:00:01. > :00:05.different numbers to crunch. There will be more on that and all the
:00:05. > :00:15.day's stories on the channel throughout the night. Now on BBC
:00:15. > :00:25.
:00:25. > :00:28.Welcome to Reporters. I'm cash and Madeira. From here in the world's
:00:28. > :00:34.newsroom we sent out correspondence to bring you the best stories from
:00:34. > :00:39.across the globe. -- we send out correspondents. We report from
:00:39. > :00:46.northern Nigeria on the toxic legacy of gold mining. Fergal Keane
:00:46. > :00:51.meets the Syrian teenage graffiti artists whose slogans helped to
:00:51. > :00:59.ignite the revolution. And revving up the crowds in South Africa. We
:00:59. > :01:03.go round in circles with the spinners are Johannesburg. We start
:01:03. > :01:07.in Northern Nigeria where hundreds of children have died and thousands
:01:07. > :01:11.of others have been infected in one of the worst cases of lead
:01:11. > :01:16.poisoning in the world. In the last four years around 460 children
:01:16. > :01:21.under the age of five have died from their exposure in the province
:01:21. > :01:26.are, where properties different ed communities have resorted to
:01:26. > :01:31.illegally mining gold -- poverty stricken communities. We report
:01:31. > :01:35.from one of the worst-affected villages. Some of the worst
:01:35. > :01:42.affected victims of the lead poisoning crisis. Symptoms here
:01:42. > :01:50.include paralysis and even brain damage. In the village four-year-
:01:50. > :01:56.old can neither here nor speak. Her mother says they used to process
:01:56. > :02:01.cold at home and this is how her daughter was contaminated. -- Col.
:02:01. > :02:05.Has rich gold deposits. These miners take incredible risks
:02:05. > :02:10.spending days underground trying to dig their way out of poverty. They
:02:10. > :02:14.bring the rocks here for processing. But there's a high concentration of
:02:14. > :02:19.extremely toxic lead in the dust that is released. Experts say that
:02:19. > :02:23.the levels are the highest in the world. A lot of the processing used
:02:23. > :02:27.to happen here in the village. Even now the men are bringing the dust
:02:27. > :02:32.back home on their tools and clothes. For the children this
:02:32. > :02:35.creates a poisonous playground. At least eight villagers in this area
:02:35. > :02:39.have been contaminated in what has been one of the world's worst cases
:02:39. > :02:44.of lead poisoning. Hundreds of children have died and thousands
:02:44. > :02:50.more have been left needing urgent medical attention. Here that
:02:50. > :02:54.includes more than half of all children under six. This treatment
:02:54. > :02:59.centre is run by the age group doctors Without borders. Children
:02:59. > :03:03.receive medication which helps to clear the lead from their bodies. -
:03:03. > :03:06.- age group. This can take 15 years. Aid groups worried that the
:03:06. > :03:11.government may not have the capacity to take over this
:03:11. > :03:21.treatment. The Minister of Health and the Federal Minister of Health,
:03:21. > :03:25.they are not active on the ground. We have not seen them. LED
:03:25. > :03:29.treatment is complicated. It needs a lot of training. To the
:03:29. > :03:34.government denies the accusation and puts the blame back on the
:03:35. > :03:39.community itself. This is a man- made disaster. It is not a natural
:03:39. > :03:44.disaster. Illegal mining is the only reason for this. Lack of
:03:44. > :03:48.awareness is behind it. We have got to take action. Government will
:03:48. > :03:53.continue to take all steps to protect the lives and well being of
:03:53. > :03:58.these people. Efforts are now under way to clean up the environment.
:03:58. > :04:01.Toxic soil is replaced with clean earth. It is slow work, partly
:04:01. > :04:05.because they don't have the equipment the government was
:04:05. > :04:11.supposed to supply. Medical help can only be given once all the
:04:11. > :04:15.poisonous soil has been removed, and that hasn't happened in village.
:04:15. > :04:19.Aid agencies and villagers asking why the government has not been
:04:19. > :04:24.treating this as an emergency, because that's what it is. Gold
:04:24. > :04:28.mining may be lucrative, but leg is proving to be a highly damaging by
:04:28. > :04:38.product. As long as mining is allowed to continue thousands of
:04:38. > :04:41.
:04:41. > :04:45.The conflict in Syria is now in its third year. It's thought and 70,000
:04:45. > :04:49.people have lost their lives during that time. The catalyst seems to be
:04:49. > :04:56.the moment where a young schoolboy is painted anti-regime graffiti on
:04:56. > :05:02.a wall in the City of Dera'a -- where young schoolboys. Their
:05:02. > :05:07.subsequent torture and death caused The likes of Dera'a, the city where
:05:08. > :05:10.schoolboys helps to ignite a revolution -- lights. On this
:05:10. > :05:16.nondescript wall they sprayed the most daring worst imaginable, the
:05:16. > :05:21.call for the end of the regime. -- words. Now two years on many of
:05:21. > :05:26.those responsible for that graffiti are scattered into exile. These
:05:26. > :05:30.boys of Dera'a hold hands, a sign of the friendship forged by
:05:31. > :05:38.dramatic events. They were 13 and 14 when they watched the Arab
:05:38. > :05:42.Spring unfolding on television. TRANSLATION: We came out of school
:05:42. > :05:47.and saw Libya and other countries' names on the walls. So we bought
:05:47. > :05:52.spray tans and rode our names, and called for the downfall of the Al
:05:52. > :05:57.Assad regime. -- wrote to. What were you thinking when you did
:05:57. > :06:01.that? We thought we were playing, it was also UN. 15 other boys from
:06:01. > :06:07.the school were arrested and tortured -- it was for fun. That
:06:07. > :06:11.led to the biggest demonstrations the regime face. Dera'a became the
:06:11. > :06:15.cockpit of revolt. But for some local boy is it meant torture and
:06:15. > :06:21.death. 15-year-old Hamza al-Khateeb was brutally beaten and his body
:06:21. > :06:25.was mutilated -- boys. Tahmer al- Shari, also 15, was tortured and
:06:25. > :06:33.killed. On both sides of this conflict the young have been
:06:33. > :06:39.traumatised. The UN has warned of a lost generation of Syrian children.
:06:40. > :06:48.TRANSLATION: My childhood has been lost. Many houses, including mine,
:06:48. > :06:56.have been destroyed. I want to go back to Syria. And children from
:06:56. > :07:00.Dera'a are still fleeing. These boys attend the UN school at
:07:01. > :07:05.Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. The schools they left behind are unable
:07:06. > :07:10.to function. 12-year-old Moussa wants to be a maths teacher and
:07:10. > :07:15.speaks hopefully of going home. TRANSLATION: I'm encouraging myself
:07:15. > :07:21.and my family not to be scared, and not to be surprised by what we will
:07:21. > :07:25.find when we come back. When we go back. There's far more certainty
:07:25. > :07:34.among children than adults. They have suffered much, but something
:07:34. > :07:38.of the original spirit of Dera'a Now here's a shocking statistic
:07:38. > :07:43.which sheds light on a hidden problem. In India every two hours a
:07:43. > :07:48.woman dies of an abortion that goes wrong. The stigma associated with
:07:48. > :07:52.pregnancy, especially where the foetus is a girl, often leads women
:07:52. > :07:58.to backstreet abortion clinics where treatment is illegal and
:07:58. > :08:04.unsafe. Sanjoy Majumder has been to Maharashtra, and a warning, this
:08:05. > :08:11.report is harrowing. Terrified and traumatised. This 22-year-old was
:08:11. > :08:16.raped in her village. It's taken her a long time to find help. This
:08:16. > :08:21.clinic is 90 kilometres away from her home. She is five months
:08:21. > :08:24.pregnant and desperate for an abortion of her unborn child.
:08:24. > :08:32.Completely illegal in India, but almost impossible to achieve for
:08:32. > :08:38.many. TRANSLATION: I went to many doctors. But they all refused to
:08:38. > :08:43.help me. I'm too frightened to speak about it openly in my village.
:08:43. > :08:48.It will shame of my family and no- one will marry me. -- shame my
:08:48. > :08:53.family. Many Indian women are forced to accept any available help
:08:53. > :08:58.from unqualified, sometimes unscrupulous doctors. And when they
:08:58. > :09:07.eventually get to a proper medical facility like this one they are
:09:07. > :09:12.often critically ill. Then the Asian becomes serious and they go
:09:12. > :09:18.into shock -- patient. They go into septicaemia and they died. Every
:09:18. > :09:24.two hours a woman dies in India... Because of an abortion that has
:09:24. > :09:28.gone horribly wrong. The result of ignorance, especially about the law,
:09:28. > :09:34.made worse by social attitudes. It's in communities like is that
:09:34. > :09:39.the problem is most acute. Much of rural India is cut off from quality
:09:39. > :09:43.healthcare. Because it is socially conservative there's a real stigma
:09:43. > :09:48.attached to the issue. So if a woman from here wants to get an
:09:48. > :09:57.abortion it's quite difficult for her to find a doctor whose either
:09:57. > :10:03.qualified or even willing to carry it out. -- who is either. Some are
:10:03. > :10:07.trying to change that. This doctor talks through a particularly
:10:07. > :10:11.difficult procedure to his young trainees. His patient has had an
:10:11. > :10:18.abortion elsewhere, but has developed medical complications.
:10:18. > :10:21.Nurses comfort her as the doctor tries to repair the damage. India's
:10:21. > :10:28.healthcare system is failing its women because of poor awareness,
:10:28. > :10:32.prejudice and apathy, especially towards those who need it most.
:10:32. > :10:42.Back at the clinic the young woman will survive, even be able to have
:10:42. > :10:42.
:10:42. > :10:46.children again. But there are It's almost a year since Nicolas
:10:46. > :10:51.Sarkozy left office, losing an election that became a referendum
:10:51. > :10:55.on his style and personality. And he was replaced of course by the
:10:55. > :11:00.man they dubbed Mr Normal, Francois Hollande. The ex-president is now
:11:00. > :11:04.under investigation over illegal party funding. But as Mr Hollande's
:11:05. > :11:14.popularity wanes, the polls are suggesting a possible surprise
:11:15. > :11:18.
:11:18. > :11:23.He left the Palace pledging never to return. Less than a year on,
:11:23. > :11:27.polls suggest that if an election was held today, the former
:11:27. > :11:33.President would trounce the incumbents Francois Hollande. Since
:11:33. > :11:39.May, his appearances have been few and far between. He is still the
:11:39. > :11:45.preferred candidate for 2017. not exactly in, he is not
:11:45. > :11:51.absolutely out. He lets everybody understand what they want. Some of
:11:51. > :11:57.his supporters think the boy back. Others say it is not possible.
:11:57. > :12:01.it in his favour? In a way. The French have long endorsed in a
:12:01. > :12:05.soldier for the ex-presidents. Perhaps it is not Nicolas Sarkozy
:12:05. > :12:13.day and four, his energy rather. His chances of a comeback will
:12:13. > :12:18.depend on his ability to be a complete reversal of the last
:12:18. > :12:22.presidential campaign. Francois Hollande customers of this is to
:12:22. > :12:28.normal. Amid the conception that he is to normal, the attitude of
:12:28. > :12:36.Nicolas Sarkozy has taken on a new low were. There is a potential
:12:36. > :12:42.problem. Magistrates in Bordeaux are investigating allegations he
:12:42. > :12:48.took illegal party donations. So high are the stakes that the
:12:48. > :12:52.investigating judge even received a death threat, a bullet in the post.
:12:52. > :12:58.TRANSLATION: Politicians must be aware that in democracy, justice
:12:58. > :13:03.and judges must be respected. There will be violence an controlled
:13:03. > :13:09.reactions to the kind of rhetoric we have heard. Equally poisonous
:13:09. > :13:14.was the leadership battle to replace Nicolas Sarkozy. The new
:13:14. > :13:19.leader has been bitterly contested. While he remains in charge for now,
:13:19. > :13:23.a failed contest needs the strike leaves the door open. Nicolas
:13:23. > :13:32.Sarkozy is there in the mind of everybody. He knows that and is
:13:32. > :13:37.playing it well. He will have these people talk in his own place.
:13:37. > :13:41.primaries to pick the next candidate would come until 2016. It
:13:41. > :13:48.will give Nicolas Sarkozy plenty of time to clear his name. He is a
:13:48. > :13:55.wily campaigner. In Pakistan, it is unprecedented
:13:55. > :13:59.for a woman from a tribal area to take part in elections, until now.
:13:59. > :14:02.One woman is standing as an independent in the upcoming
:14:02. > :14:12.elections in one of the two constituencies of the northernmost
:14:12. > :14:14.
:14:14. > :14:19.part of Pakistan's tribal region. Getting ready to meet the voters, a
:14:19. > :14:23.new face in politics in the tribal region. She is stepping outside of
:14:23. > :14:29.her home and into the political arena. It is a historic journey in
:14:29. > :14:35.a place where women do not go far without male permission. She hits
:14:35. > :14:40.the campaign trail with a female relatives by her side. On the
:14:40. > :14:45.doorsteps, she is getting a warm reception from local women. She is
:14:45. > :14:50.already sounding like a seasoned politician. Give me your vote, she
:14:50. > :14:57.says. After that, I will try to solve your problems. She says
:14:57. > :15:02.women's needs will be top of her agenda. There is a lot of poverty
:15:02. > :15:09.here, she told us. Women have no health and education facilities. I
:15:09. > :15:13.want to tackle this. Women and men are equal. In this conservative
:15:13. > :15:18.region, she may struggle to win a seat. She is an independent
:15:18. > :15:24.candidate with no party machine. On the streets, some local men are
:15:24. > :15:29.ready to back her. TRANSLATION: It is good that a woman from our area
:15:29. > :15:36.is standing. It is really important. I am planning to vote for her and
:15:36. > :15:43.help us succeed. This house worth who cannot read or write once more
:15:43. > :15:47.girls' schools, in an area where militants keep on the strain. She
:15:47. > :15:56.is treading a risky path. This pioneering woman says her safety is
:15:57. > :16:01.in the hands of God. Increasing numbers of the Iranians are
:16:01. > :16:06.settling in the former Soviet state of Georgia. Some say they are being
:16:06. > :16:10.forced to move because of Iran's poor economy. Others blame
:16:11. > :16:17.persecution by authorities. Overall, Georgia has in the number of
:16:18. > :16:21.foreign visitors arriving increase by 60%. Our correspondent has more.
:16:21. > :16:27.The circulation of this week the magazine for Iranians living in
:16:27. > :16:30.Georgia has quadrupled since it was set up seven months ago. He hopes
:16:30. > :16:34.Iranians settle in Georgia by explaining quarter and four
:16:34. > :16:37.editions, and giving advice on starting business. Its owner says
:16:37. > :16:41.many are moving here because they cannot cope with the inflation in
:16:41. > :16:48.the run. Many say the economy is being hit because of sanctions
:16:48. > :16:56.being imposed by the West's. Georgette is an attractive option
:16:56. > :17:01.for some. It is close, and Iranians do not need a visa. There are
:17:01. > :17:06.Iranians with money who like to invest in Georgia. They find
:17:06. > :17:11.Georgia as a business hub at the moment. The economy is growing.
:17:11. > :17:18.This toy manufacturer is one of the many Iranians looking to snap up a
:17:19. > :17:24.business here. He runs a consistency that sees up to 15
:17:24. > :17:28.people a day, helping Iranians set up a business in Georgia. In Iran,
:17:28. > :17:37.it is getting impossible to do business. The currency is
:17:37. > :17:42.constantly losing value. We buy something today ends in that day,
:17:42. > :17:49.the money will go up and we will lose money. Georgia was once part
:17:49. > :17:54.of an Iranian empire. A lot of home. Georgia hopes that the influx
:17:54. > :18:00.of Iranians will boost the economy. The chairman's to Georgia is how to
:18:00. > :18:08.have a good relationship with Iran without antagonising the US. Some
:18:08. > :18:15.people are a leading Iran because they say they are persecuted there.
:18:15. > :18:19.They are handing out the Bible in Farsi. That is impossible in Iran.
:18:19. > :18:25.This critic claims he spent 40 days in solitary confinement and was
:18:25. > :18:30.beaten by police. If you are a Muslim and you convert to
:18:30. > :18:37.Christianity, this government will cause problems in Iran. You can go
:18:37. > :18:41.to prison easily. For these new arrivals it is hard to find work.
:18:41. > :18:48.Employment -- unemployment is high in Georgia. At least they have
:18:48. > :18:52.found a place where they can freely express a religion and opinions.
:18:52. > :18:57.Rip up engines, fast cars and daring stunts used to be a ritual
:18:57. > :19:02.associated with South African Dexter's in the 1990s. Since being
:19:02. > :19:12.made legal, motor spinning has become one of the country's fast-
:19:12. > :19:13.
:19:13. > :19:18.growing motor sports. Our correspondent has more. If you are
:19:18. > :19:25.a driving instructor, look away now. In South Africa's townships,
:19:26. > :19:31.spinning is the big craze. This gives burning rubber a new meaning.
:19:31. > :19:36.Within minutes, reckless drivers called spinners take a driving
:19:37. > :19:43.passion to Dearing levels in spectacular fashion. It started in
:19:43. > :19:46.the township many years ago. There is not one specific township that
:19:46. > :19:52.start of the sport. If we look at South Africa as a whole, almost
:19:52. > :20:02.every township has got a spinning crew, a legacy and somebody is a
:20:02. > :20:03.
:20:03. > :20:09.legend that people look up to. many covered one of South Africa's
:20:09. > :20:17.most finest spinners. Because I'm in the car with him, he has
:20:17. > :20:26.sure about that right now. If it hadn't been for the sport, he says
:20:26. > :20:30.his life would have turned out differently. Personally for me as I
:20:30. > :20:36.get into the sport I would go round the block doing tricks and a
:20:36. > :20:39.practice. I enjoy the sport, it keeps me busy. A lot of guys in the
:20:39. > :20:47.neighbourhood are doing the wrong thing, drugs, housebreaking,
:20:47. > :20:50.stealing. Spinning has become a legalise spectator sport. It
:20:50. > :20:56.started as against a ritual in the country's townships. It has a
:20:56. > :21:01.fearsome reputation. In the 1990s, one against a was killed, his
:21:01. > :21:11.friends would steal a car, spinet at his funeral, and then set it
:21:11. > :21:21.alight. Behind the scenes, an army of mechanics are working constantly
:21:21. > :21:28.