:00:09. > :00:16.A taste of freedom for political prisoners, released as Burma takes
:00:16. > :00:19.one more step on the road to reform. Pakistan's prime minister calls for
:00:19. > :00:22.a vote of support for the system of democracy.
:00:22. > :00:27.Beware of big breakfasts. New research suggests a link between
:00:27. > :00:31.processed meat and pancreatic cancer.
:00:31. > :00:34.Welcome to BBC World News. I'm Adam Parsons. Also in this programme:
:00:34. > :00:38.Apple stores across China take iPhones off their shelves, after
:00:38. > :00:41.scuffles at the Beijing launch of the latest model.
:00:41. > :00:51.And, we're back where the Arab uprisings first began. But, a year
:00:51. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:02.on, have things really changed in Tunisia?
:01:02. > :01:05.Burma's government is releasing many of its most prominent
:01:05. > :01:09.dissidents in what's being seen as one of the most significant steps
:01:09. > :01:16.so far in its moves towards reform. Some 650 prisoners are being freed
:01:16. > :01:19.in the latest of a series of amnesties. They include Min Ko Nine,
:01:20. > :01:24.who was one of the leaders of a failed pro-democracy uprising in
:01:24. > :01:27.1988. The country's former Prime Minister Thakin Kin Nyoon has also
:01:27. > :01:31.been freed from house arrest. Our South East Asia correspondent
:01:31. > :01:39.Rachel Harvey's in Bangkok. She says the amnesty follows pressure
:01:39. > :01:43.from both outside Burma, and from within.
:01:43. > :01:47.This had been long anticipated, and of course demands for this kind of
:01:48. > :01:53.scale of release had been growing, not just from international
:01:53. > :01:59.diplomats visiting, but crucially from the opposition movement and at
:01:59. > :02:04.Aung San Suu Kyi, within Burma. The pressure had been growing and the
:02:04. > :02:07.government itself had long promised to do this, privately, and
:02:07. > :02:15.occasionally in public ministers saying they would do this. They
:02:15. > :02:19.just needed to get the timing right. Why today, we do not know. It comes
:02:19. > :02:23.ahead of by-elections on 1st April. It could be a confidence-building
:02:23. > :02:29.measure. It is up to the Burmese government to explain why they are
:02:29. > :02:32.doing this. It is a crucial step, significant not just in terms of
:02:32. > :02:39.the numbers being released today, but the names of those being
:02:39. > :02:46.released, a prominent political activists, members of the 88
:02:46. > :02:52.Generation Students. Those involved in the 2007 protests, members of
:02:52. > :02:55.ethnic minority groups including senior leaders. A broad and deep as
:02:55. > :03:00.nervily switch is a significant step towards meeting a key demand
:03:00. > :03:07.of Western nations. Is it you're reading this is a fundamental
:03:07. > :03:12.change in policy or is there still a pragmatic decision there? It is
:03:12. > :03:16.part of a process. There are reformers were then the government
:03:16. > :03:20.that appear at the moment to have the upper hand and who are pushing
:03:20. > :03:25.his Ford. While they have the upper hand, they want to keep this
:03:25. > :03:30.momentum going, to push these reforms as far and fast as they
:03:30. > :03:34.feel comfortable to do. There are others within the government and
:03:34. > :03:39.the military in the background who may be wary about what is happening,
:03:39. > :03:46.who may be reluctant to give their blessing at least to this kind of
:03:46. > :03:50.speed of reform. There are tensions within the leadership, but there is
:03:50. > :03:56.also a growing momentum for change and an expectation among ordinary
:03:56. > :04:02.people that this will continue. It is very hard after a certain point
:04:02. > :04:05.to stop this, that is what people are looking for, when can they say
:04:05. > :04:10.this is irreversible? When things cannot go back to the way they were
:04:10. > :04:14.before. We are fast approaching that. Pakistan's parliament has
:04:14. > :04:17.announced that it will hold a vote of confidence in its political
:04:17. > :04:20.leadership, and its parliamentary system, on Monday. It comes just
:04:20. > :04:22.after President Asif Ali Zardari returned from a short visit to
:04:22. > :04:25.Dubai, the subject of much speculation, given the high levels
:04:25. > :04:28.of tension between the government and the military. The Prime
:04:28. > :04:37.Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today appealed to politicians for support
:04:37. > :04:40.saying they have to choose between democracy and dictatorship.
:04:40. > :04:46.Our correspondent in Islamabad, Aleem Maqbool, says this is a
:04:46. > :04:51.clever strategic move by the government.
:04:51. > :04:55.It is, in effect, a vote of confidence in the current
:04:55. > :04:59.government. They have done it cleverly, they have tabled a
:04:59. > :05:04.resolution in Parliament, the Prime Minister and his coalition. MPs
:05:04. > :05:09.will have to vote on whether they it endorse democracy. The Prime
:05:09. > :05:14.Minister has said, I represent democracy, my government represents
:05:14. > :05:19.democracy. If you get rid of us, it set us back democracy. It is a
:05:19. > :05:25.clever way to get them out of the very difficult situation. That is
:05:25. > :05:31.what they will be voting on. The promise to came out with a defiant
:05:31. > :05:35.and bold speech, ending with this very clever move by this government.
:05:35. > :05:41.But he is under incredible pressure from the Army, which he has openly
:05:41. > :05:46.criticised, from the Supreme Court which may dismiss this government
:05:46. > :05:50.Ovett issues linked to corruption claims against the President, and
:05:50. > :05:56.he is also coming under tremendous pressure from the opposition which
:05:56. > :06:01.wants to directly hold a vote of no confidence in him. Briefly, what is
:06:01. > :06:06.your reading of where this is likely to go? He has some say his
:06:06. > :06:12.critics. There is a three-way stand-off with the Army, Supreme
:06:12. > :06:17.Court, and the government. Any of them could make a move which
:06:17. > :06:21.precipitates a crisis. This could rumble on for a while with this
:06:21. > :06:25.tension. Those three institutions really can't work together.
:06:25. > :06:28.Stay with us because, later in the programme, we'll be hearing more
:06:28. > :06:32.about this from Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
:06:32. > :06:35.The US military says it has identified at least two of the four
:06:35. > :06:38.marines in a video which appears to show US marines in Afghanistan
:06:38. > :06:41.urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters. The video, which was
:06:41. > :06:45.posted online, shows the Marines standing over the bodies of several
:06:45. > :06:55.Taliban fighters, at least one of whom is covered in blood. The US
:06:55. > :06:57.
:06:57. > :07:07.Secretary of Defence called the incident utterly deplorable.
:07:07. > :07:14.
:07:14. > :07:16.A US military tribunal has recommended -- A US military
:07:16. > :07:19.tribunal has recommended a court martial for Private Bradley Manning,
:07:19. > :07:22.for allegedly providing thousands of secret documents to the whistle-
:07:22. > :07:24.blowing website Wikileaks. The tribunal chief said reasonable
:07:24. > :07:27.grounds DID exist to believe Private Manning had committed the
:07:27. > :07:29.offences of which he's accused. The Canadian government has
:07:29. > :07:32.declared all marriages between foreign gay couples as invalid.
:07:32. > :07:36.It's a move that could affect thousands of same sex couples
:07:36. > :07:39.who've married in Canada. Under the country's law, gay unions are only
:07:39. > :07:42.valid if couples can also lawfully marry in their home country.
:07:42. > :07:45.A link between eating processed meat, such as bacon or sausages,
:07:45. > :07:48.and pancreatic cancer, has been suggested by researchers in Sweden.
:07:48. > :07:56.They say eating an extra 50 grams of processed meat, approximately
:07:56. > :07:59.one sausage, every day would increase a person's risk by 19%.
:07:59. > :08:08.Researchers have already discovered a link between bowel cancer and
:08:08. > :08:11.eating too much processed meat like salami, bacon and sausages. Now
:08:11. > :08:14.scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden says there
:08:14. > :08:17.could be a link with pancreatic cancer. Advice experts think we
:08:17. > :08:21.should take seriously. 8,000 people get this type of cancer every year
:08:21. > :08:25.in the UK. Because it is hard to treat, it tends to have lower
:08:25. > :08:35.survival than other types of cancer. If we can find out what affects the
:08:35. > :08:35.
:08:35. > :08:39.risk it would be really good. report sounds quite alarming. It
:08:39. > :08:42.says 50 grammes of processed meat, equivalent to two rashers of bacon,
:08:42. > :08:45.if eaten everyday, could increase your risk of developing pancreatic
:08:45. > :08:47.cancer by nearly 20%. If you compare that to the risks
:08:47. > :08:51.associated with smoking, it is actually quite small. Pancreatic
:08:51. > :08:54.cancer is rare, but often deadly. Craig Wood died 10 weeks after
:08:55. > :09:04.being diagnosed. His wife Diana says the illness can strike with
:09:04. > :09:08.frightening speed. It takes hold of you very quickly. Before you know
:09:08. > :09:18.it, you are diagnosed, it is too late, because it goes far too
:09:18. > :09:19.
:09:19. > :09:23.quickly and takes over your body. The chances of developing
:09:23. > :09:26.pancreatic cancer remain low, but researchers say it is such a deadly
:09:26. > :09:36.disease anything that increases the risk needs further study. Now it's
:09:36. > :09:38.
:09:38. > :09:46.time for the business news. We are talking about Italian debt.
:09:46. > :09:52.Yesterday, Spain went to the money markets on a relatively short-term
:09:52. > :09:56.debt. A very successful bond auction for the Spanish government.
:09:56. > :10:01.There were high expectations that Italy, doing the same kind of
:10:01. > :10:06.auction, would seek a similar result. It raised $6 billion on the
:10:06. > :10:14.money market, but nowhere near as successful, if you compare it to
:10:14. > :10:19.Spain yesterday. That is a big question. Again, short-term debt.
:10:19. > :10:23.Italy has to go back on generate 30 to sell long-term debt.
:10:23. > :10:33.Live now to Milan, and Stefano Cordero di Monta-Zemolo, from the
:10:33. > :10:34.
:10:34. > :10:39.We have the results, as I said, they raised what they wanted but
:10:39. > :10:45.nowhere near as successful as Spain. Is this the market comparing and
:10:45. > :10:50.dredging Spain against Italy? We have to consider the differences
:10:50. > :10:57.between Spain and Italy. Because, the political situation is
:10:57. > :11:03.different. Despite the fact that Spain has an even worse situation
:11:03. > :11:10.than Italy, at economic level, the political situation is more stable.
:11:10. > :11:14.There is a clear government. And it is going to last. In Italy, the
:11:14. > :11:21.political situation remains unstable. So, I appreciate this
:11:21. > :11:26.situation because, the signal is positive in a way. At least,
:11:27. > :11:33.considering the trend. But, having had a lower result than expected,
:11:33. > :11:37.it is a sort of pressure for the Italian system, that the situation
:11:37. > :11:44.has not overcome the problems, and new political changes have to come
:11:44. > :11:49.if we want to get out of this situation. If the pressure is on
:11:49. > :11:55.Italy to sell three year debt. On 30th January, Italy has to go back
:11:55. > :12:04.to sell long-term debt. Always a tougher task to get high investor
:12:04. > :12:13.confidence. That is going to be the test so far. Yes. This is the test.
:12:13. > :12:19.In my view, until April, I would say, in the next three months, this
:12:19. > :12:29.is a key time. In these months, we have the two elements to consider,
:12:29. > :12:29.
:12:29. > :12:37.that the government has to raise a lot of debt, but also the big banks
:12:37. > :12:45.in Italy have to raise capital. So, it is clear that if we are able to
:12:45. > :12:49.overcome this period, probably for Italy, the worst is past.
:12:49. > :12:59.We will leave it there. Thank you very much, as always, for joining
:12:59. > :13:04.The worst is past. And then he laughed! Before I move on. I want
:13:04. > :13:11.to touch on one thing. We have spoken about this in the past. Let
:13:11. > :13:15.me explain it. Last month, the European Central Bank made
:13:15. > :13:19.available very cheap loans to the tune of half a trillion Euros to
:13:19. > :13:27.European banks which are in trouble, they were not lending to each other.
:13:27. > :13:31.They are scared. That is what created the credit crunch. If banks
:13:31. > :13:37.are not lending to which other, money is not circulating, and banks
:13:37. > :13:43.do not lend to consumers. So it made available all this money. The
:13:43. > :13:47.problem, we are starting to see record highs, last night, of
:13:47. > :13:51.European commercial banks depositing money back to the
:13:52. > :13:58.European Central Bank, to the tune of more than what the European
:13:58. > :14:03.Central Bank lent out last month. It is a net up on the deal but it
:14:03. > :14:07.doesn't want to be. The banks should be lending to each other and
:14:07. > :14:12.consumers and getting it out into the real economy, but they're not
:14:12. > :14:17.doing it because they are so fearful. That one back may go bust.
:14:17. > :14:22.It is a real problem at the moment. It defeats the whole purpose of the
:14:23. > :14:28.action by the European Central Bank. Let us touch on the other business
:14:28. > :14:31.news. Talks continue today in Athens
:14:31. > :14:34.between Greece and its private creditors. Greece needs to get
:14:34. > :14:37.private lenders to agree a 50% debt write-off, a vital part of the
:14:37. > :14:40.country's second bailout. Greece's Finance Minister said he was "very
:14:40. > :14:42.confident" after a meeting on Thursday. But the Institute of
:14:42. > :14:48.International Finance, which is representing banks and insurers in
:14:48. > :14:58.the talks, warned that "key issues remain unresolved - and time. --
:14:58. > :15:00.
:15:00. > :15:03.time is running short". Nigeria's labour unions will hold more talks
:15:03. > :15:06.with President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday to try resolve their
:15:06. > :15:09.dispute over soaring fuel prices. The price of petrol has doubled
:15:09. > :15:12.since the government removed subsidies at the start of the year
:15:12. > :15:15.- sparking protests up and down the country. Unions have threatened to
:15:15. > :15:25.shut down the nation's oil industry from Sunday unless the subsidies
:15:25. > :15:28.
:15:28. > :15:34.It certainly has been a grim quarter for the Wall Street
:15:34. > :15:41.financial giants. J P Morgan Chase is expected to report a drop in
:15:41. > :15:51.profits of around 17%. It has been hit by an industry-wide slowdown
:15:51. > :15:56.and tougher regulations in the US. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs
:15:56. > :16:00.will follow with their results. Here is what the American Banker
:16:00. > :16:04.magazine had to save. We will be looking at whether they can produce
:16:04. > :16:09.a loan growth, what their expenses are and whether they can bring them
:16:09. > :16:14.down and how well Investment Banking and trade banking has
:16:14. > :16:20.weathered that in Europe. In Asia, weathered that in Europe. In Asia,
:16:20. > :16:26.the markets up up. They were down yesterday. We saw gains in Europe
:16:27. > :16:33.yesterday. It was off the back of the successful debt auction in
:16:33. > :16:39.Spain and a relatively small one in Italy. There are the European
:16:39. > :16:42.markets and what they're doing today. All eyes will be on the
:16:42. > :16:47.peripheral eurozone economies trying with the amount of money
:16:47. > :16:57.they need to raise this year. I think you'll clicker froze in
:16:57. > :17:01.
:17:01. > :17:08.Still to come: How Tunisians are finding life has changed since the
:17:08. > :17:10.As the US slowly winds down its military operations in Afghanistan
:17:11. > :17:13.it seems the Taliban could be benefiting from a boom in the
:17:13. > :17:16.country's opium supply.The United Nations says there was a big
:17:16. > :17:26.increase in the price of Afghan opium last year compared to 2010
:17:26. > :17:29.
:17:29. > :17:34.and that poppy cultivation has also The United Nations says there has
:17:34. > :17:38.been a dramatic increase in the price and production of Afghan
:17:38. > :17:44.opium. The latest report by the UN office of drugs and crime make
:17:44. > :17:53.worrying reading. It says opium farmers in Afghanistan probably and
:17:53. > :17:59.more than $1.4 billion in 2011. That is equivalent to 9% of
:17:59. > :18:06.Afghanistan's GDP. The UNODC says there has also been a big increase
:18:06. > :18:14.in opium production. Prices began rising in 2010 after plant diseases
:18:14. > :18:19.wiped out much of the poppy crop. As a result, higher prices were
:18:19. > :18:24.predicted in 2011. The UN says these have exceeded expectations.
:18:24. > :18:30.Many farmers say they want to plant more opium poppies because of the
:18:30. > :18:36.high prices. UN officials say opium is now a significant part of the
:18:36. > :18:42.Afghan economy which funds the insurgency and fuels corruption.
:18:42. > :18:50.Around 90% of the world's opium comes from Afghanistan. It claims
:18:50. > :18:52.tens of thousands of lives every Haitians have been marking the
:18:52. > :18:56.second anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck
:18:56. > :19:00.the country in 2010. There have been church services and memorial
:19:00. > :19:03.ceremonies on a national day of remembrance. Haiti's government has
:19:03. > :19:13.said the disaster killed more than 300,000 people and displaced 1.5
:19:13. > :19:15.
:19:16. > :19:18.This is BBC World News. The headlines: Burma has begun
:19:18. > :19:26.releasing more prisoners, including several prominent dissidents, as it
:19:26. > :19:29.seeks the lifting of international sanctions. The Pakistan Prime
:19:30. > :19:35.Minister has called a vote of confidence in the Government and
:19:35. > :19:38.the parliamentary system. Let's stay with that story, the political
:19:38. > :19:45.crisis in Pakistan. The Interior Minister has been talking to the
:19:45. > :19:52.BBC. He told our correspondent that the Government would survive.
:19:52. > :20:02.think it is unnecessary. The mandate given for the people of
:20:02. > :20:03.
:20:03. > :20:11.Pakistan is for five years. It will not affect things. In democracy, we
:20:11. > :20:19.are in transition. There will be ups and downs. We have a bumpy ride.
:20:19. > :20:24.I think it is totally uncle full. This government will do the
:20:24. > :20:31.election in March. We will have the election on time. Aunt to having a
:20:31. > :20:41.real crisis with the Army? I would not say crisis. -- aren't you
:20:41. > :20:44.
:20:44. > :20:49.having? We are on the same page. Whatever subject it is, that will
:20:49. > :20:58.be settled in the course of time. White other statements between you
:20:58. > :21:01.and the Army so hostile? -- wife are the statements? I do not think
:21:01. > :21:06.explaining the decision brings the situation up to the level that you
:21:06. > :21:14.are saying. Do you think this government will still be in
:21:14. > :21:19.position next week? Not only next week, until 2013. Can you say you
:21:19. > :21:27.are happy with generals openly criticising the Prime Minister?
:21:27. > :21:32.will not say whether I am happy or not. I will say what we should do.
:21:32. > :21:38.It is transition to democracy. Obviously it would take some time.
:21:38. > :21:42.What is your message to the Army? have already giving you the message
:21:42. > :21:49.that we are working together. We have no problem. I have been doing
:21:49. > :21:54.with them for the last four years. What about the Supreme Court? Is
:21:54. > :22:03.there a risk the Supreme Court Ken decided has had enough of the Prime
:22:03. > :22:12.Minister? The way that democracy is being backed, I do not think
:22:12. > :22:15.anything detrimental for the democracy will happen. The US
:22:15. > :22:18.embassy in Thailand has warned its nationals of a possible terrorist
:22:18. > :22:23.attack in Bangkok. US citizens in the Thai capital are being urged to
:22:23. > :22:26.exercise caution and keep a low profile in popular tourist areas.
:22:26. > :22:29.The Thai Defence Minister has been quoted as saying that the US have
:22:29. > :22:31.contacted the Thai government informing them that a pair of
:22:31. > :22:35.Muslim insurgents have entered the kingdom. Apple has said it will
:22:35. > :22:38.stop the sale of all iPhone models from its stores in China, after
:22:38. > :22:41.large crowds disrupted the launch of the iPhone 4S. An Apple store in
:22:41. > :22:43.Beijing, did not open on Friday after a large crowd gathered
:22:43. > :22:52.outside in anticipation of the launch. Our correspondent Michael
:22:52. > :22:57.Bristow went to the store. Apple products are as popular in China as
:22:57. > :23:01.they are elsewhere. The company was due to launch its new model of
:23:01. > :23:05.phone, but for rest, here in China. Most customers have not been able
:23:05. > :23:10.to get their hands on them because this flagship store in Beijing
:23:10. > :23:14.never put them on sale. That is because so many people turned up,
:23:14. > :23:18.overnight in freezing conditions, to be first in line to buy their
:23:18. > :23:24.phone. When people heard they were not going to be able to get their
:23:24. > :23:28.hands on the latest iPhone, they were quite angry. There was pushing,
:23:28. > :23:35.shoving and eggs were thrown and the police were called. The police
:23:35. > :23:41.were outside in force. The shop has closed and there is asylum the door
:23:41. > :23:47.saying that the iPhone were not be put on sale at the moment. -- a
:23:47. > :23:52.sign. Apple says it had no choice but to close the store because so
:23:52. > :23:58.many people turned up it feared for the safety of customers and for its
:23:58. > :24:06.staff inside the shop. It has decided to postpone the sale of the
:24:06. > :24:09.iPhones in a Shanghai branches. One year ago this weekend Tunisians
:24:09. > :24:12.overthrew the dictatorship of Zeen al Abedeen Ben Ali in the first
:24:12. > :24:21.popular revolution of the Arab Spring. There have since been
:24:21. > :24:29.elections and there's a new interim government. Joblessness remains a
:24:29. > :24:33.pressing issue. Tunisia today, the shackles of oppression discarded.
:24:33. > :24:39.People ambling through the capital's streets with smiles on
:24:39. > :24:47.their faces, they no longer having to whisper for fear of who maybe
:24:47. > :24:53.listening. On the surface it is a much changed country. If it is a
:24:53. > :25:02.far cry from the scenes a year ago. Fighting in the same streets as a
:25:02. > :25:08.dictatorship that had rolled for 23 years was overthrown. -- ruled. A
:25:08. > :25:14.discussion about politics and the press. Not from a radio station
:25:14. > :25:19.based in exile but one that is now relocated to the Tunisian capital.
:25:19. > :25:25.In a country where journalists and descendants -- dissidents were
:25:25. > :25:30.regularly beaten up, progress is slow but things are moving in the
:25:30. > :25:36.right direction. We have a new regime. On the other side we have
:25:36. > :25:41.the old regime. They are existing together at the same time. One is
:25:41. > :25:45.pushing forward and the other is pushing. One year on and many
:25:45. > :25:50.things have improved for the people of Tunisia. The freedom of speech
:25:50. > :25:54.and the ability to criticise political leaders. It is as much
:25:54. > :26:02.about economics as politics. There are thousands of educated young
:26:02. > :26:10.people out there without jobs. Long queues at Jobcentres to trade --
:26:10. > :26:13.showed the harsh reality. For many Tunisians, things have not improved.
:26:13. > :26:22.After the revolution, the economical situation is getting
:26:22. > :26:32.worse, so it is harder to get a job. I am really disappointed. It I am
:26:32. > :26:37.28 years salt, I have graduate -- I am 28 years old, graduated from
:26:37. > :26:42.university and without a job. winter sun is a big draw for
:26:42. > :26:48.visitors. Streets and beaches are empty and the number of tourists is