:00:22. > :00:29.Vaclav Havel has died. President Obama leads the tributes saying he
:00:29. > :00:33.shook the houn locations of the Soviet empire. The US completes its
:00:33. > :00:38.pull out from Iraq as the last convoy of troops leaves. The
:00:38. > :00:44.biggest reforms of the banking system in a generation get the
:00:44. > :00:49.Government's seal of approval. will make you well happy. God
:00:49. > :00:59.really really bless you. Christmas as you have never heard
:00:59. > :01:10.
:01:10. > :01:15.it before from the Jamaican patois Good evening. Vaclav Havel a
:01:15. > :01:18.leading figure in the fall of Communism has died. He led the
:01:18. > :01:23.Velvet Revolution in which the Government was overthrown without
:01:23. > :01:26.bloodshed. A ply right, and activist he became the country's
:01:26. > :01:30.first Postcommist President overseeing the transition to
:01:30. > :01:33.democracy and freedom. President Obama said his actions had shaken
:01:33. > :01:37.the foundations of the society yet empire. David Cameron said that
:01:37. > :01:44.Europe owed him a profound debt. Our world affairs editor looks back
:01:44. > :01:50.at his life. Tonight in Prague, there is a real feeling of loss.
:01:50. > :01:55.The man who led the country out of dictatorship, and made it a western
:01:55. > :01:59.democracy again was the most popular Czech politician of modern
:01:59. > :02:04.times. There was nothing grand about him. He felt out of place
:02:04. > :02:07.with all the pomp and ceremony. He didn't even like wearing a suit. In
:02:07. > :02:15.terms of intellect, he was way ahead of most other political
:02:15. > :02:19.leaders. The revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989 would have
:02:19. > :02:25.happened without him, Communism simply collapsed under the vast
:02:25. > :02:29.weight of public disapproval. What he brought to it was a powerful
:02:29. > :02:34.moral force, everything from now on would have to be done according to
:02:34. > :02:43.the law. Gnawing rated as President, a political prisoner hoiked into
:02:43. > :02:47.power with scarcely a pause, he felt, he said absurd. In the 1968
:02:47. > :02:52.Prague Spring, Alexander Dubcek, the Communist leader allowed far
:02:52. > :02:57.greater freedom, Vaclav Havel's work became known internationally.
:02:57. > :03:06.The The BBC's Joan Bakewell went to interview him. The inspiration came
:03:06. > :03:10.of course from my experience in our country. But Soviet tanks smashed
:03:10. > :03:15.the Prague Spring. His work was banned and he was jailed. When I
:03:15. > :03:21.went to see him in 1983 the secret police were harassing him
:03:21. > :03:26.constantly. Yet again, he was arrested. No-one imagined that six
:03:26. > :03:31.years later he would be President. But it wasn't always to be a happy
:03:31. > :03:36.time. Under his presidency, the Czechs and Slovaks split and he
:03:36. > :03:43.became President of the Czech Republic only. He was more
:03:43. > :03:48.important as a is a dista than a President. Playing are frequently
:03:48. > :03:55.subversive. Somewhere under the surface was steel. It was no
:03:55. > :04:00.accident that he was not only a world famous writer, but also
:04:00. > :04:04.became the acknowledged leader of the charter 77 movement and then of
:04:04. > :04:08.the revolution. Lech Walesa, who did in Poland what Vaclav Havel did
:04:08. > :04:15.in Czechoslovakia called him a great man. May he rest in peace he
:04:15. > :04:21.said. Vaclav Havel was tough and courageous, but people loved him
:04:21. > :04:25.because he didn't take himself too seriously. John Simpson is with me
:04:25. > :04:30.now. You have interviewed him several time, he didn't take
:04:30. > :04:35.himself too seriously. What was he like? He was a delight to be with.
:04:35. > :04:41.He was ironic, he was witty, gave you insights into what he was doing,
:04:41. > :04:46.and what he felt about things, after all those dreadful stodgy
:04:46. > :04:52.corrupt frightening years of pro Soviet rule under Communism he was
:04:52. > :04:56.a breath of fresh air. When he got to the Palace, the Presidential
:04:56. > :05:01.palace full of immensely long corridors he got himself a pair of
:05:01. > :05:06.roller skates and used to go along. When the word went wrong round,
:05:06. > :05:11.people loved it. It was just a sense that everything, a page had
:05:11. > :05:16.been turned. A new book all together. And speaking of book, I
:05:16. > :05:21.think one of the only things in any way good about the fact he is dead
:05:21. > :05:25.is that we might now think about his work again, and his plays and
:05:25. > :05:32.writings. They have been overshadowed over the year, by the
:05:33. > :05:37.man himself. Thank you. Nearly nine years the invasion which toppled
:05:37. > :05:47.Saddam Hussein the last US troops arrived in Kuwait this morning. It
:05:47. > :05:48.
:05:48. > :05:52.brings to an end a campaign in which nearly 4,500 US troops died.
:05:52. > :05:56.They rolled down through southern Iraq in the night. The last few
:05:56. > :06:00.hundred American troops, making their way home over land through
:06:00. > :06:04.Kuwait. Even now on their way out, they couldn't be sure they wouldn't
:06:04. > :06:12.be attacked. So as they arrived at the border the main feeling was one
:06:12. > :06:17.of sheer relief. Feeling good. I'm happy. Oh yeah. This was the very
:06:17. > :06:21.end of a campaign that once saw 170,000 American troops spread all
:06:21. > :06:24.over Iraq. After crossing the border into Kuwait, they were taken
:06:24. > :06:32.to a big US military base, named Camp Virginia, just starting to
:06:32. > :06:38.come to terms with the fact that it really is all over. These troops
:06:38. > :06:44.are coming from Iraq, it signifys the end of Operation New Dawn and
:06:44. > :06:48.the beginning of the next step in the future for the country of Iraq.
:06:48. > :06:53.In fact, even as the last soldiers were crossing the border the
:06:53. > :06:57.Government back in Baghdad was plunging deep into crisis. The
:06:57. > :07:04.political bloc representing the Sunnis pulled out of Parliament.
:07:04. > :07:09.The key challenge is to maintain the political consensus, that
:07:09. > :07:14.created the new Iraq, the new regime after 2003. Especially the
:07:14. > :07:19.relations between the three key communities, that have built this.
:07:19. > :07:23.But back at camp Virginia, Iraqi political crisis and the bombs and
:07:23. > :07:27.bullets are a thing of the past. For most of them, it is back to
:07:27. > :07:32.America, with any luck, in time for Christmas with the family.
:07:32. > :07:37.really truly were the last soldiers in Iraq, so it is pretty awesome.
:07:37. > :07:45.For Iraq, a new chapter is already beginning. But for the Americans,
:07:45. > :07:49.the military adventure in Iraq is over. In the third day of violence
:07:49. > :07:52.protestors have clashed with security forces in Egypt. Today's
:07:52. > :07:56.skirmishes focused on the Parliament in Cairo, at least ten
:07:56. > :08:01.people have been killed during tonne rest. Activists claim most of
:08:01. > :08:04.those killed were shot by military police. Plans to shake-up the city
:08:04. > :08:09.of London and bring about the biggest reform of Britain's banks
:08:09. > :08:14.in a generation have been accepted by the Government. The Business
:08:14. > :08:17.Secretary has confirmed new regulations that make British bank
:08:17. > :08:23.separate riskier operation from their high street branches will go
:08:23. > :08:27.ahead. The Independent Commission on Banking chaired by Sir John
:08:27. > :08:30.Vickers was set up to prevent a repeat of these scenes three years
:08:30. > :08:33.ago. A financial crisis which drove Britain and the world into
:08:33. > :08:37.recession. And ahead of the Government's official response
:08:37. > :08:42.tomorrow, the Business Secretary said there would be no backslideing
:08:42. > :08:47.on reform. Our big banks were at the centre of the financial crisis,
:08:47. > :08:52.what the Europeans call Anglo-Saxon financial capitalism. That is why
:08:52. > :08:55.tomorrow, the Government is going to launch this initiative on the
:08:55. > :08:58.banks, accepting in full the Vickers commission. Last
:08:58. > :09:03.September's report recommended far more competition between banks on
:09:03. > :09:07.the high street and switching bank accounts should be easier as well.
:09:07. > :09:10.The most controversial change is the partial separation or
:09:10. > :09:15.ringfencing of ordinary banking from riskier investment banking but
:09:15. > :09:19.Labour says the reforms may not go far enough. Overall, welcome, but
:09:19. > :09:23.very important it is implemented in full. We need to make sure it is
:09:23. > :09:27.sno not watered-down. That is one of the reasons we have said the
:09:27. > :09:31.Chancellor should ask Sir John Vickers to come back and report on
:09:31. > :09:35.progress of impletion plemtaition. The banks aren't talk bug they got
:09:35. > :09:41.plenty of support from the mayor of London today All those great
:09:41. > :09:44.glistening towers of Mammon I can see behind you, they produce 53
:09:44. > :09:48.billion quids worth of tax. What do you need to see tomorrow? Don't
:09:48. > :09:51.kill the goose. A lot of the people in the banks here in the city of
:09:51. > :09:54.London have spent a lot of time and money over the summer trying to
:09:54. > :10:01.water down the impact of the Vicer's report and they have
:10:01. > :10:04.succeeded in delaying at least the implementation until 2019. But make
:10:04. > :10:08.no mistake wholesale change to the way banks are set up and structured
:10:08. > :10:12.is on its way. That change will be painful for the banks and some of
:10:12. > :10:18.their customers. But will hopefully consign these scenes to
:10:18. > :10:22.documentarys and the history books. The Conservative MP Aidan burly has
:10:22. > :10:26.been sacked as a ministerial aide. It comes after he was pictured
:10:26. > :10:30.attending a stag party in France where the groom dressed as a Nazi.
:10:30. > :10:34.Mr Burly has been placed under investigation by David Cameron, he
:10:35. > :10:39.is already expressing edeep regret for the inappropriate actions of
:10:39. > :10:42.some guests. A man in his 30s has fallen 500 feet to his death while
:10:42. > :10:46.walking in Snowdonia. The incident happened yesterday when he joined
:10:46. > :10:51.two other climbers as they headed down from the summit of Y Garn. It
:10:51. > :10:57.is believed the group mistook a snowy ridge for solid ground. When
:10:57. > :11:02.it gave way the man was swept away. The death toll from floods caused
:11:02. > :11:06.by a tropical storm in the Philippines has risen o more than
:11:06. > :11:13.650. Coastal communities on the island of Mindanao have been
:11:13. > :11:18.devastated. More than 800 people are missing. As the floodwaters
:11:18. > :11:21.recede the full extent of damage is becoming clear. Some of the more
:11:21. > :11:26.fortunate survives began returning to what was left of their homes.
:11:26. > :11:29.Searching through whatever mud covered belongings could be saved.
:11:29. > :11:34.We will start from scratch this man say, we thought we were going the
:11:34. > :11:39.die. Look, this is how we escaped. The corner of that roof, that is
:11:39. > :11:42.how we got out of the house. In other places entire villages have
:11:42. > :11:47.been washed away. The Government has mounted a massive rescue and
:11:47. > :11:49.clear up operation, involving some 20,000 members of the armed forces.
:11:49. > :11:54.Rescue workers scouring the coastline, looking for people who
:11:54. > :11:58.may have been swept out to sea and survived. We sent all of the
:11:58. > :12:02.available armed forces to help, in fact we even chartered helicopters
:12:02. > :12:06.yesterday. That is why we have three helicopters here assisting us.
:12:06. > :12:10.But hundreds of people are still missing. One official said he
:12:10. > :12:16.suspected that in some cases entire families had been swept away.
:12:16. > :12:21.Bodies are beginning to pile up in the morgues uncorrect collected.
:12:21. > :12:25.Increasing the risk of waterborne diseases spreading. Tropical storm
:12:25. > :12:28.Washi has passed over the island but it leaves behind tens of
:12:28. > :12:36.thousands of people dependent on the Government or aid agencies for
:12:36. > :12:38.food and shelter and struggling to rebuild their lives. Prince Harry
:12:38. > :12:44.has helped police with an investigation after hearing a
:12:44. > :12:46.friend being mugged while he spoke to him on his mobile phone in south
:12:46. > :12:50.London. The Prince searched for Thomas van Straubenzee in Battersea
:12:50. > :12:53.after hearing the incident on November 30th. He found his friend
:12:53. > :12:58.at the local police station where he was giving a statement. A man
:12:58. > :13:03.has been arrested in connection with the incident. Let us get a
:13:03. > :13:07.look at the storts news now. A tussle for the top of Premier
:13:07. > :13:13.League took centre stage with four matches on offer. Highlights are on
:13:13. > :13:22.match of day 2 now. It is Manchester City who top the table,
:13:22. > :13:26.after they beat inform Arsenal 1-0. Silva with their goal. Manchester
:13:26. > :13:31.United had overtaken city temporarily to sit at the top of
:13:31. > :13:36.the table after their win at QPR. Wayne Rooney scored in the first
:13:36. > :13:42.minute. When you rup against the champion, what you really need is a
:13:42. > :13:49.calm nerve settling start. Not this. As Queen's Park Rangers hopes of
:13:49. > :13:55.beating Manchester United lasted just 52 seconds. A flying Wayne
:13:55. > :13:59.Rooney getting United off to a flyer. The only question now seemed
:13:59. > :14:06.how many. Johnny Evans denied by the cross bar, Phil Jones by the
:14:06. > :14:09.keeper. QPR were scrambling to stay in it. Yet at the other end there
:14:09. > :14:13.might have been an unlikely equaliserment after the break
:14:13. > :14:20.Michael Carrick picked up the ball and never looked back. A direct
:14:20. > :14:24.approach, and an equally direct finish. It was his first goal for
:14:24. > :14:30.almost two years. And United might have had more. Jones this time,
:14:30. > :14:36.testing the woodwork. Still, it was a win which briefly took United top.
:14:36. > :14:40.While City later leapfrogged them Sir Alex has them firmly in his
:14:41. > :14:45.sights. Elsewhere Liverpool are up to sixth after a 2-0 win at Aston
:14:45. > :14:49.Villa. Pavlyuchenko came off the bench to score Spurs winner against
:14:49. > :14:55.Sunderland. That result lifts Harry Redknapp's side up to third in the
:14:55. > :15:00.table. There is only one game in the SPL. Celtic were away at St
:15:00. > :15:04.Johnstone and beat them 2-0. That takes them within four points of
:15:04. > :15:09.the leaders Rangers. British golfers continue to dominate the
:15:09. > :15:12.world game, with two more titles. Ian Poulter clinched the Australian
:15:12. > :15:16.Masters and Lee Westwood will end the year on a high. He replaced
:15:16. > :15:19.Rory McIlroy as world number two, after victory at the Thailand
:15:19. > :15:27.Championship. He finished seven shots clear of the rest of the
:15:27. > :15:31.field. Carl Froch says he is devastated after losing his Super
:15:31. > :15:35.Middleweight title to Andre Ward. The Nottingham fighter spent two
:15:36. > :15:41.years getting to the final of the Super Six Tournament but was on the
:15:41. > :15:48.back foot from the off. His opponent took the fight on a points
:15:48. > :15:52.decision. Ward has now unified the two world titles. And finally there
:15:52. > :15:58.were wins for Harlequin, Northampton and Munster in the
:15:58. > :16:03.Heineken Cup games. Thank you. The Christian message of Christmas is
:16:03. > :16:07.being spread in a new way this year. In Jamaica the Bible is being
:16:07. > :16:11.published in patois for the first time. But the rewriting of the good
:16:11. > :16:21.book is proving controversial as our religious affairs correspondent
:16:21. > :16:23.
:16:23. > :16:27.reports. At the same time that John, Zachariah get a message from God.
:16:27. > :16:30.The gospel of St Luke as you have never heard it before. They are
:16:30. > :16:40.hearing the Christmas Story in the language of the street. The patois
:16:40. > :16:41.
:16:41. > :16:45.they say is their mother tongue. The translators say the new Bible
:16:45. > :16:50.demonstrates the power of patois, take for example the Bible's
:16:50. > :16:55.account of the Angel Gabriel telling Mary she will give birth to
:16:55. > :17:00.Jesus. In our translation, the Angel goes to Mary and says to her
:17:00. > :17:04.Mary, we have news that will make you well happy. God really really
:17:04. > :17:10.bless you and he will walk with you all the time. You don't have to
:17:10. > :17:17.think about that. It is clear. It is obvious. A few miles away
:17:17. > :17:24.however, the Portmore Holiness Christian Church regards it adds
:17:24. > :17:30.poor substitute for England. There is fierce opposition who regard it
:17:30. > :17:35.as a corrupted form of English. Many traditionalists Christians
:17:35. > :17:38.believe that patois is simply inadequate as a means conveying the
:17:38. > :17:44.complex narratives of the Bible. The church's leader claims patois
:17:44. > :17:47.has to resort to vulgar expressions to get its meaning across. I don't
:17:47. > :17:50.think the patois words can communicate some of what the
:17:50. > :17:55.English words have communicated. Even words that are present in the
:17:55. > :18:00.patois we would want to use, to fully explain what is really meant
:18:00. > :18:05.in the original, are words that are vulgar. African slaves developed
:18:05. > :18:11.pat a wa from English in Jamaica's sugar cane plantations. Linguists
:18:11. > :18:15.insist it is an authentic language. Most children speak little except
:18:15. > :18:22.patois, at schools they are under pressure from the Government to
:18:22. > :18:30.replace it with English. The new Bible supporters face a long fight