:00:12. > :00:19.Tributes to Vaclav Havel, the man who led the revolution against
:00:19. > :00:23.communism in Czechoslovakia. Following his death, aged 75, David
:00:23. > :00:28.Cameron says Europe owes him a profound debt.
:00:28. > :00:34.The biggest reforms of the banking system in a generation get the
:00:34. > :00:42.Government's seal of approval. The US completes its pull out from
:00:42. > :00:46.Iraq as the last convoy of troops leaves.
:00:46. > :00:56.And Manchester United back on top of the Premier League with a win at
:00:56. > :01:04.
:01:04. > :01:10.Good afternoon. Vaclav Havel, a leading figure in the fall of
:01:10. > :01:13.communism, has died. A playwright and dissident, he led
:01:13. > :01:17.Czechoslovakia's so-called Velvet Revolution of 1989, becoming the
:01:17. > :01:21.country's first post-communist President, overseeing its
:01:21. > :01:25.transition to democracy and freedom. David Cameron said Europe owed him
:01:25. > :01:35.a profound debt. Our World Affairs Editor, John Simpson, looks at his
:01:35. > :01:36.
:01:36. > :01:40.life and achievements. Vaclav Havel didn't like pomp and
:01:40. > :01:44.ceremony. He didn't even like wearing a suit. But he was head and
:01:44. > :01:50.shoulders above most political leaders in terms of intellect. He
:01:50. > :01:56.was small, jolly and mildly subversive. He always seemed amazed
:01:56. > :02:02.by the company he kept as President. The revolution in Czechoslovakia in
:02:02. > :02:06.November, 1989, would have happened without him communism simply
:02:06. > :02:10.collapsed under the vast weight of public disapproval. What Havel
:02:10. > :02:17.brought to it was a powerful moral force, everything from now on would
:02:17. > :02:21.have to be done according to the law. He was elected President, a
:02:21. > :02:28.political prisoner Hawicked into power with scarcely a pause along
:02:28. > :02:36.the way, he said afterwards. At his inauguration in Prague Cathedral,
:02:36. > :02:40.he said he never felt so absurd. During the Prague spring of 1967-
:02:40. > :02:47.68 when liberal communists were allowed far greater freedom, Havel
:02:47. > :02:52.first became known internationally. The BBC's Joankm bakewell went to
:02:52. > :02:59.interview him. The inspiration came of course from my experience in our
:02:59. > :03:04.country -- Joan Bakewell. Soviet tanks smashed the Prague
:03:04. > :03:08.spring, hoff halve oof's work was banned and he was jailed -- Havel.
:03:08. > :03:11.The secret police were harassing him when I went to see him in 1983.
:03:11. > :03:16.He was led off by them and it was impossible to think he'd be
:03:16. > :03:22.President in six years. It wasn't always to be a happy time.
:03:22. > :03:27.Under him, the Czechs and Slovaks split and he became President of
:03:27. > :03:32.the Czech Republic only. He was far more important as a
:03:32. > :03:42.dissident than a President and we often forget that plays are very
:03:42. > :03:43.
:03:43. > :03:47.often subversive. Kolskaya -- great man, a mayor torious man,
:03:47. > :03:51.we'll all miss him. May he rest in peace.
:03:51. > :03:56.People in Prague have already begun showing their feelings for him.
:03:56. > :04:03.Czechs had a real affection for their witty, unassuming and
:04:03. > :04:06.courageous President. Plans to shake-up the City of
:04:06. > :04:08.London and bring about the biggest reform of Britain's banks in a
:04:08. > :04:12.generation have been accepted by the Government. The Business
:04:12. > :04:17.Secretary, Vince Cable, has confirmed new regulations requiring
:04:17. > :04:21.British banks to separate their risky investment operations from
:04:21. > :04:25.their retail divisions will go ahead. Here is our business
:04:25. > :04:29.correspondent, Joe Lynam. The Independent Commission on
:04:29. > :04:33.Banking was set up to prevent a repeat of these scenes three years
:04:33. > :04:36.ago, a financial crisis which drove the world into recession. Ahead of
:04:36. > :04:40.the Government's official response tomorrow, the Business Secretary
:04:40. > :04:44.said there would be no backslideing on reform. Our big banks were at
:04:44. > :04:47.the very centre of the financial crisis, what the European calls
:04:47. > :04:53.Anglo-Saxon financial capitalism. It needs reform. That's why
:04:53. > :04:57.tomorrow the Government is going to launch this initiative on the banks,
:04:57. > :04:59.accepting in full the Vickers Commission. Last September's report
:04:59. > :05:04.recommended far more competition between banks on the high street
:05:04. > :05:07.and account holders should be able to switch banks easier as well. The
:05:07. > :05:11.most controversial change is the partial separation or ringfencing
:05:11. > :05:16.of ordinary banking from riskier investment banking. Labour says the
:05:16. > :05:18.reforms may not go far enough. have said that the potential
:05:19. > :05:23.referral to the Competition Commission should be considered in
:05:23. > :05:26.2013, bringing that forward from the 2015 date that's been suggested
:05:26. > :05:31.by the commission. Competition is one of the main protection meck
:05:31. > :05:35.schisms we have to ensure that the potential extra costs imposed on
:05:35. > :05:40.the banks by the recommendations are not passed on to borrowers --
:05:40. > :05:46.mechanisms. The banks got plenty of support from London's Mayor today.
:05:46. > :05:51.The glistening temples you can see behind you in Canary Wharf, they
:05:51. > :05:54.produce �53 billion quid's worth of tax. What do you want to see on the
:05:54. > :05:58.banking regulation? Don't kill the goos. A lot of people here have
:05:58. > :06:02.spent a lot of time and money over summer trying to water down the
:06:02. > :06:06.impact of the Vickers Report and they have succeeded in delaying at
:06:06. > :06:09.least the impoliticianation until 2019, but make no mistake,
:06:09. > :06:13.wholesale and fundamental change to the way banks are set up and
:06:13. > :06:17.structured is on its way. That change will be painful to everyone
:06:17. > :06:22.in Britain, including the banks, but will hopefully consign these
:06:22. > :06:25.scenes to documentarys and the history books.
:06:25. > :06:29.Nearly nine years since the invasion which toppled Saddam
:06:29. > :06:33.Hussein, the last US troops to leave Iraq arrived in neighbouring
:06:33. > :06:38.Kuwait early this morning. It brings to an end a campaign in
:06:38. > :06:43.which nearly 4,500 US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis died.
:06:43. > :06:47.Our Middle East correspondent Jim Muir sent this report from Baghdad.
:06:47. > :06:51.They rolled down through southern Iraq in the night. The last few
:06:51. > :06:55.hundred American troops making their way home over land through
:06:55. > :06:59.Kuwait. Even now on their way out, they couldn't be sure they wouldn't
:06:59. > :07:05.be attacked. So as they arrived at the border, the main feeling was
:07:05. > :07:11.one of sheer relief. Feeling good. I'm happy! Oh, yeah, baby, woo!
:07:11. > :07:15.This was the very end of a campaign that once saw 170,000 American
:07:15. > :07:19.troops spread all over Iraq. After crossing the border into Kuwait,
:07:19. > :07:26.they were taken to a big US military base named Camp Virginia,
:07:26. > :07:30.just starting to come to terms with the fact that it really is all over.
:07:30. > :07:36.These troops are reposturing from Iraq, signifying the end of
:07:36. > :07:41.Operation New Dawn and the beginning of the next step in the
:07:41. > :07:45.future for the country of Iraq. In fact, even as the last soldiers
:07:45. > :07:49.crossed the border, the Government back in Baghdad was plunging deep
:07:49. > :07:55.into crisis. The political block representing
:07:55. > :08:01.most of the Sunnis pulled out of Parliament. The key challenge is to
:08:01. > :08:06.maintain the political consensus that created the new Iraq, the new
:08:06. > :08:11.regime after 2003. Especially the relations between the three key
:08:11. > :08:15.communities that have built this. Back at camp Virginia, Iraqi
:08:15. > :08:18.political crises and all the bombs and bullets are now a thing of the
:08:18. > :08:24.past. For most of them, it's back to
:08:24. > :08:28.America with any luck in time for Christmas with the family.
:08:28. > :08:31.really truly were the last soldiers in Iraq so it's pretty awesome.
:08:31. > :08:39.Iraq, a new chapter is already beginning, but for the Americans,
:08:39. > :08:43.the military adventure in Iraq is over.
:08:43. > :08:49.The death toll from floods caused by a tropical storm in the
:08:49. > :08:55.Philippines has risen to over 650. Coastal communities on the island
:08:55. > :08:59.of Mindanao has been devastated. As the floodwaters recede, the full
:09:00. > :09:04.extent of the damage is becoming clear. Some of the more fortunate
:09:04. > :09:08.survivors began returning to what was left of their homes, searching
:09:08. > :09:12.through whatever mud covered belongings could be saved.
:09:12. > :09:16.We'll start from scratch, this man says, we thought we were going to
:09:16. > :09:21.die. Look, this is how we escaped. The corner of that roof. That's how
:09:21. > :09:25.we got out of the house. In other places, entire villages have been
:09:25. > :09:29.washed away. The Government's mounted a massive rescue and clear-
:09:29. > :09:32.up operation, involving some 20,000 members of the Armed Forces, rescue
:09:32. > :09:37.workers scouring the coastline looking for people who may have
:09:37. > :09:42.been swept out to sea and survived. We sent all the available Armed
:09:42. > :09:45.Forces to help. In fact, we charted helicopters yesterday. That's why
:09:45. > :09:49.we have three helicopters here assisting us. But hundreds of
:09:49. > :09:54.people are still missing. One official said he suspected that in
:09:54. > :09:58.some cases, entire families had been swept away. Bodies are
:09:58. > :10:01.beginning to pile up in the morgues uncollected, increasing the risk of
:10:01. > :10:05.waterborne diseases spreading through the affected areas.
:10:05. > :10:09.Tropical storm Washi has now passed over Mindanao island, but leaves
:10:09. > :10:13.behind it tens of thousands of people dependent on the Government
:10:13. > :10:21.or aid agencies for food and shelter and struggling to rebuild
:10:21. > :10:24.their lives. In a third day of violence, protesters have clashed
:10:24. > :10:27.with Security Forces in Egypt. The skirmishes focused on the
:10:27. > :10:33.Parliament building in Cairo. At least ten people have been killed
:10:33. > :10:39.in the unrest. Activists claim most killed were shot by military police.
:10:39. > :10:41.A man in his 30s has fallen 500 feet to his death whilst walking in
:10:41. > :10:45.Snowdonia. The incident happened yesterday afternoon when he joined
:10:45. > :10:50.two other climbers as they headed down from the summit. It's believed
:10:50. > :10:54.the group mistook a snowy ridge for solid ground when it gave way and
:10:54. > :10:57.the man was swept away by an avalanche.
:10:57. > :11:02.Prince Harry has helped police with an investigation after hearing a
:11:02. > :11:05.friend being mugged while he spoke to him on his mobile phone in South
:11:05. > :11:09.London. The prince searched for Thomas van Straubenzee in Battersea
:11:09. > :11:12.after hearing the alleged robbery on 30th November. He found his
:11:12. > :11:16.friend at the local police station where he was giving a statement. A
:11:16. > :11:21.man has been arrested in connection with the incident.
:11:21. > :11:27.Dozens of people are missing, feared drowned, after an oil rig
:11:27. > :11:32.sank in the Russian Far East. It was being toed 125 miles off
:11:32. > :11:37.Sakhalin Island when it capsized. 14 people have been rescued. Daniel
:11:37. > :11:41.Sandford is in Moscow for us. What can you tell us? There were 67
:11:41. > :11:46.people on board the rig, being towed in atrocious weather. There
:11:46. > :11:49.was force seven gales blowing, the waves reaching six metres, it was
:11:49. > :11:53.minus 17 and perhaps most importantly of all, the sea
:11:53. > :11:56.temperature was just one degree above zero. It seems like one of
:11:56. > :12:02.the huge waves broke through the port holes of the dining room on
:12:02. > :12:06.the rig and started to fill up with water and imbalance and tip over.
:12:06. > :12:11.Within 20 minutes it sank, throwing most of the people into the water
:12:11. > :12:15.or sinking with them inside. There were people waiting for helicopters
:12:15. > :12:19.to evacuate them when the rig sank and only 14 people have been
:12:19. > :12:24.rescued so far. Four bodies have been found floating in the water,
:12:24. > :12:28.but the other 49 people, the worst is feared for them really because
:12:28. > :12:33.surviving in sea temperatures of just above zero is almost
:12:33. > :12:37.impossible and the rescue was abandoned overnight. When it starts
:12:37. > :12:43.before dawn, it will probably be a search for bodies, rather than for
:12:43. > :12:46.anyone who survived. Let's get a look at the day's sport
:12:46. > :12:49.now with Sally. Thank you very much. The fight to
:12:49. > :12:52.be league leaders took another interesting turn at lunch time as
:12:52. > :12:58.Manchester United returned to the top of the table after an easy 2-0
:12:58. > :13:02.win over QPR at Loftus Road. Wayne Rooney scored the opener after just
:13:02. > :13:06.52 seconds. Andy Swiss reports. When you are up against the
:13:06. > :13:10.champions, what you really need is a calm nerve settling start. Not
:13:10. > :13:18.this. Queens Park Rangers had never beaten Manchester United in the
:13:18. > :13:23.Premier League and their hopes today lasted precisely 52 seconds.
:13:23. > :13:27.Wayne Rooney getting United off to the ultimate flying start. The only
:13:27. > :13:33.question now seemed how many. Johnny Evans denied by the cross
:13:33. > :13:38.bar, Phil Jones by the keeper. QPR were scrambling to stay in it and
:13:38. > :13:42.at the other end, heling son briefly threatened to equalise.
:13:42. > :13:47.After the break, this, from inside his own half, Carrick picked up the
:13:47. > :13:51.ball and never looked back. A direct approach and equally direct
:13:51. > :13:57.finish -- Helguson. It was his first goal for almost
:13:57. > :14:02.two years and United might have had more. Jones gave the QPR woodwork a
:14:02. > :14:07.further examination, but for his team and manager, a very satisfying
:14:07. > :14:11.afternoon's work. Manchester City are playing Arsenal
:14:11. > :14:15.at the moment and have the chance to return to the top of the Premier
:14:15. > :14:22.League with just a draw. There have been a number of chances, including
:14:22. > :14:26.this one but it's currently goalless into the second half.
:14:26. > :14:31.Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 to go up to sixth, Spurs beat
:14:31. > :14:34.Sunderland 1-0. There was only one game in the SPL, Celtic were away
:14:35. > :14:39.to St Johnston and beat them 2-0, both goals coming in the second
:14:39. > :14:43.half, taking them within four points of the leaders Rangers. Yet
:14:43. > :14:48.more success for British golfers as Ian Poulter clinched the Australian
:14:48. > :14:54.Masters and Lee Westwood will end the year on a high, replacing Rory
:14:54. > :15:01.McIlroy as world number two after victory in the Thailand Open
:15:01. > :15:04.finished seven shots clear. Carl Froch is devastated after losing
:15:04. > :15:08.his WBC Super Middleweight title to Andre Ward this morning. He spent
:15:08. > :15:13.two years getting to the final of the Super Six tournament but was on
:15:13. > :15:19.the back foot from the off. His opponent took the fight on the
:15:19. > :15:29.unanimous points decision. Ward, the current WBA champion, has now