12/07/2011 GMT with George Alagiah

The influential half-brother of the Afghan President Hamid Karzai is

killed in his hometown in Kandahar. Walid Ahmed Karzai, a political

ally to the president was shot dead by his own a long-serving head of

Welcome to GMT. I'm Naga Munchetty. Also in the programme: The British

newspaper hacking scandal deepens. Former prime minister Gordon Brown

says he's shocked at how information about his sick son was

retrieved. I was in tears. Your son is now going to be broadcast across

the media. Sarah and I were incredibly upset about it, thinking

about his long-term future, we were thinking about our family. Human

Rights Watch calls for a criminal investigation into former US

President George W Bush over what it calls overwhelming evidence of

torture. Hello, it's 1230 in London, 7:30am

in Washington and early afternoon in Kabul of. That is where the

shock over the killing of Hamid Karzai's brother. He was shot by

his own head of security. He was head of the provincial council in

Kandahar. He also stood accused of dealing with the Taliban and the

drugs trade. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the

attack. Just a few months ago our correspondent Lyse Doucet

interviewed him. She joins me now in the studio. This is certainly an

assassination that is going to concentrate minds all the way for

every single district of Kandahar right to the White House in

Washington. Walid Ahmed Karzai was known as the king of the Kandahar,

the most powerful man in the province and when I went to his

compound recently, it was underlined by the layer of a layer

of security you went through in order to get into his fortress. It

was packed with people who brought every possible problem to the man

Who Would Fix It. You knew this was a man of power and new, because of

the tight security, he had many enemies but no one would expect it

would be one of his own bodyguards who would turn the gun on him. Yet

he was also a controversial man and we discussed that when we sat down

for lunch. He invited me to lunch You must have threats against you?

It's the most Secure place in Kandahar, I think. This is for big

attacks, suicide attacks. There were two major suicide attacks on

me, my office. Are there still threats against you now? Every day.

Drug traffickers? Criminals? He has also been the target of many

accusations, and some call him a problem in Kandahar, not the

solution. I am weary of the media. Because you come under so many

accusations that you have to respond to so much? When I was down

here last time with the President and a documentary maker, there was

talk about putting pressure on you. Yes, it's over. Why, because you

proved? I have done nothing different. The what do you think it

was? Mostly unproven allegations were making things bad. They

alleged you were involved in the drugs trade, the main power broker,

and you support the Taliban? Yes. Sometimes there's no smoke without

fire. That's in the past. Walid Ahmed Karzai was used to

journalists asking him about his allegations. He was also used to

powerful figures, military and political, foreign armies working

in Afghanistan, asking him the same kinds of charges. Whether he was

drug dealing, dealing in corruption, he always said the most powerful

intelligence agencies in the world haven't found any evidence.

it's interesting seeing you sit down to lunch with this man, but

his position was key, wasn't it? The he was the linchpin in every

single network in Kandahar. When I said to him people say he's the

most influential man, he didn't deny it but he put it down to

tribal allegiances. He said he was in that lineage. Even though his

role was not that influential on paper, he was the man who could fix

everything and that's why his compound was crowded. Every

governor had to take a second seed to him. There were rumours they

would recognise that reality and making the Governor. What does this

do now for the President? The political loss must shatter him?

huge political loss for the President. After he became the

leader, Walid Ahmed Karzai came back from the USA, installed

himself in Kandahar, consolidated the power of the family, the tribe,

and politically help to win every election the south for President

Karzai. President Karzai has lost the man who was doing that for him.

There is a vacuum which certainly needs to be filled. I know you'll

be looking at this over the next few days.

Let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines

around the world today. Gordon Brown says link between the

criminal underworld and News International needs to be

investigated. The Sunday Times newspaper reportedly paid people to

be legally obtain information, confidential data, about him.

Speaking exclusively to Glen Campbell, he accused the Sunday

Times and News International of working with known criminals.

have never talked publicly about Fraser's condition and obviously,

we wanted that to be kept private. For all the obvious reasons you

wanted the best buy your children. And I have never complained about

what happened to me before. The truth is, information did come out.

I was approached by some newspapers. They told me they had the story

about Fraser's medical condition. And that they were going to run

this story. How did that affect you as a father? I was in tears. Your

son is now going to be broadcast across the media. Sarah and I were

incredibly upset about it. We were thinking about his long-term future,

thinking about our family, but there is nothing you can do about

it, you're in public life and this story appears. I have not

questioned how it appeared and made any allegations about how it

appeared, but the fact is it did appear. It did appear in the sun

and I think... Rebecca Brooks found, and I right? We were told by

Rebekah Brooks, the problem I have is that if this is a policy of

newspapers in this country that they are going to write about the

medical conditions of young children, you have got to ask

yourselves, where are they getting this information from? News

International has responded to that News International also says that

the Sun newspaper is satisfied about the methods in which it

obtained a storyboard Gordon Brown's San's medical records. To

me to Medvedev says a deadly but motor accident has revealed

Transport breaches cannot be tolerated. He said violators must

be harshly punished as Russia observes a day of mourning for the

victims of Sunday's pleasure boat disaster on the River Volga. Divers

are still recovering bodies from the sunken boat, most of them

children. It is feared more than 120 people drowned. Julian Assange,

the founder of WikiLeaks, is back in court in London today as he

tries to fight extradition to Sweden. He was arrested in December

after two Swedish women accused him of sexual assault. He denies the

charges. The Syrian government has accused Hillary Clinton of

incitement after she said the President had lost legitimacy. She

says he failed to deliver promised reforms and launched a campaign

against his own people. Hillary Clinton said President Assad was

not indispensable that do not call on him to step down. Riot police

have used water canon and tear gas on thousands of Chilean miners and

their supporters marching in Santiago. The miners from the

state-owned company are on strike for the first time in 20 years.

They are angry about plans to cut jobs and workers' benefits. Clashes

broke out when the march reached the central square in the Chilean

capital. In just under two weeks, people in

parts of northern Sri Lanka will vote in local elections. The Poles

will come and to international scrutiny with a government keen to

show it can do well in the mainly Tamil north. Charles Cavell and is

the first journalist to cross into the former war zone since tight

military restrictions were relaxed last week. He spent the last few

days travelling there and joins me now. To Charles, the Government

says the North is completely open now. Is it? It is not completely

open. We did need special permission and papers to come

through the checkpoints, the gate into the North at the other day.

Then we were waved through with smiles. So, you do need special

permission to come here, but that is now not given by the defence

ministry but by the Information Department, which is a bit of a

change. There are areas of the North which have yet to be

resettled by the people who fled from the advancing war front. And

areas it appears will not be resettled in the foreseeable future.

It's not clear why but, having said all that, we have been moving

around clearly for the last few days. Nothing on our tail

whatsoever. If we had been able to go way off the beaten track to meet

returning refugees, and that is something very new for someone like

me, after two years. Northern Sri Lanka has been highly restricted. A

big change. There has also been quite a lot of international

pressure on the Government. In the UK we saw a legend footage of

victims of the killing fields of the stock has there been progress

in that matter? It's really difficult to talk openly about that

topic. People in this part of the country, the north, which was the

war-zone, are not willing to talk about that matter openly. If you do,

you might find yourself in quite deep water. The Government has

continued its counter-offensive against that film shown on Channel

4 and come up with some videotape in which some soldiers from the

Channel 4 video are shown speaking in the Tamil language and the

Government says it shows these were Tamil Tigers wearing army uniforms.

Of course, many people might disagree with that. As you say, you

could open about this openly. We heard the other day in a part of

northern Sri Lanka we passed through, there was a demonstration

against Channel 4 organised by the Government, putting some pressure

on local people to come into the street and demonstrate against

Channel 4 against that film the Killing Fields. Charles, I know you

will be following the election campaign as well. Good to speak to

you. Still to come, human rights activities are seeking a criminal

investigation into the former US President George Bush over alleged

torture. Also the man behind the football World Cup bit -- Bird told

the BBC Corruption claims are based on prejudice. -- World Cup bid.

It's time for the business news now. Italy is now the new focus on the

bows in Europe. Investors are dumping stock around the world,

riskier assets. European banking stocks continued to be hit today.

When investors start to hear words from officials like that there is a

big possibility we will allow a selective defaults for Greece,

investors say, what happened to this save a reassurance that all

countries using the euro would be a safe bet, well, they are no longer

a safe bet. If Europe allows people to default, people will say, I'm

not going to put money into Italy and Spain. One questioner had been

asking experts today is why, all of a sudden, there is focus on Italy?

The answer is there is huge debt. 120% of debt to GDP, a huge amount

of debt, and the level is nominal, 1.8 trillion, actually higher than

the debt of Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain put together.

Bearing in mind, they have to pay over 500 billion euros over the

next three years, it is putting Italy in a situation of a high risk.

High a risk in deed and that is what investors are focusing at the

moment. High a risk is an understatement, I think. We can't

get away, hacking story is spreading in the UK. News Corp

shares are suffering. Absolutely. The latest allegations, the former

prime minister Gordon Brown, the more and more we see investors are

dumping News Corp, it traded in New York and Sydney, and New York fell

by 7.5%. It is a wide of $7 billion from its market value. Investor

concern is not just about the BSkyB deal, but has moved state side.

Listen to this one. If the criminal investigation links it to more of a

management structure, it gives the USA regulatory side of things a

mandated to go in and have a wider, more broader investigation of the

group as a whole, so that is where the uncertainty is. It may not end

In the US, the Fox television network and the Wall Street Journal.

network and the Wall Street Journal. All eyes on that. The markets are

an ugly sight. They are worried an ugly sight. They are worried

about Italy and Spain. Aaron Heselhurst, thank you very much.

Plenty more coming up. You can find This is GMT from BBC World News.

Here are the headlines: The former British Prime Minister, Gordon

Brown has been speaking about his shot over allegations that two

newspapers use underhand means to obtain financial and medical

records relating to his family. The half-brother of the Afghan

President, a key political ally, a shot dead in the southern city of

Kandahar. -- is shot dead.

Human-rights activists have urged President Obama to launch a

criminal investigation into his predecessor, George Bush, over

alleged torture. The former President and other officials have

repeatedly defended themselves by saying the acts they authorised

were legal and necessary to prevent attacks on the United States.

He was a president to divided a nation and the world. During a

tumultuous time in office, George Bush made many controversial

decisions. Human Rights Watch say that some of those policies led to

torture and they want a criminal investigation. Among the charges,

waterboarding, which the Bush Administration approved for the

interrogation of terrorist suspects. Critics have called it torture.

Also, rendition. CIA suspects flown to other countries were

interrogation techniques were harsher than in the US. Human

Rights Watch says there is enough evidence for a criminal

investigation into senior officials for approving the practices. That

includes the President, Dick Cheney, and Defence Secretary Donald

Rumsfeld. We are calling for a investigation and if appropriate,

prosecution, but we are also calling for an independent

investigation, in non partisan commission that will investigate

the facts relating to the abuse and report a special prosecutor if

necessary to pursue charges. But a criminal investigation into a

former president is highly unlikely. George Bush has always defended his

actions and says that he acted to safeguard the nation. He says that

it is history that will ultimately be his judge.

I am joined by Washington from David Rivkin, former legal adviser

to the White House, and the UK director of Human Rights Watch,

David Mepham. You are adamant that the Bush administration authorised

torture and war crimes? We think there is overwhelming evidence that

we have compiled in this 100 and seven-page report that the Bush

administration and George Bush himself, Dick Cheney, Tour of Ron

Scott, senior figures at the top of the administration of the rise acts

of torture. -- Donald Rumsfeld. We have put our evidence on the table

and we think it is incumbent on the legal authorities and the

government of the United States to address this seriously. David

Rivkin, do you see the need for a criminal investigation,

particularly of these members of the former British administration?

-- former Bush administration. think it is a regrettable publicity

stunt on behalf of Human Rights Watch. These matters have been

looked at for a number of years. I have not read the whole report, but

I have read the summary. There is nothing new. These matters have

been looked at extensively by the Justice Department and military

authorities, and by Congress. The best proof I can give you that this

investigation has occurred, a new administration has been in power

for three years. They were harshly critical of their predecessors.

There was discussion about the possibility of additional

investigations, including a bipartisan commission. In the end

of the day, a Democrat run administration hostile to a number

of these policies has concluded that it is not necessary. Why is

Human Rights Watch compound in this idea as if they have just

discovered something? -- compounding this idea. It is a

publicity stunt. I'll give you a chance to respond to that. The

Obama administration looks upon the use of waterboarding as a policy

choice rather than a choice against legality. And we strongly disagree

with that. The fact that the administration has chosen not to

pursue this is an indictment of the administration. Torture is not a

policy choice, it is a crime. The United States is a signatory to the

international defence against torture. The people responsible

need to be brought to book. Does Mr Rifkind say that he thinks this is

or torture? Is it not a form of torture to hold somebody under

water and pretend that they are going to ground. There are

countries like Spain where there have been moves to make a case

implicating US authorities. -- going to drown. George Bush

abandoned a trip to Switzerland earlier this year after reports

that there was say case being prepared alleging torture. There

are international criticisms. Two things, first of all, let us be

clear we are talking about enhanced irrigation techniques in which

waterboarding, used in a mild for more only three people, is the most

troubling. -- in a mild form or on only three people. When you say

troubling, is it wrong? Under the circumstances, it was not wrong, in

my opinion. It was done in an extremely mild form. In harsher

forms, it has been used on thousands of US servicemen to

prepare them to resist interrogation. There are forms of

waterboarding that are torture and there are forms of waterboarding

that are enhanced irrigation techniques and are not. I encourage

you to look at enhanced -- the terminology. I'm not interested in

talking about the substance. Let us talk about the substance. Why not?

Why, two years into the new administration, harshly critical of

its predecessors, with a Congress that is independent, everybody has

look at it, everybody has concluded that nothing is necessary. What

have you discovered that you did not know two years ago? You have

not read the report. Perhaps you should read the report, given that

you talk about milder forms of waterboarding. That is an

extraordinary comment. It is emphatically torture. The

international legal opinion is very clear about that. You're saying

that in some circumstances, you think that is OK? I know this

conversation to go on much longer but unfortunately, we are out of

time. The report is out and I expect you two will have much to

talk about after this interview. Allegations that a tier bought its

way into was in the World Cup in the year 2022 have been vigorously

denied by the Chief Executive of the a Qatari bid. -- to tarmac.

Speaking for the first time since the victory, he dismissed a planned

review by FIFA. We have addressed every single point in a very

impressive way. We ran our campaign impressively and yet nobody has

address that. Should we sit down and say no? Should we give up? To

that, I'll answer no. I would like to collaborate, everything that has

happened is a vindication of why the World Cup should come to the

Middle East, Y v Qatar 2022 World Cup should happen. The reality is

that the average person on the street in England, in Sheffield or

in Egypt or wherever, the average individual might not be aware of

what is good out there, the good in the other person's nature and

culture. If we let these things come out and stop us from

delivering that message and delivering this platform for the

rest of the world to understand, then we will have failed, and I

will tell you one thing, we will continue, because as I said, I am

of preaching, but I am fully committed to what we have done. I

did not put my career on hold... And nobody in this bid put their

career on hold to come here and deliver this bid to the rest of the

world, to deliver it and when, for us to sit down and sulk just

because there are tax coming out of the passion and emotion that people

have, rather than the rational thought. -- there are attacks.

FIFA held the review, what would the reaction be? Absolute outrage.

Why? If there is evidence, investigate the evidence. I have

always said that, please go ahead. Would you be prepared to move the

World Cup to winter? This is not a question that we should be asked.

This is a question that the Football Forum have to answer.

they said they would prefer it? I said again, this is a question

for them. For Ross, we are ready to host it in the winter or the summer,

one of her. We are ready to host it right now. Our plans are moving

towards forcing it in the summer. - - for us. You would be adaptable if

they said that they would be happier moving it to winter?

think a nation that has 10 years to prepare would be able to adapt, not

just us, in a nation. Staying with football, the Argentine soccer

legend Diego Maradona Emil -- Diego Maradona has been injured after the

car collision with a bus. The 50- year-old and his partner, Veronica

Ojeda, chose to go to hospital themselves. The cause of the

accident is currently under investigation.