austerity and the the euro. An event like this keeps

Italian politics together but it is also a temptation. One tactic he

might do is to go against the euro. tinderbox, still very explosive

because Italy is the third biggest economy and the biggest debt or

because Italy is the third biggest it as any bad recession. I do not

think it is the light at the end of the tunnel but it is a better day

for Italian politics than it had looked like being 24 hours ago.

Well, as Italy's Prime minister narrowly misses a crisis, President

Obama is struggling to get out of one. In a few hours' time he will

finally get to sit down to discuss the American government shut down,

with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders at the White

House. Let's put some numbers to this story to understand the scale

All nonessential staff have no work and they're not being paid. That's

more than 700,000 people, who make national, workforce. The costs are

estimated at $300 million per day, although that's manageable for an

economy the size of America's. But the bank Goldman Sachs says that if

the shutdown lasts three weeks, the bank Goldman Sachs says that if

could knock nearly one per cent the bank Goldman Sachs says that if

I am joined now from Washington the bank Goldman Sachs says that if

all eyes on the White House, but the mood music has been so difficult

all eyes on the White House, but the far? Just the fact they are coming

to the White House has something. This is some glimmer of hope in

to the White House has something. very fact that you will have seen

both the House of Representatives than the Senate, and President

Obama, all around a table. We have heard from the house leadership

Obama, all around a table. We have Representatives are putting on

passing any spending is a delay Representatives are putting on

evidence on who the American public is blaming? Americans across the

country are simply fed up of what they see as beckoning between the

beckoning. There is a sense that certain members of the Republican

party are in some ways to blame certain members of the Republican

this. That is actually a sentiment that some in the Republican party

Republicans like Pete King say that his party has been hijacked by tea

party sympathisers and he said other Republicans in the House of

Representatives wants to find a other Republicans in the House of

out of this because they too like the public are fed up of this. It is

not necessarily a case of Republican versus Democrat because you have

divisions within the Republican Many times we've reported on the

now a new political crisis has hit the country. At the centre of events

Michaloliakos, the leader of the far under arrest. He and five MPs have

money-laundering and are linked under arrest. He and five MPs have

the murder of a left wing activist. Pavlos Fyssas was stabbed to death

by a Golden Dawn supporter and the investigation into his death has

prompted extraordinary allegations leadership is the lying that link.

-- been arguing. Here's our special report from Mark Lowen, lifting

-- been arguing. Here's our special Charged with forming an organised

crime gang, three MPs of Golden Charged with forming an organised

led out of court today on bail. Charged with assault and money

laundering, they are unrepentant. Golden Dawn has soared with the

Greek economic collapse, the third Golden Dawn has soared with the

most popular party, but it is in chaos after police worked after

most popular party, but it is in left-wing activist was killed by an

real insight from an ex-supporter. intensely secretive but we had a

real insight from an ex-supporter. stood to attention when the leader

came in. They talked of beating stood to attention when the leader

gay and dark skinned people and stood to attention when the leader

the party leader came to visit me. police fighting protesters. At least

one is identified as a Golden Dawn member. That is why the party got

away with it. He was almost killed a year ago by suspected supporters but

nothing was done. That really was from. When I said Pakistan they

stabbed me. If I was Greek, they would leave me alone. I am terrified

to go outside. I want to go to report. We will brief some of the

Amnesty International has accused committing human rights abuses on a

massive scale when they tried to quell anti-government protests over

the summer. The organisation's investigators say live ammunition

severely beaten and women protesters China says it is continuing to

search for the fishermen missing in the South China Sea after Typhoon

Wutip. At least 30 people have been pulled to safety so far. But 58

others are still listed as missing recovered. Thousands have been

central Vietnam, after the storm hit Giant Hornets have killed 41 people

in central China. These things are five centimetres long and venom

in central China. These things are dissolve flesh. If that wasn't

enough, around 1600 people have dissolve flesh. If that wasn't

badly hurt by them. It's known that Hornets can get more aggressive

badly hurt by them. It's known that this time of year because this is

Now to Russia, where authorities have charged 14 Greenpeace activists

with piracy, over a protest against oil drilling in the Arctic last

month. They were among 30 people arrested, after two protesters from

a Greenpeace ship tried to board an oil platform owned by the Russian

state-controlled firm Gazprom. Daniel Sandford reports from Moscow.

These people are being charged with piracy. It carries a prison sentence

in Russia up to 15 years. Greenpeace described the charges as an outrage

and an assault on the principle described the charges as an outrage

Russian Intel security organisation Sunrise. The raid followed this

protest two weeks ago at an Arctic environment. Russia says that the

titanic supervolcano eruptions. to the country's economic future.

titanic supervolcano eruptions. Scientist tell us that the blasts

would have been thousands of times Scientist tell us that the blasts

volcanoes, powerful enough to alter extinctions. Palab Ghosh reports.

Mars has remnants of thousands of volcanoes including this one, nearly

ultimate past -- blast from the past, sending up sealing hot ash

they blotted out the sun. But rather than destroy the planet, they may

have breathed life into it. More than three .5 billion years ago

have breathed life into it. More might have led to this. Morris with

atmosphere is developed. It could have allowed the planet to have

arrived to happen to conditions have allowed the planet to have

producing the chemical material needed. By studying pictures taken

from orbit, the doctor found these structures which look like craters

but are not. They are gigantic holes in the ground. These are what is

left of the Martian supervolcano is. It is these super volcanoes that

have shaped the planet, so I were they formed? We begin when molten

Gradually the pressure builds up costing the pressure -- surface

Gradually the pressure builds up break up. What is emerging is a

story of a violent beginning from the big question is what happened

next to have led to the dry and Clancy novel. He was perhaps the

most widely read military novelist of time and news came said today --

came through today that he died of time and news came said today --

The Hunt for Red October and Patriot in astonishing numbers. With me

The Hunt for Red October and Patriot military theme. His gift was to

The Hunt for Red October and Patriot these detailed descriptions of the

workings of a Soviet summer arena or together made him such a widely

workings of a Soviet summer arena or and appreciated writer. You walk

into any airports in the world, and appreciated writer. You walk

see those books everywhere. He had a real gift for giving the characters

feel empathy and humanity and at the information. It is much more than

soap operas and page turning. This was a man who had been briefed by

the guys on CIE arts. He had great contacts and that built up on the

years. When military people read those books, with most writers,

years. When military people read is do they make this stuff up. These

are at this guy clearly knows his respect. More and more people would

talk to him about how things worked and that fed back into the books and

gave them a real credibility, not just for the public, but for the

military world. His first break just for the public, but for the

from Ronald Reagan. Yes, his first published book, The Hunt for Red

October, made into a Hollywood film. Ronald Regan got it as a present and

said, I am loving this book. He Ronald Regan got it as a present and

some nice things about him. That helped propel the then, we are

talking about a Cold War book. President involved in the end of the

Cold War. It seemed like nothing could stop him. He kept churning out

these Jack Ryan books, they are thick books and written at a good

pace. They have been made into several Hollywood movies now. Alec

Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, characters and his books. This

character has got such longevity and played by talented actors. It is an

usual to catch the imagination like The United Nations Security Council

has called on all parties in the humanitarian buzzes in the fighting

convoys. Meanwhile, the team charged with getting rid of Syria's chemical

Damascus. The disarmament experts are given until the end -- the

an Emmy at the news and documentary middle of next year to complete

They arrive like the walking dead. Uprising, reporters Ian Pannell

They arrive like the walking dead. We do not know what was in the bomb

but the injuries and deeply suggest something like napalm. This man

but the injuries and deeply suggest known at the cannibal rebel, that is

not a far-fetched propaganda claim. This was a depraved act. Are you

sorry that you did it? I did not want to do this. I had to. We have

to terrify the enemy, humiliate want to do this. I had to. We have

just as they do to us. High on a cliff face in a beautiful valley,

two small children lead the way cliff face in a beautiful valley,

their newborn. They were forced cliff face in a beautiful valley,

run away from their village when it was attacked by government forces.

-- their new home. This is where A prize-winning team there were

-- their new home. This is where extraordinary pictures and stories

from inside Syria. I mean news: extraordinary pictures and stories

Italian prime minister has won a confidence vote he needed in the

Senate in Rome to hold together Italy's coalition government. This

Berlusconi. You can say hemp there. -- say hemp. Opinion polls suggest

that the patching together of old amongst Italian photos. Thank you

very much for being with us here on World News Today. From me and the