30/12/2012 Reporters

the bladder. Looking

Looking back at the stories of 2012, we report from Homs, the stronghold

of the rebellion in Syria Exposi

Exposing the ugly side of the cotton industry. We find 10-year-

old children picking and working cotton in I cotton in Iping peak

baboons at bay. We report on a crackdown in Cape Town.

Welcome to the special edition of Reporters. We are looking back at

some of the stories we covered in 2012. We start with the uprising in

Syria. In the spring, UN observers were there trying to bring peace.

It was to no avail. In May, our chief international correspondent

went to the cradle of the revolt, the city of the city of

They call home SMAC the capital of the revolution. -- Homs. Much of it

is a virtual ghost town, deserted, devastated. There is no truce in

Homs, only a de facto division, a destroyed city. You notice how

slowly we are moving. Syrian police and military have left us. This is

an area controlled by the opposition. Not a single person is

on the streets. The area is completely deserted. The first

people to welcome us are fighters from the Free Syrian Army, not

afraid to show their faces all their guns. They are defiant. State

television called me a terrorist, this man says, they said I was dead

but here I am. They did not deny they are still fighting but

insisted they did not started. Then the football star turned Popular

Revolutionary singer turns up with a message for a UN envoy Kofi Annan.

His plan is not working, he tells me. The tanks are still on the

streets and snipers are still killing people. Last year, he saved

thousands of people -- he sang to thousands of peaceful protesters.

Now he seems a Lament For The Martyrs. -- Singh's ass. Back to

the other side, to the government seat of power. The governor says

some people are afraid of the Army he says, but I tell you that many

more people want the army to protect them. Then it was time to

meet the monitors. He says the plan will work, it would just take time.

Homs used to be such a vibrant city. It took a year to destroy it. It is

hard to imagine how long it will take to rebuild.

In July, BBC teams were on hand to witness the fighting spread to the

In October, the same team were back in the City and they uncovered

evidence showing that Syrian rebels were getting military assistance

being used by rebel fighters, they found greats from an arms

manufacturer addressed to Saudi Arabia.

Thousands of years of history have marched through the streets. An

ancient city that has been fought over many times before. Today,

Aleppo was at war again. The further you edge into the old city,

so the sound of fury of battle grows. Those who stay behind musty

death every day. A simple sign reads, do not cross, snipers to

your left. Seven or eight people were killed last week, he says.

Both sides are shooting. The rebels city. An activist took us there. A

World Heritage site where the scars of battle run deep. The devastation

is mounting. Aleppo is a city under siege. The fighting is now street

by street, house by house. The fighters had been calling for

outside help for many months. Now for the first time, a strong

indication that they are getting it. A Ukrainian weapons firm may be box

and its contents for the Royal Saudi army. What is inside and how

it ended up at a rebel base in Aleppo is unclear, but it suggests

someone in the Gulf is helping those trying to overthrow President

Assad. In truth, both sides get help from a broad in a proxy war

from abroad. The atmosphere on the front line is incredibly tense. It

is eerily quiet. Every now and then, you can hear the sound of battle.

The scars are obvious everywhere. Snipers had been shooting into this

position. There is a mirror that the rebels had been using to try

and get some sense of what is going on. You can see what the government

response has been, massive fire to try to crush the rebellion. This

remains a vastly uneven battle. The rebels and residents have no answer

to a barrage of artillery and bombs. It does not discriminate between

fighter and civilian. So the fighters tried to move unseen

towards loyalist forces. Despite its overwhelming strength,

government forces have made few inroads. We were shown one of their

checkpoints, 200 metres away. They may be fighting for the future of

struggling over small bits of turf. The empty streets are a testament

to the thousands who have fled. But some say they have no way to go. No

way is safe. He has lost his wife and six children. All of them were

killed when a rocker landed on his house. TRANSLATION: To live is to

die. Bashar al-Assad is pounding asked. You will die wherever you go.

provided provided by we see nothing. It is

all lies. Just let us die in get it over with. Aleppo has become the

defining battle in this brutal civil war. Neither side can afford

to lose. In truth, neither is winning. What does seem to be

happening is the slow painful death of Syria.

In January, the BBC explode evidence that children in India as

young as 10 were working in dangerous conditions producing

cotton for little pay. Major clothing stores across the UK were

her age to do more to stop child labour in their supply chains. --

were urged. There are scores of cotton fields. It is from there

that our correspondent sent this report.

On a transport system from another age, the cotton harvest is taking

to market. In rural India this is the bottom end of the global supply

changed. -- chain. This auction is an early stage in an industry that

generates billions. But local activists show how little of that

wealth comes back here, beginning with child workers in the cotton

fields. She is not at school. She thinks she is ten years old but she

is not sure. She picks cotton for long hours with her older sister.

Their arms are covered in scratches from the bushes. TRANSLATION: We

came 4-5 months ago. Now we live here. The work is hard. The next

we Here, we found children as well, bringing

air thick with cotton dust that can cause chronic lung disease at an

early age. No sign of protective clothing. Local activists call it

the horror of the white card. -- cloud. It is impossible to say, but

they look no more than 12 per. Many come from far away, sent in by

Labour agents. Trade unionists say they have been campaigning for

getting richer and richer. The life of the worker is pathetic. It is as

bad as it has always been. It is getting even worse. We visited

three factories, all pretty much the same. Despite our openly

filming children at work, the order. But further on in the supply

chain, working conditions improved dramatically. Here, big British

retailers by textiles directly from this company close to Mumbai. The

workers are well looked after. Masks are routine. Most big High

Street stores can see they cannot actually trace their cotton to its

source. None that we contacted would be interviewed. They say they

do not tolerate bad labour practices. But does that promise

extend to this factory where we found two children far away from

home? A worker reveals that they were actually sent here from a

distant village by their parents. They never get paid. They are just

11 years old. They are workers in a wealthy Industry bad does not know

exactly how or where much of its cotton comes. -- Industry bad does

In China, access to social media like Twitte like Twitte

blocked but other Chinese social media firms are thriving. The boom

in internet communication has seemed companies like Tencent

expand rapidly. It now employs 20,000 people. Chinese people love

using the Web to communicate and it has become has become

campaign groups to spread their message. But as we found, there are

limits. limits. Tyler, home Tyler, homegest

internet population, and what is everybody doing online? -- China.

Using social networks sides. On a coffee break, medical students

showed me how they keep in touch with friends and news. I use social

media. But the site may sound unfamiliar. Renren, QQ. QQ. Renren,

Wade bow mac. I use QQ, Sarah has the weather. And Renren. Try not

these building its own social media superpowers. Meet Tencent, which

does everything Facebook, YouTube and Twitter two. This is their

growing video operation, or broadcast over the internet. They

had an American election programme, featuring issues like sex and

immigration. They believe they are offering their new freedom to

debate. Do you see social media and social video as a force for change?

TRANSLATION: I agree. People can discuss and share opinions and

comrades. That will help China become more open. I just tried and

failed to post on Twitter a picture of the people I met earlier. It is

blocked here. I therefore put it on Tencent. Without foreign

competition, the companies are causing a revolution in the way

people collect. But there is a limit to the self-expression

allowed. This man, a investigative journalist, says

social media has transformed his campaign to campaign tors

with health problems. That is nearly 7 million people following

A huge audience reads what he says. He's out there - that he is

outspoken and he says there is a red light he could not cross. What

is that line? TRANSLATION: It is intangible but being educated under

the rule of the Communist Party, I normally know where the red light

years. I can't publish comments critical of the party but I can do

satire or sarcasm. I cap Tencent, we found more about the limit of

self-expression. Listen to these translated responses. Can anybody

come on and say anything they like? against the Communist Party? That

is something sensitive. New social media businesses like Tencent are

transforming debate here. But one thing has not changed in China. You

do not question the Communist Party. Suburbs the world over have

expanded into once forested areas and have residents have often found

themselves living next to some rather wild neighbours. In South

Africa's Kate Allen, humans have been living side-by-side with the

booms. The problem is, the animals come down and raid rubbish bins,

cars and homes. -- Cape Town. Residents have now launched a

counter attack. It may look like a war-zone but it

is not. It is baboons verses humans here in Cape Town. Too much contact

with them has made them familiar with humans. As a result, they fear

nothing. Wi nothing. Wiplace, it is hoped the buffer zone will

help keep the animals in their natural habitat. Cape Town has

employed monitors to keep an eye on the baboons. They have adopted some

unusual techniques. This truth is Pretorius for raiding cars,

restaurants and campsites in search of tasty snacks. -- this troupe is

notorious. Philip Richardson believes using animal behaviour

methods of scent marks to demarcate boundaries can deter baboons from

entering humour -- Cuban territory. We want to create an association so

that if they smell pepper, and we paid for them at the same time,

maybe just maybe just f pepper will be scary to them and say, let's get

out of here. As humans encroach on the baboon's natural habitat, the

animals battle to find an easy source of food. Management of the

booms is an emotional issue here. There is an ongoing conflict

between some residents who want the animals euthanased and tourists who

rejoice seen the baboons but how often accused of feeding them.

is left over Peter that is either given by tourists for they have

raided a car for it. -- pizza. That is one of the problems we have.

People come and see the baboon and think he is hungry and they give

him food. He starts to associate humans with food.

Baboons are a protected species under South African law. These

baboon Rangers have got to know this troupe by name. As they

encourage them to return to the mountain's, they hope this

The world of long distance athletics has long been dominated

by East African runners. But there was discontent in Kenya this summer

when their runners failed to bring home the expected gold medals at

the Olympics. Even so, one village has proved a powerhouse both in

producing great runners and attracting the world's best runners

to train there. In May, our correspondent 0.21 village to find

out more. -- went to one that the lead.

High above the Rift Valley, they gather for their morning ritual.

This is a town where running is a way of life from schooldays onwards.

And whether early-morning soundtrack is the pounding of feet.

A quarter of the population her -- are committed athlete. That

fridges for some and inspired as a way to escape poverty. What do

you hope to do with your running? hope to improve my life, my living

standard, help my family and others. And aspiring athletes are held by

the presence of so many medallists. Taking advantage of the thin air,

the simple diet and a general hunger for success. Here at this

basic running track, you get a sense of what makes the place so

special. Elite Kenyan athletes, international athletes, world

champions and schoolkids are here and united by their passion for the

sport. Driving out of here, we are going to meet a young girl who

hopes to leave her poor surroundings and joined the ranks

of Kenya's champions. When the 12- year-old returns home after her

bare foot journey from school, she changes straight into her running

gear. And then it is time to warm up for her second training session

of the day. She runs to the local well at 5am to fetch water for her

grandmother. Her talent has already brought her victory in the National

Primary s. Expectant villagers hope that in

the future it will bring an end to their Harjit. This village is not

well developed. We do not even have electricity. -- their hardship. We

do not have good means of come back and help the community.

She will be a role model and then she can eradicate the poverty in

this village. But for the moment, that weight of responsibility

doesn't seem to be putting her off her stride. She has a quiet

confidence in her future success. For her, running isn't just a way