:00:21. > :00:27.the bladder. Looking
:00:27. > :00:32.Looking back at the stories of 2012, we report from Homs, the stronghold
:00:32. > :00:36.of the rebellion in Syria Exposi
:00:36. > :00:43.Exposing the ugly side of the cotton industry. We find 10-year-
:00:43. > :00:53.old children picking and working cotton in I cotton in Iping peak
:00:53. > :00:55.
:00:55. > :00:59.baboons at bay. We report on a crackdown in Cape Town.
:01:00. > :01:04.Welcome to the special edition of Reporters. We are looking back at
:01:05. > :01:10.some of the stories we covered in 2012. We start with the uprising in
:01:10. > :01:15.Syria. In the spring, UN observers were there trying to bring peace.
:01:15. > :01:22.It was to no avail. In May, our chief international correspondent
:01:22. > :01:29.went to the cradle of the revolt, the city of the city of
:01:29. > :01:35.They call home SMAC the capital of the revolution. -- Homs. Much of it
:01:35. > :01:43.is a virtual ghost town, deserted, devastated. There is no truce in
:01:43. > :01:52.Homs, only a de facto division, a destroyed city. You notice how
:01:52. > :01:58.slowly we are moving. Syrian police and military have left us. This is
:01:59. > :02:08.an area controlled by the opposition. Not a single person is
:02:08. > :02:12.on the streets. The area is completely deserted. The first
:02:12. > :02:19.people to welcome us are fighters from the Free Syrian Army, not
:02:19. > :02:25.afraid to show their faces all their guns. They are defiant. State
:02:25. > :02:28.television called me a terrorist, this man says, they said I was dead
:02:28. > :02:34.but here I am. They did not deny they are still fighting but
:02:34. > :02:41.insisted they did not started. Then the football star turned Popular
:02:41. > :02:46.Revolutionary singer turns up with a message for a UN envoy Kofi Annan.
:02:46. > :02:52.His plan is not working, he tells me. The tanks are still on the
:02:52. > :02:57.streets and snipers are still killing people. Last year, he saved
:02:57. > :03:07.thousands of people -- he sang to thousands of peaceful protesters.
:03:07. > :03:11.Now he seems a Lament For The Martyrs. -- Singh's ass. Back to
:03:11. > :03:21.the other side, to the government seat of power. The governor says
:03:21. > :03:21.
:03:22. > :03:28.some people are afraid of the Army he says, but I tell you that many
:03:28. > :03:35.more people want the army to protect them. Then it was time to
:03:35. > :03:41.meet the monitors. He says the plan will work, it would just take time.
:03:41. > :03:49.Homs used to be such a vibrant city. It took a year to destroy it. It is
:03:49. > :03:54.hard to imagine how long it will take to rebuild.
:03:54. > :04:00.In July, BBC teams were on hand to witness the fighting spread to the
:04:01. > :04:04.In October, the same team were back in the City and they uncovered
:04:04. > :04:14.evidence showing that Syrian rebels were getting military assistance
:04:14. > :04:24.being used by rebel fighters, they found greats from an arms
:04:24. > :04:25.
:04:25. > :04:30.manufacturer addressed to Saudi Arabia.
:04:30. > :04:36.Thousands of years of history have marched through the streets. An
:04:36. > :04:42.ancient city that has been fought over many times before. Today,
:04:42. > :04:48.Aleppo was at war again. The further you edge into the old city,
:04:48. > :04:53.so the sound of fury of battle grows. Those who stay behind musty
:04:53. > :04:58.death every day. A simple sign reads, do not cross, snipers to
:04:58. > :05:08.your left. Seven or eight people were killed last week, he says.
:05:08. > :05:15.
:05:15. > :05:19.Both sides are shooting. The rebels city. An activist took us there. A
:05:19. > :05:27.World Heritage site where the scars of battle run deep. The devastation
:05:27. > :05:33.is mounting. Aleppo is a city under siege. The fighting is now street
:05:33. > :05:38.by street, house by house. The fighters had been calling for
:05:38. > :05:43.outside help for many months. Now for the first time, a strong
:05:43. > :05:47.indication that they are getting it. A Ukrainian weapons firm may be box
:05:47. > :05:52.and its contents for the Royal Saudi army. What is inside and how
:05:52. > :05:56.it ended up at a rebel base in Aleppo is unclear, but it suggests
:05:56. > :06:01.someone in the Gulf is helping those trying to overthrow President
:06:01. > :06:11.Assad. In truth, both sides get help from a broad in a proxy war
:06:11. > :06:15.
:06:15. > :06:21.from abroad. The atmosphere on the front line is incredibly tense. It
:06:21. > :06:26.is eerily quiet. Every now and then, you can hear the sound of battle.
:06:26. > :06:31.The scars are obvious everywhere. Snipers had been shooting into this
:06:31. > :06:36.position. There is a mirror that the rebels had been using to try
:06:36. > :06:41.and get some sense of what is going on. You can see what the government
:06:41. > :06:46.response has been, massive fire to try to crush the rebellion. This
:06:46. > :06:50.remains a vastly uneven battle. The rebels and residents have no answer
:06:50. > :06:57.to a barrage of artillery and bombs. It does not discriminate between
:06:57. > :07:02.fighter and civilian. So the fighters tried to move unseen
:07:03. > :07:08.towards loyalist forces. Despite its overwhelming strength,
:07:08. > :07:12.government forces have made few inroads. We were shown one of their
:07:12. > :07:19.checkpoints, 200 metres away. They may be fighting for the future of
:07:19. > :07:25.struggling over small bits of turf. The empty streets are a testament
:07:25. > :07:31.to the thousands who have fled. But some say they have no way to go. No
:07:31. > :07:39.way is safe. He has lost his wife and six children. All of them were
:07:39. > :07:45.killed when a rocker landed on his house. TRANSLATION: To live is to
:07:45. > :07:50.die. Bashar al-Assad is pounding asked. You will die wherever you go.
:07:50. > :07:57.provided provided by we see nothing. It is
:07:57. > :08:00.all lies. Just let us die in get it over with. Aleppo has become the
:08:00. > :08:06.defining battle in this brutal civil war. Neither side can afford
:08:06. > :08:16.to lose. In truth, neither is winning. What does seem to be
:08:16. > :08:17.
:08:17. > :08:21.happening is the slow painful death of Syria.
:08:21. > :08:25.In January, the BBC explode evidence that children in India as
:08:25. > :08:29.young as 10 were working in dangerous conditions producing
:08:29. > :08:34.cotton for little pay. Major clothing stores across the UK were
:08:34. > :08:40.her age to do more to stop child labour in their supply chains. --
:08:41. > :08:47.were urged. There are scores of cotton fields. It is from there
:08:47. > :08:52.that our correspondent sent this report.
:08:52. > :08:57.On a transport system from another age, the cotton harvest is taking
:08:57. > :09:06.to market. In rural India this is the bottom end of the global supply
:09:06. > :09:14.changed. -- chain. This auction is an early stage in an industry that
:09:14. > :09:18.generates billions. But local activists show how little of that
:09:18. > :09:25.wealth comes back here, beginning with child workers in the cotton
:09:25. > :09:30.fields. She is not at school. She thinks she is ten years old but she
:09:31. > :09:38.is not sure. She picks cotton for long hours with her older sister.
:09:38. > :09:47.Their arms are covered in scratches from the bushes. TRANSLATION: We
:09:47. > :09:54.came 4-5 months ago. Now we live here. The work is hard. The next
:09:54. > :09:57.we Here, we found children as well, bringing
:09:58. > :10:07.air thick with cotton dust that can cause chronic lung disease at an
:10:07. > :10:16.early age. No sign of protective clothing. Local activists call it
:10:16. > :10:22.the horror of the white card. -- cloud. It is impossible to say, but
:10:23. > :10:27.they look no more than 12 per. Many come from far away, sent in by
:10:27. > :10:37.Labour agents. Trade unionists say they have been campaigning for
:10:37. > :10:38.
:10:38. > :10:44.getting richer and richer. The life of the worker is pathetic. It is as
:10:44. > :10:50.bad as it has always been. It is getting even worse. We visited
:10:50. > :10:59.three factories, all pretty much the same. Despite our openly
:10:59. > :11:04.filming children at work, the order. But further on in the supply
:11:04. > :11:08.chain, working conditions improved dramatically. Here, big British
:11:08. > :11:14.retailers by textiles directly from this company close to Mumbai. The
:11:14. > :11:18.workers are well looked after. Masks are routine. Most big High
:11:18. > :11:23.Street stores can see they cannot actually trace their cotton to its
:11:23. > :11:29.source. None that we contacted would be interviewed. They say they
:11:29. > :11:35.do not tolerate bad labour practices. But does that promise
:11:35. > :11:42.extend to this factory where we found two children far away from
:11:42. > :11:49.home? A worker reveals that they were actually sent here from a
:11:49. > :11:55.distant village by their parents. They never get paid. They are just
:11:55. > :12:01.11 years old. They are workers in a wealthy Industry bad does not know
:12:01. > :12:10.exactly how or where much of its cotton comes. -- Industry bad does
:12:10. > :12:15.In China, access to social media like Twitte like Twitte
:12:15. > :12:17.blocked but other Chinese social media firms are thriving. The boom
:12:17. > :12:24.in internet communication has seemed companies like Tencent
:12:24. > :12:27.expand rapidly. It now employs 20,000 people. Chinese people love
:12:27. > :12:34.using the Web to communicate and it has become has become
:12:34. > :12:38.campaign groups to spread their message. But as we found, there are
:12:38. > :12:45.limits. limits. Tyler, home Tyler, homegest
:12:45. > :12:48.internet population, and what is everybody doing online? -- China.
:12:48. > :12:57.Using social networks sides. On a coffee break, medical students
:12:57. > :13:07.showed me how they keep in touch with friends and news. I use social
:13:07. > :13:09.
:13:09. > :13:19.media. But the site may sound unfamiliar. Renren, QQ. QQ. Renren,
:13:19. > :13:24.Wade bow mac. I use QQ, Sarah has the weather. And Renren. Try not
:13:24. > :13:30.these building its own social media superpowers. Meet Tencent, which
:13:30. > :13:36.does everything Facebook, YouTube and Twitter two. This is their
:13:36. > :13:41.growing video operation, or broadcast over the internet. They
:13:41. > :13:45.had an American election programme, featuring issues like sex and
:13:45. > :13:51.immigration. They believe they are offering their new freedom to
:13:51. > :13:57.debate. Do you see social media and social video as a force for change?
:13:57. > :14:02.TRANSLATION: I agree. People can discuss and share opinions and
:14:02. > :14:07.comrades. That will help China become more open. I just tried and
:14:07. > :14:13.failed to post on Twitter a picture of the people I met earlier. It is
:14:13. > :14:17.blocked here. I therefore put it on Tencent. Without foreign
:14:17. > :14:21.competition, the companies are causing a revolution in the way
:14:21. > :14:26.people collect. But there is a limit to the self-expression
:14:26. > :14:30.allowed. This man, a investigative journalist, says
:14:30. > :14:35.social media has transformed his campaign to campaign tors
:14:35. > :14:42.with health problems. That is nearly 7 million people following
:14:42. > :14:45.A huge audience reads what he says. He's out there - that he is
:14:45. > :14:50.outspoken and he says there is a red light he could not cross. What
:14:50. > :14:55.is that line? TRANSLATION: It is intangible but being educated under
:14:55. > :14:59.the rule of the Communist Party, I normally know where the red light
:14:59. > :15:06.years. I can't publish comments critical of the party but I can do
:15:06. > :15:10.satire or sarcasm. I cap Tencent, we found more about the limit of
:15:10. > :15:20.self-expression. Listen to these translated responses. Can anybody
:15:20. > :15:27.come on and say anything they like? against the Communist Party? That
:15:27. > :15:32.is something sensitive. New social media businesses like Tencent are
:15:32. > :15:39.transforming debate here. But one thing has not changed in China. You
:15:39. > :15:43.do not question the Communist Party. Suburbs the world over have
:15:43. > :15:48.expanded into once forested areas and have residents have often found
:15:48. > :15:53.themselves living next to some rather wild neighbours. In South
:15:53. > :15:57.Africa's Kate Allen, humans have been living side-by-side with the
:15:57. > :16:02.booms. The problem is, the animals come down and raid rubbish bins,
:16:02. > :16:12.cars and homes. -- Cape Town. Residents have now launched a
:16:12. > :16:12.
:16:12. > :16:17.counter attack. It may look like a war-zone but it
:16:17. > :16:23.is not. It is baboons verses humans here in Cape Town. Too much contact
:16:23. > :16:26.with them has made them familiar with humans. As a result, they fear
:16:26. > :16:33.nothing. Wi nothing. Wiplace, it is hoped the buffer zone will
:16:33. > :16:37.help keep the animals in their natural habitat. Cape Town has
:16:37. > :16:43.employed monitors to keep an eye on the baboons. They have adopted some
:16:43. > :16:51.unusual techniques. This truth is Pretorius for raiding cars,
:16:51. > :16:53.restaurants and campsites in search of tasty snacks. -- this troupe is
:16:53. > :16:58.notorious. Philip Richardson believes using animal behaviour
:16:58. > :17:04.methods of scent marks to demarcate boundaries can deter baboons from
:17:04. > :17:11.entering humour -- Cuban territory. We want to create an association so
:17:11. > :17:16.that if they smell pepper, and we paid for them at the same time,
:17:16. > :17:24.maybe just maybe just f pepper will be scary to them and say, let's get
:17:24. > :17:28.out of here. As humans encroach on the baboon's natural habitat, the
:17:28. > :17:32.animals battle to find an easy source of food. Management of the
:17:32. > :17:37.booms is an emotional issue here. There is an ongoing conflict
:17:37. > :17:42.between some residents who want the animals euthanased and tourists who
:17:42. > :17:48.rejoice seen the baboons but how often accused of feeding them.
:17:48. > :17:54.is left over Peter that is either given by tourists for they have
:17:54. > :17:57.raided a car for it. -- pizza. That is one of the problems we have.
:17:57. > :18:03.People come and see the baboon and think he is hungry and they give
:18:03. > :18:08.him food. He starts to associate humans with food.
:18:08. > :18:14.Baboons are a protected species under South African law. These
:18:14. > :18:18.baboon Rangers have got to know this troupe by name. As they
:18:18. > :18:28.encourage them to return to the mountain's, they hope this
:18:28. > :18:33.The world of long distance athletics has long been dominated
:18:33. > :18:38.by East African runners. But there was discontent in Kenya this summer
:18:38. > :18:43.when their runners failed to bring home the expected gold medals at
:18:43. > :18:47.the Olympics. Even so, one village has proved a powerhouse both in
:18:47. > :18:51.producing great runners and attracting the world's best runners
:18:52. > :18:57.to train there. In May, our correspondent 0.21 village to find
:18:57. > :19:05.out more. -- went to one that the lead.
:19:05. > :19:10.High above the Rift Valley, they gather for their morning ritual.
:19:10. > :19:15.This is a town where running is a way of life from schooldays onwards.
:19:15. > :19:20.And whether early-morning soundtrack is the pounding of feet.
:19:20. > :19:28.A quarter of the population her -- are committed athlete. That
:19:28. > :19:35.fridges for some and inspired as a way to escape poverty. What do
:19:35. > :19:43.you hope to do with your running? hope to improve my life, my living
:19:43. > :19:48.standard, help my family and others. And aspiring athletes are held by
:19:48. > :19:54.the presence of so many medallists. Taking advantage of the thin air,
:19:54. > :19:59.the simple diet and a general hunger for success. Here at this
:19:59. > :20:03.basic running track, you get a sense of what makes the place so
:20:03. > :20:09.special. Elite Kenyan athletes, international athletes, world
:20:09. > :20:14.champions and schoolkids are here and united by their passion for the
:20:14. > :20:17.sport. Driving out of here, we are going to meet a young girl who
:20:17. > :20:23.hopes to leave her poor surroundings and joined the ranks
:20:23. > :20:28.of Kenya's champions. When the 12- year-old returns home after her
:20:28. > :20:32.bare foot journey from school, she changes straight into her running
:20:32. > :20:39.gear. And then it is time to warm up for her second training session
:20:39. > :20:44.of the day. She runs to the local well at 5am to fetch water for her
:20:44. > :20:47.grandmother. Her talent has already brought her victory in the National
:20:47. > :20:52.Primary s. Expectant villagers hope that in
:20:52. > :20:58.the future it will bring an end to their Harjit. This village is not
:20:58. > :21:04.well developed. We do not even have electricity. -- their hardship. We
:21:04. > :21:08.do not have good means of come back and help the community.
:21:08. > :21:12.She will be a role model and then she can eradicate the poverty in
:21:13. > :21:17.this village. But for the moment, that weight of responsibility
:21:17. > :21:22.doesn't seem to be putting her off her stride. She has a quiet
:21:22. > :21:32.confidence in her future success. For her, running isn't just a way
:21:32. > :21:34.