17/01/2012 BBC World News

Explosives open up the Italian cruise ship as divers continue the

search for survivors. New pictures released by the

Italian coastguard of the night the Costa Concordia capsized show

passengers trying to escape. The Islamic cleric, Abu Qatada, who

is being held in a British prison will not be sent back to Jordan

following a European ruling. Most Chinese how live in cities and

not in the countryside for the first time in the country's history.

Welcome to BBC World News. Also In this programme, it is

Foreversus Mitt Romney as the presidential hopefuls turn on each

other in the latest primary debate. The captain of the cruise ship

which capsized off the coast of Italy is due to appear in court

around now. Francesco Schettino has been questioned over several

offences including manslaughter. The rescue operation is continuing

in the waters off Tuscany with experts blasting holes in the Costa

Concordia to help divers get better access. 29 people are still missing

and six people are known to have The rescue teams adopted a new

strategy today, Navy divers approached the Costa Concordia and

prepared to blast holes into the vessel in a last desperate search

for survivors. The controlled explosions opened

new routes into the cruise liner which is stranded on its starboard

side. The local coastguard says there is

a glimmer of hope that that people may have survived in air pockets

inside the ship. The missing are thought to include four crew

members as well as passengers from America, Germany, France and Italy.

These pictures released, show the danger confronting the the divers

who have edged their way into the wreck. It is slow and difficult

work. There are now fears about a possible environmental disaster,

booms have been placed around the ship in case oil leaks into the

press teen waters off the Italian coast. The Government says it will

declare a state of emergency, but on shore, local people are worried.

TRANSLATION: We are concerned about it and not only the people from

here, people from the whole area are worried about it.

These pictures from a helicopter on Friday night, were taken during the

rescue operation. The video, shot using an infra infrared camera,

shows passengers moving one by one down a rope. They are dwarfed by

the vastness of the ship. The central question remains unanswered

for now, how did the Costa Well Dr Simon Boxall is from the

oceanography centre. I asked him how worried should we be that there

could be a fuel leak? The risk is small. The plan is to move the fuel.

As far as we are aware, it is not in danger of leaking at the moment,

but the problem is that if the ship is moved, when the ship is moved,

it could create new holes in the hull and that could lead to the

leakage of this oil. The first priority is to take out as much of

this material as possible. How much of a danger is there by

the ship just being there that the water and the tides buffet the ship

or should the tank be able to with stand that pressure? The tanks

should. The tides in this area are weak, but the the waves, can be

significant. There are storms brewing out there. There is a

concern that the ship could slide off its current hold and into

deeper water. If this happens, the salvage

becomes more difficult so speed is of the essence, but it will take

months before they can move the ship. The ship will still pose a

threat to the region. Bearing in mind, you are looking at something

that weighs in the region of 5115 identifyle -- 15 Eiffel Towers

worth of weight and moving this is no simple task.

Can you explain how they remove the oil and then the ship itself?

oil will be removed by pumping the tanks. If they can get to the

proper pipes into the tanks, that will be straightforward, but if

they can't, they will have to drill into the tanks. In terms of the

ship, we don't know yet how they're going to do that. The easiest

option will be to refloat the ship to take as much weight off as

possible, taking the oil out, taking the water out, it will carry

several thousand tonnes of water as well, fresh water for passenger use

obviously. So they can lighten the ship significantly and then try to

refloat it by patching the hole, pumping the water and hoping to

refloat it, but throughout this, there is a risk that more damage is

done and the ship does actually slide into deeper water. So it is

too early to say how they will do The radical Muslim cleric, Abu

Qatada, should not be deported to Jordan from the UK. That's

according to a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights. Abu

Qatada has been convicted of terror offence ins Jordan and the court

ruled that evidence obtain by torture may have been used in his

trial. He has been dubbed a truly

dangerous individual with links to the leadership of Al-Qaeda. Abu

Qatada, the radical cleric, accused of preaching holy war and exalting

his followers to become martyrs. I would describe Abu Qatada as an

individual who poses a significant threat to the United Kingdom. I

base that on a number of reasons, not just material that is in the

public domain about his con contacts worldwide, his influence,

his views, his motivations. Abu Qatada came to the UK as an

asylum seeker in the early 1990s and began holding prayer meetings

on the site of what is now a youth centre in Central London. This is

the neighbourhood where Abu Qatada used to preach. In the late 90s, he

is reported to have made a speech in which he authorised the killing

of Jews, including Jewish children. He is said to have told his

congregation that Americans should be attacked wherever they are and

there was no difference between Jews and the English.

It was at this time in Jordan that he was convicted in his absence of

of involvement in two terrorist plots, although it was claimed that

evidence against him had been obtained through torture and this

is why the European Court ruled today, he cannot be sent back.

In 2001, tapes of Abu Qatada's speeches were found in a flat used

by the ringleader of the 9/11 plot. A month after the American attacks

in a BBC interview, he praised the Al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden.

TRANSLATION: Bin Laden n the image that I have of him, that is the

image of a Muslim man who defends the causes of his nation against

its enemies. He should be supported by every Muslim.

A couple of months later he went into hiding, the start of what

would become a ten year battle with the British British authorities. In

In October 2002, he was detained as a risk to national security. In

December 2004, his detention was ruled unlawful and he was released

on bail. The following August, he was re-arrested as moves back to

deport him. In February 2007, came the first of a series of appeals,

culminating in today's decision in Europe. Today, in a statement, the

The Home Secretary said that in the meantime Abu Qatada would remain in

detention in the UK. He is being held in Long Lartin Prison in

Now the Chinese economy is slowing down a little. Jamie Robertson has

more. Thank you very much indeed. China's

economy is being watched. Official figures showed that it is slowing

down, not in a drastic manner though. The Government has been

trying to cool the economy down and it is worried about inflation and

in particular, rising food prices. Alistair Thornton is an analyst and

I asked him if a slowdown is likely to get worse? The story of 2011 has

been the Government grappling with inflation and the property market

in trying to slow down growth and the figures we got this morning

showed that, so growth has slowed. The headline figure that we got,

8.9% masks a lot of what has been going on in the economy. Some of

the other indicators we look at show things are slowing faster than

that and coming into this first quarter, growth is coming off

significantly. What about food prices? The

inflationary pressures, have they gone away now? Are they under

control? Yes, I mean what we're looking at

going into 2012 is persistent inflation. Inflation is above the

Government's 4% target, but they have managed to tackle it

successfully from a peak of 6.5% in July, now we are at 2% below that

and the trend is downward. So the onus of policy will be on

preserving growth rather than battling inflation this year.

So what about the property market? There has been fear that is could

have been a bubble which is in the process of bursting as prices are

beginning to fall in many cities? You are right, I mean I think

whilst we characterise the eurozone as China's greatest down side risk

this year, it is clear the property market is a risk. Prices are

falling rapidly in major cities along the coast and we only see

that spreading. The Government feels they have to gain crucial

credibility with the market and that means holding the tough

tightening line that they put in place since the beginning of 2010.

We see that policy in place into the middle of this year and that

means there is plenty more down side for the the property prices

which means downturn for construction, investment and growth

overall in in China. The European Union may launch legal

action against Hungary today. The EU is concerned that legislation

has jeopardised the independence of Hungary's Central Bank and allowing

the Government to interfere with the judiciary. The dispute is

holding up Hungary's negotiations with the IMF over a loan.

Our reporter is in Budapest. What is the Hungarian Government saying?

They have had enough of opinion that they have been the butt, of

international criticism for some months now. They say that finally

when the legal committees of the commission come up with their

arguments, that if necessary, they will change anything at all. They

are saying they passed 300 laws last year and if three of them

happen to have gone against the EU Charter then they will change them,

but please present the arguments first, that's the Hungarian

Government position. I presume they need the money, I

mean they are in dire financial straits? They are over the barrel

effectively and the money that they need from the IMF gives the

international community, if we can put it in those terms, a tool with

which to, a leaver leaver with which to put pressure on them. The

IMF said last week that they will not do anything without EU approval.

The Hungarian Government has to convince the EU that any laws that

go against the treaties will be changed and somehow win back its

credibility within the EU in order to to pave the way for the IMF loan.

Thank you very much indeed. Airbus delivered 534 aircraft last

year. This is a record, the ninth year in a row that it has beaten

Boeing. The company company won orders for over 400 aircraft.

Samsung expects to invest $41.5 billion in 2012. It is focusing on

computer ships for mobile devices. Samsung expects to higher an extra

26,000 staff this year. Burberry reported profits of $880 million.

Sales in the Asia-Pacific region jumped almost 40%.

Let's look at markets. We saw a positive reaction to what has been

coming out of China because those figures, the slowdown in growth is

better than had been expected. The The European markets responded very

well particularly the mining sector which is dependant on that demand

for raw materials in China. That's the business news.

Thank you very much indeed. In Japan there has been snow.

Japanese meet roeolgists can't say say how much snow has fallen. Some

train and bus services have been cancelled and this island is the

most northern of Japan's main islands, it is used to having snow,

You're watching BBC World News. Still to come, the fate of

thousands of supporters of Colonel Gadaffi, imprisoned in a country

with no functioning legal system. The trial of former Egyptian

president Hosni Mubarak has resumed in Cairo. He and some of his former

aides face charges of killing unarmed protesters during the

uprising last January. He also faces separate charges of

corruption. Our correspondent explains the significance of these

hearings. This is when Hosni Mubarak begins his defence. The

press are excited about whether there will be any surprises coming

out of court. The kind of surprises you might expect could be if no

Barak himself decides to try to spread the blame, especially on

Egypt's current -- current military rulers. Everyone waiting to see

what his lawyer has to say. And the key question is, how scared is

Hosni Mubarak? We know the prosecution has asked for the death

penalty and many people believe that the case against him has not

really been made, there has not been much stronger evidence

directly implicating him. But he made have an interest in spreading

the dirt, you might say, on those in power at the same time is him.

Is the perception so far that the trial is being carried out in a

fair manner? I do not think that the victims or relatives of the

victims who were killed during the revolution would put it that

strongly, I am afraid. Firstly, the current judge they say has close

ties to the old regime. And also, that the authorities here have not

really cooperated enough for the prosecution. The prosecution

claimed they did not have access to documents from the Interior

Ministry and have not been able to get details that they wanted.

The headlines. Rescuers blast holes in capsized Italian cruise ship as

they continued the search for survivors. And the European Court

of Human Rights has ruled that the radical cleric Abu Qatada cannot be

deported to Jordan. The latest live pictures of that ship, the Costa

Concordia, still on its side on the Tuscan coast of Italy. It is

reported that more than 70 passengers from the Costa Concordia

have joined a class action against the owner. There is going to be a

huge investigation and legal battles ahead. The captain is

supposed to be in court at the moment.

China says more of its people are living in cities than in the

countryside for the first time in its history. City dwellers now

account for over half of its 1.3 billion people according to the

National Bureau of Statistics. China has historically been an

agricultural society that that has changed as people try to benefit

from its rapid economic growth by moving to find work.

More people now live in China's cities and towns than in its

countryside. All part of the largest wave of migration in

history. 30 years ago China undertook economic reforms which

propelled millions into the cities in search of work and opportunity.

Many of them found jobs in factories which form the backbone

of China's remarkable economic growth. China of course is now the

world's second largest economy. Last year were than 20 million

people moved into its cities and that trend of rapid urbanisation is

set to continue. According to analysts, by 2030 almost three-

quarters of the population will live in cities.

A train driver has died and 22 people have been injured after a

collision in Taiwan. The train hit a truck at a level crossing in the

north of the country. The impact of the accident but the trade up onto

the track and it came to rest in a nearby station. A study from the US

suggests there has been a big increase in the number of

pedestrians killed or injured fast wearing headphones. Researchers at

the University of Maryland hospital say the accident rate has trebled

in six years. The emergence of fake and poor

quality anti-malarial drugs in Africa is threatening efforts to

control disease. Scientists from Oxford University says that

counterfeit medicine is on sale in many African countries which can

promote drug resistance. The only winner was Barack Obama,

of the opinion of one political expert on the debate last night

between the five remaining Republican presidential hopefuls.

The men spent most of the evening attacking each other to try to gain

the edge. If the front runner, Mitt Romney, wins in Carolina, he is

almost certain to win the Republican domination. And then

there were five. The dwindling field and if Mitt Romney wins again

on Saturday the Republican race will be all but over. So his rivals

attacked him on deficit reform... His form is simply not bowled. We

have Dev has its and he wants to say, we will not touch anyone now.

And his reluctance to release their tax returns... A we need you to

release your income tax so the people of this country can see how

you make your money. But the fiercest exchanges were over the

messaging war that has raged in South Carolina. A group of

corporate raiders. There has been a barrage of television

advertisements attacking the favourite and a swift counter punch

targeting made Romney's rivals. These advertisements were made by

well-funded groups which cannot legally support individual

candidates as long as they remain outside the official campaign

structure. On stage Mitt Romney was challenged to rein in the

advertising company which has helped him by attacking others.

would help if he took falsehoods of the air. He'll have an

advertisement that attacks me. It is probably the biggest hoax since

Big Foot. It was bruising stuff and can only intensify between now and

Saturday. Because for many of these candidates, South Carolina is and

dill or dying moment. -- Addo or died moment. How to

bring peace to post conflict Libya is a concern for many. The United

Nations estimates over 7000 people have been detained without a fully

functioning legal system. The National Transitional Council has

published a draft law that would bar members of the Gadaffi regime

from running in elections. It is barely three months since the

liberation. Three months since they reduced him to this. The new order

imposed, the ruler crushed. But the euphoria of that day has begun to

fade. And it is the supporters of Gadaffi who are now left locked up.

Thousands remain stuck in the country's cramped prisons, with no

functioning legal system. And they tell of serious abuse from guards.

One shows me his scars from when his arms were smashed with hammers.

Put us on trial if necessary, I do not even know what I'm accused of,

he says. I do not understand what this revolution is. I'm 60 years

old. This is making us hate the revolution. It is a pattern that is

widespread according to human rights campaigners who say that

some Gadaffi supporters have been tortured to death in detention.

This will continue, our community is divided. Like the past. We do

not need this in the future. What would happen if those divisions

continued? May be civil war, may be anything. But it will disturb that

security in the country. Even the sick are segregated. This hospital

is for pro Gadaffi loyalists while the revolutionaries are cared for

upstairs. It is for their safety - these pits remain too deep. That is

partly why so many Gadaffi supporters have been detained,

according to the Justice Minister, who admits his government is

running scared. These people were arrested because on the one hand we

were afraid that they might do something against the revolution

and on the other hand because we must protect them in case someone

attacks them in revenge. It is in these still staunchly pro Gadaffi

areas that the government's attempts at reconciliation will be

judged. There are no revolutionary flags flying here. Those who sided

with the uprising say that they were long abused under the Gadaffi

regime but the fear is that revenge could now stock the new Libya. That

will take time for the ones of civil war to heal. For a post

Gadaffi generation to grow up. Libya's ability to unite will be

tested and the cost of failure would be high.

That is it for now all. Before we go, we leave you with these

pictures. It is the 70th birthday of the world's most famous boxer,

Muhammad Ali. He became amass a celebrity when he was stripped of

the Heidi White title after refusing to fight for the US

military in Vietnam. He changed his name from Cassius Clay when he