01/12/2011 GMT with George Alagiah

Britain aims to tighten the screw on Iran. It's calling for more

sanctions from the European Union at a meeting of foreign ministers.

Iran's all-important oil industry could be a target, says Britain's

William Hague - just one of the options being considered. I hope we

will agree today additional measures that will be an

intensification of the economic pressure on Iran. Peaceful,

Welcome to GMT, I'm George Alagiah. Also in the programme:

So far, so good - America rewards Burma for progress, but says it

needs more reform before it's business as usual.

And green is red hot at the Tokyo Motor Show as Japanese

manufacturers unveiled their visions for the future of the car.

It's midday here in London, 3:30 in Tehran, and 1:30 in Brussels.

That's where the British Foreign Secretary William Hague is pushing

for more sanctions against Iran at a meeting of fellow European Union

foreign ministers. The talks come two days after Iranian protesters

stormed the British mission in Iran. Mr Hague, who's since ordered the

expulsion of Iranian diplomats from London, suggested that Iran's

money-spinning oil industry could be targeted, though he acknowledged

that there could be a variety of views on that.

Here is James Reynolds. This morning in Brussels, Britain's

Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived to test Europe's desire for

further steps against Iran. European Union has taken many

measures already but the additional measures, I hope we will agree

today, that will be an intensification of the economic

pressure on Iran. A peaceful, legitimate economic pressure,

particularly to increase the isolation of the Iran financial

sector. The attack, British Embassy is still fresh in every one's mind.

-- the attack, V. There is enormous amount of support for those people

who have had a dreadful experience. This is what British diplomats are

still recovering from. The country's two compounds in Tehran

work stormed by protesters on Tuesday. In response, Britain has

withdrawn its staff and ordered the closure of the Iranian embassy in

London. It wants Europe to act together. Here is what may be

discussed in Brussels. Iran is one of the world's largest oil

exporters and it is how the country get much of its revenue. There is a

suggestion that an oil embargo may be debated.

The EU and Iran do a lot of business, but Iran's key market is

in Asia, China in particular, which means that more European sanctions

can only have a limited impact on Iran.

Let's get some more analysis on the story. We will be like that the

Iranian embassy in London shortly, but first, let's cross to Brussels.

His Tehran going to be concerned that William Hague, up the British

Foreign Secretary, is talking about targeting the oil industry? I think

they are very concerned. I think they should be concerned. Judging

by the muted response from Iran today after the events of the last

24 hours, the closure of the embassies and the expulsion of

Iranian diplomats from London, it is quite clear that either they,

Iranian leaders, they recognise that the attack on the British

Embassy was pretty much a major mistake bad miscalculation -- and

miscalculation and has projected Iran of working outside the norms

of international relations and international law. Here, it has

firmed up the attitudes of the foreign ministers here, who are not

talking, are they don't have any more doubts, if there were any,

about increasing sanctions against Iran. Here, the idea... Can I just

interrupt? When you say there is a sense that there has been a

miscalculation, are you suggesting that within the administration in

Tehran, there is now, if you like it, various factions vying for

status, vying for power? Well, there was always a division about

this issue of relations with Britain and how to handle the

latest sanctions that Britain imposed about 10 days ago. The

Government of President Ahmed dared Jack was against the idea are such

taking -- the Government of the present was against taking such

drastic measures, but the opposition had different ideas.

Let's go back to or oil sanctions, it has been suggested on BBC World

News by our colleague James Reynolds that most of Iran's oil

coast eastwards towards China and Asia, so they wouldn't really have

to be worried about sanctions from Europe -- goes eastwards. Europe

accounts for about 15-20% of Iran's oil exports, and the drying up of

20% of the oil exports, it is not going to impact that much. But

these things have a tendency to be incremental, NSX that today, the

European Union is going to do that, tomorrow other countries might be

under pressure to do the same thing. If, for example, the banking

sanctions are tightened further and many countries are going to censure

and Iran's central bank, bent Iran's -- then Iran's ability to

get its hands on its oil export revenue from countries like China,

South Korea, India, it is going to be difficult. Already, Iran has

trouble getting the money for its oil exports from China. Apparently,

they have signed some kind of barter agreement. They have trouble

getting the money getting back from the Indians, who are channelling

their money through Turkish banks these days. These are serious

problems. A we will leave it there for the moment. -- we will leave it

there. Let's go to the London Iranian embassy, described the mood

there. Diplomats were given 48 hours to leave, were they not?

know that they have to leave very soon, but it is rather quiet here,

despite some calls or demonstrations in front of Iranian

wet -- embassies in European capitals. We only have one protest

here, but in front of the Iranian consulate, 10 or 15 minutes' walk

from here, we heard that there are some Iranians killing to do their

paperwork, because the consulates said it is opened their -- queuing

up. They say they are doing their best to try and finish the

paperwork and give people their documents, including passports

under ID cards. They have also started moving things out of the

consular. Both of you, thank you very much. American Secretary of

State Hillary Clinton has told Burma's leaders that changes

they've made so far are unprecedented and welcome, but just

a beginning. Mrs Clinton said it was encouraging that Hang Seng Sue

Key was free to take part in the talks but the US would not take any

further part until broader Reformation as were taking place. A

we are not that the point yet until -- that we are considering lifting

sanctions. That is because of ongoing it concerns, policies that

have to be reversed. But any steps that the Government takes will be

carefully considered and will be, as I said, matched, because we want

to see political and economic reform take hold and I told the

leadership that we will certainly consider the easing and elimination

of sanctions as we go forward in this process together. Let's cross

live to Thailand, where many Burmese exiles live. Thank you for

joining us on GMT, of what is your reaction to what you are hearing

from Burma? -- what is. We are quite excited, this is an

historic moment. We certainly hope that Hillary Clinton can break the

ice and can leverage the reform of the Burmese pro for -- process. We

are the same as many Burmese, cautious as to whether this change

is irreversible, and especially within the military administration,

because there is ongoing and oppression -- ongoing depression.

I'm sorry to interrupt you. When you say you are excited, are you

not concerned that there are still something like 1,000 political

prisoners behind bars? That is where we have concerns, for

political prisoners under -- and oppression in a wider area. The

President was saying there were no political prisoners left, so at

least acknowledgement about those remaining political prisoners and a

dressing on going -- and a dressing ongoing issues. And there are many

other concerns, when we talk about reconciliation. Would you accept

that in the end, in these sorts of things, you have got to be prepared

to take risks, and that is what America is doing? That is exactly

what we are doing it, of course. Every change has always risk

involved. Especially taking risks... The President is taking risks to

change. It is so via a oppression. A lot of people have suffered -- it

is so via. -- Severe. It is all about risk taking. But the question

is whether shall we take this risk? Is it worth it? Then the question

is, well a lot of stakeholders take this risk? We will have to leave it

there, sorry to interrupt again, it is a difficult line. Let's take a

look at some of the other stories today.

Thousands of people are protesting in Athens about salary cuts and tax

increases. They are staging a 24 hour strike against austerity

measures which Greece must implement if it is to reach the

next stage of the international bail-out plan.

The cigarette manufacturer British American Tobacco says it will

challenge a new law passed in Australia that requires tobacco

companies to sell their products in non branded packets. The changes

due to come into force in a year's time. -- changes.

Police in Mexico have discovered the 600 metre tunnel used

discovered -- Korea drugs from Tijuana to San Diego. The tunnel

entrance was close to the headquarters of the federal police

force Bob bash. Still to come, the Afghan women out

of their homes and now working. They are afraid it will all change

if there is a reconciliation with the Taliban.

Let's get all of the business news. I didn't know this, but there are

much fuel made in China labels around.

You wouldn't believe it, but yes, the overheated economy looks like

it is cooling down. The latest figures from China manufacturing

figures show that the economy fell by one. In November. This is a sign

of the Government's's efforts to cool the economy but also a sure

sign that the problems are the Eurozone are filtering through to

China and affecting demand for Chinese goods. Let's listen to what

they had to say. The PMI data we saw today shows the economy is

slowing and slowing fast, so with growth coming off quite

considerably, if you take that in conjunction with calming inflation

under property market that looks like it is correcting significantly

and the disastrous looking efforts in the euro-zone, it means that

policy makers in China are fairly concerned. This comes after the

Chinese central bank announced it is cutting reserve ratios for banks,

basically meaning it is easier for banks to lend money. Talking of

central banks, Mario Draghi is the new head of the European Central

Bank and has been speaking in the European Parliament, I think it was

his first time, any hint as to what he is going to do with the bank and

its policies? He has been talking about what he thinks government

should do. He has said he wants more integration between

governments and wants European economies to work closer together

and warns that the risks to Europe's growth have really grown.

Basically, it is pretty grim reading. Let's listen to what he

had to say. Whatever the approach, companies, markets and the citizens

of Europe expect policy makers to act decisively to resolve the

crisis. It is time to adapt the euro area designed with a set of

institutions, rules and processes that is commensurate with the

He is basically saying they need to work together, European leaders of

the Eurozone economies. There will be a meeting in Brussels in nine

days' time between Eurozone leaders. His words come only a day after the

central bank, the Federal Reserve and the central banks across Europe,

agreed to come together to create more liquidity in the markets. If

we can look at what the markets are doing now, that is what the

We have not got the European markets for you, but they are

stable. This is GMT from BBC World News.

The headlines: Britain pushes for more sanctions against Iran at a

meeting of European foreign ministers. On an historic visit to

Burma, Hillary Clinton says more democratic reform is needed before

full diplomatic ties with the US can be restored.

Women's rights activists in Afghanistan say the international

community is preparing to abandon them in the rush to withdraw troops

from the country. Improving women's rights was one of the major

objectives cited when US-led forces toppled the Taliban ten years ago.

Now campaigners fear that women and their concerns could be sidelined

at the upcoming Bonn conference on the future of Afghanistan.

Fashioning a new future, for themselves and their country. Every

stitch testament to a fragile freedom. Under the Taliban, Afghan

women were trapped at home, uneducated and unemployed. Spalford

Teniers, and they make up half the workforce -- if you spool forward

ten years, they make up half the workforce at this company where

they toil alongside men. Zargona says she is proud to be the

breadwinner for her two younger brothers. But the company's founder

worries about the outlook. If there is reconciliation with the

insurgents. None of the Taliban have come forward to say, I am a

moderate and I believe differently. We are fooling ourselves if we

believe that the Taliban have changed their view or philosophy.

They have not claimed that they have changed and will be different.

There are big plans for this business. The hope is to begin

exporting to the US and Europe, and eventually to create a hundred jobs

here. All of that might be possible in the future if the future is not

shaped by the Taliban. In areas under their control, women are

still voiceless and defenceless. This is Siddiqa, 25 years old. Her

final moments are captured in this footage, which emerged in January.

For the crime of adultery, the Taliban stoned her, then shot her

dead. This woman is another of their targets. She is a prominent

member of parliament who survived a Taliban ambush on her car last year.

This outspoken activist refuses to be silenced, but she fears that

Afghan women could soon be abandoned by the international

community, which promised them so much. They seem to turn their faced

to women's issues and say, we just want to say goodbye and leave

Afghanistan. That could put us more at risk, because we have been

outspoken about what we want. eldest daughter is studying hard.

She wants to be an aerospace engineer. But she and her younger

sister are afraid for themselves and their mother. They want a

future outside Afghanistan. The Tokyo Motor Show is getting

underway at the end of a dismal year for Japan's car industry.

First it was hit by the earthquake. Then floods in Thailand disrupted

its supply chain. Still, Japanese manufacturers remain confident in

their capacity to lead the way to a new generation of cars.

The Tokyo Motor Show is a celebration of Japanese cars. But

this has been a terrible year for the industry. The earthquake, the

tsunami, the floods in Thailand. Nissan is showing off new types of

electric vehicles, putting the technology into his sports car. The

chief executive says more production will leave Japan unless

the high yen can be tamed. That is why we are being very vocal to the

Government to say you should not underestimate what is taking place.

Take action. I do not buy that there is nothing you can do. Look

at what the Swiss have done. They have drawn a line in the sand. The

whole country was a lined on a position, and they made their

position respected. Japan is one of the largest economies. It has a lot

of financial clout. Japan can make it happen if it wants.

challenge for these companies is to ensure that making cars in Japan

remains profitable in the years ahead. Other countries are simply

cheaper. But the future for Japan could lie in the -- becoming more

high-tech. Toyota is pushing ahead with hybrids. The mass

manufacturing of cheap vehicles, Japan struggles to compete, but it

is leading the way in developing the next generation of cars. In the

market, we successfully transformed the conventional engine into their

new type. That activated the industry. So I really hope the

future course is now starting. amount of Blitz can hide the

difficulty faced by manufacturing because of the strong yen. But the

car industry is putting its faith in what made it a world beater -

Japanese ingenuity and innovation. Ask anyone about Hamlet, and they

are likely to answer back with another question - To be or not to

be? Unless, of course, it is a foreign production, in which case

the question will sound completely different. Well, on today's GMT, we

are talking about one such production in German. And it is not

just the sound that is different - its look is also a radical

departure from the Shakespearean standards. In the original, there

are over 20 characters. In this one, directed by Thomas Ostermeier, just

six actors play all the characters. Well, the German Hamlet is now on

tour in Britain and the lead actor, Lars Eidinger, joins me from our

central London studio. I was reading about you, and I gather

there was a time when you thought this play would not transfer very

well to Britain. But you have changed your mind? No, it was more

that we were afraid that people with the English tongue, they don't

want to listen to Shakespeare spoken by German translation by

Germans. That is a good point, because there are purists in

England who say Shakespeare should not be modernised even in the

English language, let alone hearing it in German. It is difficult,

because you lose so much of the meaning. But in a way, it is an

advantage, because people say that even English people sometimes do

not understand the original Shakespeare. So in our performance,

I am sure you will get everything. But it must put an enormous stress

on you as an actor if the audience cannot understand what you are

saying. We are relying entirely on what you are doing with your eyes,

your voice, your hands. But we are very used to play in foreign

countries. Our experience is that people can follow. In the beginning,

it is a bit difficult with the surtitles. But then they get into

it. And they do not read the whole time. The whole performance is very

visual, very physical and very strong. So I think people know how

that already. And this will not be the first time it is playing to an

English audience. You have been in Australia? Yes, and it has been a

big success in Sydney. Wherever we play, people love it with, although

it is always translated. producers tell me that this

particular production is a gritty and sexy. What are you going to get

up to? I take it as a compliment. I think it is something to do with,

how do you say, the physicality. I think it is very passionate. The

way I am interpreting the character, it is very emotional. And yes, of

course, there is a sequence where Hamlet and Horatio are doing the

play, which used originally played by a company. We play it ourselves.

And I am playing my mother and I am half naked. Well! Hopefully, that

will do something for your audience. I wish I had worked out how to say

good luck in German. But the best of luck from us. But I like the

English expression, break a leg. Don't do that!

Serving at night is not usually recommended, but this group of

surfers in Sydney have not let cover of darkness stop them.

Australia's famous Bondi Beach was lit up with colour as the surfers