:00:26. > :00:29.Well no on BBC news, it is time for Welcome to Reporters. From here in
:00:29. > :00:36.the world news room, we send out correspondents to bring you the
:00:36. > :00:42.best stories from across the globe. This week, the fake bomb detectors
:00:42. > :00:46.which lead to misery and mayhem in Iraq. We investigate the British
:00:46. > :00:52.businessmen who made millions from the bogus devices designed to find
:00:52. > :00:57.lost golf balls. Jim McCormick brought hundreds of them from the
:00:57. > :01:04.US for $20 each. He put his of labels on them and sold them as
:01:04. > :01:08.bomb detectors for as much as $500 a time. A touring for past sins, we
:01:08. > :01:17.meet the North Korean agent convicted of going up a South
:01:17. > :01:20.Korean airliner in 1987. -- blowing up. Singapore's same-sex tablet. We
:01:20. > :01:27.ask why tolerance what many call the freedom to love is less open
:01:27. > :01:33.there. By law, sex between two men is still a criminal act. You can be
:01:33. > :01:41.jailed for up to two years. It is a legacy found in other colonies. And
:01:41. > :01:47.Africa's Oscars. We meet the red carpet stars of Nigeria.
:01:47. > :01:52.First, a report on cynicism and fraud on a scale that caused much
:01:52. > :01:56.tragedy. What started life as a novelty golf ball finder like this
:01:56. > :02:02.ended up taking the lives of hundreds. A British millionaire
:02:02. > :02:06.businessman took this simple gadget, a near Ariel on a hinge, and
:02:06. > :02:11.convince governments and some of the most volatile countries in the
:02:11. > :02:15.world that it was a bomb detector. This week, James McCormick was
:02:15. > :02:21.convicted of fraud after a BBC investigation uncovered the fate
:02:21. > :02:29.devices. He claimed they could also detect drugs, ivory and 100 dollar
:02:29. > :02:38.bills. His biggest market was in Iraq. As our correspondent reports,
:02:38. > :02:42.there were many countries that bought the device. If you believe
:02:42. > :02:47.the sales pitch, the so-called bomb detector could detect explosives
:02:47. > :02:54.for more than half a mile away. All power would by no more than the use
:02:54. > :02:59.of static electricity. -- all powered by. How many people's lives
:02:59. > :03:04.have been saved. Today at the Old Bailey, J MacCormick was convicted
:03:04. > :03:09.of fraud. His scam began with this, and novelty golf ball finder. In
:03:09. > :03:15.reality, an aerial on Atkins which could not find anything. He bought
:03:15. > :03:20.hundreds of them from the US for $20 each, put his old labels on
:03:20. > :03:26.them and sold them as bomb detectors for as much as $5,000 a
:03:26. > :03:36.time. He then created a more advanced looking version which he
:03:36. > :03:37.
:03:37. > :03:45.called the 8651. It came with special cards. -- ADE 651. He said
:03:45. > :03:50.it could detect ivory, hundred dollar bills and other things. He
:03:50. > :03:56.sold this one for even more money. Iraq spent thousands of dollars
:03:56. > :03:59.buying them for protection from suicide bombs at airports. We have
:03:59. > :04:05.been told that bribes to senior Iraqi officials helped Jim
:04:05. > :04:09.McCormick sweeten the deal for the ball was devices. -- bogus. This
:04:09. > :04:14.was one of a series of explosions to rock Baghdad in late 2009. At
:04:14. > :04:24.the height of the bombings, there were calls for the device to be
:04:24. > :04:27.
:04:27. > :04:33.withdrawn. up with the head of the Baghdad
:04:33. > :04:37.bomb squad, organised a press conference to persuade Iraqis that
:04:37. > :04:41.it worked. We have discovered that the general had been bribed by Jim
:04:41. > :04:48.McCormick. He has now been jailed for corruption fight to the work of
:04:48. > :04:53.this man. He is the inspector- general of the Interior Ministry.
:04:53. > :04:58.He says his investigation is backed by the Prime Minister but other
:04:58. > :05:03.high ranking officials are implicated in the conspiracy.
:05:03. > :05:08.TRANSLATION: I feel furious as a citizen of Iraq when I think that
:05:08. > :05:12.this man, Jim McCormick, and the Iraqis working with him, killed by
:05:12. > :05:16.people in cold blood by creating a false sense of security with a
:05:16. > :05:19.useless device. How many people lost their lives in bombs that
:05:19. > :05:24.passed through checkpoints were this device was being used?
:05:25. > :05:31.TRANSLATION: I think hundreds. I do not have exact statistics but it
:05:31. > :05:35.was hundreds. For every bomb stopped, he said, four got through.
:05:35. > :05:41.The exporters that were found work as cover because of tip-offs or by
:05:41. > :05:48.chance. Between 2008, and 2009, over 1,000 Iraqis died in bomb
:05:48. > :05:56.attacks in Baghdad alone. Many more words Yiewsley injured. I met
:05:56. > :06:01.Haneen Alwan in Jordan. She has come for medical treatment. She
:06:01. > :06:05.suffered an attack in Baghdad in 2009. She was two months pregnant
:06:05. > :06:10.at the time. She had been craving ice cream. She went to buy it when
:06:10. > :06:16.she was caught in the explosion. TRANSLATION: My life was completely
:06:16. > :06:22.destroyed. I lost everything in an instant. I was left with nothing. I
:06:22. > :06:26.lost the baby and my husband divorced me. She had trusted that
:06:26. > :06:30.Jim McCormick's so-called bomb detector, used at virtually every
:06:30. > :06:37.checkpoint, worked. What do you think of the man who sold these
:06:37. > :06:42.devices? TRANSLATION: The man has no conscience. He is morally
:06:42. > :06:49.bankrupt. How could he sell them just for the money and destroy the
:06:49. > :06:54.lives of others? He has no humanity. A useless person. At checkpoints
:06:54. > :06:58.across the capital and beyond were bombs remain a constant threat, the
:06:58. > :07:06.bogus detector is still being used. The man who sold them now faces
:07:06. > :07:10.several years behind bars. That report was from Iraq. To the
:07:10. > :07:15.conflict in Syria now. It is one of the most dangerous places in the
:07:15. > :07:19.world. Apart from the battle on the ground between government forces
:07:19. > :07:24.and rebels, kidnapping has now apparently reached epidemic
:07:24. > :07:29.proportions. Sometimes it is for political reasons. Often it is just
:07:29. > :07:34.for money. Our Middle East Editor has been talking to a victim of
:07:34. > :07:38.kidnapping in Damascus. A warning, this report contains graphic
:07:38. > :07:48.imagery which some of you may find disturbing. Some memories can't be
:07:48. > :07:52.
:07:52. > :08:00.wiped. When the shopkeeper was kidnapped, his captors demanded a
:08:00. > :08:05.$1.5 million ransom. They filmed him begging his family to help.
:08:05. > :08:15.When the kidnappers did not get what they wanted, he chopped off
:08:15. > :08:20.
:08:20. > :08:24.one of his fingers. -- they chopped off. They send the video and the
:08:24. > :08:31.finger to his family. He was ransomed after they borrowed
:08:32. > :08:37.$80,000. He says he was kidnapped by Sunni Muslim gunmen loyal to the
:08:37. > :08:44.opposition army for money and because he is a Shia who supports
:08:44. > :08:49.the President. TRANSLATION: The sectarian factor was clear. They
:08:49. > :08:56.directed sectarian insults to be at bisect. There was a lot of blame.
:08:56. > :09:06.They considered me an infidel. -- and my sect. The streets of
:09:06. > :09:11.Damascus used to be safe. Now at the empty after dark. -- now the
:09:11. > :09:17.empty. People know that kidnappers include gunmen loyal to both sides.
:09:17. > :09:21.It can be political, often it is about money. On the checkpoints,
:09:21. > :09:25.so-called popular committees. Vigilantes. These men seem that
:09:25. > :09:29.part of the community. Elsewhere there are complaints that the abuse
:09:29. > :09:34.their new power. The President has ordered the death penalty for
:09:34. > :09:38.kidnappers. He is being forced to contract out his security. That did
:09:38. > :09:43.not happen when this was a tight police state. Kidnapping is another
:09:43. > :09:48.way in which the war is doing serious damage to the social fabric
:09:48. > :09:54.of Syria. That matters have ever wins. Longer term, it is going to
:09:54. > :10:00.make it much harder to put this country back together again. The
:10:00. > :10:05.disintegration of Syria is making new men influential, even powerful.
:10:05. > :10:10.This man negotiates with kidnappers. He helped to release the man whose
:10:10. > :10:15.finger was cut off. He has police bodyguards, a sign of how close he
:10:15. > :10:21.is to the regime. He introduced me to leaders of the vigilantes in
:10:21. > :10:26.Damascus. He claimed the rebels were losing. These are local men
:10:26. > :10:30.who have what guns. All of them, they live here, in this area. They
:10:30. > :10:35.were given these guns by the Government to defend themselves.
:10:35. > :10:43.is necessary. A 13-year-old boy called Omar stops him, asking him
:10:43. > :10:49.to help get his kidnapped father released 41 days after he was taken.
:10:49. > :10:55.He has said "I am fine." This is the only words he has said. That is
:10:55. > :11:00.all they have had and 41 days? The reality is that kidnapping
:11:00. > :11:09.threatens Syrians on every side of the war that spawned it. The
:11:09. > :11:16.majority of people find themselves trapped. He said "I want my father
:11:16. > :11:23.back." it is not easy to get an insight into how the North Korean
:11:23. > :11:28.regime works. However, one person the first and
:11:28. > :11:32.experience spoke to us. She is no relation to the Kim dynasty that
:11:32. > :11:37.ruled the country for decades. She is a former North Korean agent who
:11:37. > :11:43.was convicted of blowing up a North Korean -- red camellia plane in
:11:43. > :11:53.1987. 115 people died. She now lives in seclusion and Seoul where
:11:53. > :12:09.
:12:09. > :12:12.she has given a rare interview to the young Korean sailors who were
:12:12. > :12:16.killed three years ago when their vessel was blown up by a North
:12:16. > :12:19.Korean torpedo. It was just one of the latest in a long line of
:12:19. > :12:23.attacks by North Korea on South Korean targets. I had been to talk
:12:23. > :12:26.to a woman who carried out one of the most infamous attacks. I was
:12:26. > :12:29.told to take down a South Korean airliner. I was told to create
:12:29. > :12:39.chaos and confusion. The mission would strike a blow for the
:12:39. > :12:40.
:12:40. > :12:45.revolution. We did the orders come from? In North Korea everything is
:12:45. > :12:55.about the kingdom. Without you say so nothing can happen. We were told
:12:55. > :12:59.we were contributing to bringing about the unification of Korea.
:12:59. > :13:06.leader was a god-like figure. We were ready so to sacrifice Sella.
:13:06. > :13:13.We were contributing to bringing about the reunification of Korea.
:13:13. > :13:19.Does that mean people will be loyal to the present leader because he is
:13:20. > :13:24.part of the royal family. As the colt still working? North Korea is
:13:24. > :13:29.in a desperate situation. Discontent is very high with the
:13:29. > :13:34.leader. He has to put a lid on it. You only thing he has his nuclear
:13:34. > :13:41.weapons. That is why he has created the sense of war, to try to rally
:13:41. > :13:47.the population. He is doing business with nuclear weapons.
:13:47. > :13:54.do you deal with your personal feelings of guilt? When I confessed
:13:54. > :14:04.I did so reluctantly. I felt my family would be in danger. It was a
:14:04. > :14:04.
:14:04. > :14:10.big decision to confess. I began to realise it would be the right thing
:14:10. > :14:20.to do ffor the victims. Eventually I met with the the victims families.
:14:20. > :14:20.
:14:20. > :14:30.They were all in tears. How do you feel now? There is no other country
:14:30. > :14:34.like North Korea. People outside cannot understand that. The whole
:14:34. > :14:43.country is set to show loyalty to the dynasty. People are
:14:44. > :14:50.indoctrinated. There are no freedoms. When I look back it makes
:14:50. > :15:00.me feel sad. Why did I have to be born in North Korea? Look at what
:15:00. > :15:01.
:15:01. > :15:04.it did to me. Gay marriage became legal in France this week. New
:15:04. > :15:08.Zealand passed a similar law the week before. Many states in the
:15:08. > :15:17.United States have gone the same way. But in many countries
:15:17. > :15:25.tolerance is less obvious. Parts of Asia can be quite conservative.
:15:25. > :15:32.Singapore has a law against sex between men. How strictly is that
:15:32. > :15:42.law enforced? This is Singapore's one and only openly gay public
:15:42. > :15:52.
:15:52. > :15:55.figure. Need a drag-queen and stand up He jokes about having sex with
:15:55. > :16:05.another man and the audience does not always burst into laughter.
:16:05. > :16:09.
:16:09. > :16:11.had to clear all my inhibitions. I think there is more tolerance.
:16:12. > :16:21.People understand that people are just bored differently. - - people
:16:22. > :16:26.
:16:26. > :16:29.are just born differently. The public attitude has been changing.
:16:29. > :16:39.Thousands of people gather to support the freedom to love
:16:39. > :16:41.
:16:41. > :16:47.regardless of sexual orientation. There are even some gay clubs. But
:16:47. > :16:57.by law sex between two men is still a criminal act. Despite this law
:16:57. > :16:59.
:16:59. > :17:04.these photos were published earlier this month in a magazine.
:17:04. > :17:11.Prosecutions are rare but one couple has been challenging the law
:17:11. > :17:15.in court arguing it is unconstitutional. Despite this law,
:17:15. > :17:18.these voters were published earlier this month in a magazine. Media
:17:18. > :17:28.outlets are not allowed to promote homosexual acts, so these
:17:28. > :17:32.
:17:32. > :17:42.publishers publish their magazine only in digital form. Our magazine
:17:42. > :17:43.
:17:43. > :17:47.is a healthy lifestyle magazine. tried to create a mixture of fun
:17:47. > :17:57.allotments and lifestyle and fashion together with the
:17:57. > :17:58.
:17:58. > :18:05.educational content. Coming out in Asia, HIV. Sex and relationships,
:18:05. > :18:09.monogamy, all these things that would help address their concerns.
:18:09. > :18:17.There is been no complaint from the government. Getting the law to
:18:17. > :18:22.follow suit is proving to be tougher. This week began with a
:18:22. > :18:27.celebration of African cinema as Nigeria home to what is known as
:18:27. > :18:32.the African home -- film industry marked the African Film Academy
:18:32. > :18:42.Awards. Film-makers, starts and musicians flew from across the
:18:42. > :18:44.
:18:44. > :18:47.Continent to the African Oscars. It was held in Nigeria. They
:18:47. > :18:51.celebrated the confident and burgeoning film industry. There was
:18:51. > :18:56.plenty of red carpet glamour on show as the stars headed for the
:18:56. > :19:01.African Academy Awards. In the Niger Delta, a night to show off in
:19:01. > :19:05.front of cameras. Time for some last-minute touches. You would not
:19:05. > :19:11.call many of these people shy, they were some Bald wardrobe choices.
:19:11. > :19:17.Outside the venue, and clamoured to get a glimpse of the stars. Film-
:19:17. > :19:22.makers and musicians flown in from all over the Continent, including a
:19:22. > :19:27.South African singing duo. Tell me how does it feel to be here in the
:19:27. > :19:33.Niger delta. It is not your average location for a movie awards
:19:33. > :19:39.ceremony? We're very excited. It gives people around here an
:19:39. > :19:46.opportunity to see stars. They have bought it closer to the people. We
:19:46. > :19:51.are looking forward to it and very excited. Inside the walls of a warm
:19:51. > :19:56.welcome is a marathon eight-hour awards ceremony got under way. 700
:19:56. > :20:02.films was submitted from across Africa and the DS Brewer. All
:20:02. > :20:08.aiming to win a shapely hammer. The jury chose a South African woman as
:20:08. > :20:13.best actress. Other awards went to films from Kenya, Mali, Mozambique
:20:13. > :20:21.and Burkina Faso. The inns are passed on from one generation to
:20:21. > :20:28.the next. The Nigerian film won the Best Film, a comedy-drama full of
:20:28. > :20:32.comedy and revenge and heartbreak. It cost $40,000 to make. After
:20:32. > :20:41.earlier scooping the best Nigerian film award, it was a great night
:20:41. > :20:47.for the director. The competition, there has never been as many
:20:47. > :20:52.entries that they have got them. They were so many quality films.
:20:52. > :20:58.But to get this award means a lot. We put a lot into making our own
:20:58. > :21:03.film. One thing I know my film will do, it will inspire young film-
:21:03. > :21:08.makers to get out there and get a little bit of money and shoot a
:21:08. > :21:13.film. This was a ceremony have focused on Africa's deep pall of