24/01/2012 BBC World News

Gulf States join Saudi Arabia in withdrawing their monitors from the

Arab League mission to Syria. The Syrian Foreign Minister accuses the

Arab League of blatant interference of Syrian internal affairs. Mitt

Romney releases his tax returns, after pressure from his rivals for

the Republican presidential nomination. A prominent Spanish

judge goes on trial for breaking an amnesty on investigating human

rights abuses in the Franco era. Welcome to BBC World News. Also in

this programme: two -- to little sunshine. There is a risk of

vitamin D deficiency. Three look at the thread used to make the largest

The six Gulf states have announced they are withdrawing their monitors

from the Arab League mission to Syria. In a statement, the council

said it was following the lead of Saudi Arabia. The Saudis pulled out

on Sunday claiming that Syria is playing tricks but -- respect

anything. The Foreign Minister has issued a statement. Listening to

that, in fact the statement is still going on. He is having a

press conference. He is taking questions from a number of

journalists. Listening to that is Jon Leyne from Cairo. What did you

make of that statement? Just sum it up for us. Very bitter words, weary

words from the Syrian Foreign Minister. He describes this as

Arabs implementing the phases of the conspiracy already agreed on

against us. He described what had been agreed by the Arab League as a

blatant interference into internal affairs of Syria. They were talking

up a transition to a new system of. It was thoroughly rejected the of

DUP he said that Syria had been a beacon of pan-Arabism and Islam. --

pan-Arabism. Complete defiance of what had been offered and agreed at

the Arab League. So far not yet rejecting the Arab peace plan they

said they are complying with. That was denied by Saudi Arabia and

other countries. For the moment, the Arab League monitoring mission

stutters on inside Syria. Now even greater hostility between Syria and

the Arab League. There is the division and continued divisions

within the region. How will that affect the ability of the world to

put pressure on Syria? That is a fundamental issue. Divisions not

just within the Arab Leach, growing divisions within the Arab League. -

- Arab League. Six countries have pulled out of it. Also at a higher

level in the UN Security Council. The big question is whether they

can get anywhere past a Russian and Chinese veto, which has blocked

decisive action so far. Has there been a shift in the Russian

position in the last few months? None whatsoever. Russia is

determined to stick by Syria. We saw a Russian naval flotilla dock.

It is such -- a strategic port for Russia. It is a clear indication

that it will stick by Syria and of why it will stick by Syria. It is

not going to change its position. We're going to bring you a short

extract of what the Foreign Minister had to save. It is a

blatant resolution that harms the sovereignty of Syria. It is an

interference in the internal affairs of Syria. They have not

discussed the report in detail. That is despite their work on the

ground for one month and their fact-finding mission on Syrian land.

That was the Syrian Foreign Minister speaking a short time ago.

William Hague is disappointed that Syria has not taken up the Arab

League plan. The race to secure the Republication nomination for the US

Presidential election continues to build up steam. Mitt Romney has

finally released his tax records after pressure from the media and

rival candidates. They show that he received $45 million in income over

the past two years. He paid $6.2 million of that in tax, which is an

effective tax rate of 13.9% in 2010. Mr Romney's tax rate is below that

of most Americans because much of his income is derived from capital

gains on investments. But he did give $7 million to charity in the

same period, about half to the Mormon Church. I spoke to Charlie

Wolf of Republicans Abroad. He says Mitt Romney is paying no more - or

less - than he is required to by law. One thing knowing latter-day

Saints, the modern church, they prize ethics in business and

honesty in business very highly. Because he is paying capital gains

on his investments, he is paying much less than ordinary Americans.

Critics might say, in the last two years, he might have known he would

come into politics in the last few years. What about the last 10

years? I do not know how far we have to look back. The issue is, is

he honest? That is the main issue. If you have some shares and I have

some shares, I may not have millions in shares like Mitt Romney,

but I pay the same tax rate as Mitt Romney. I pay the same on interest.

Can he open accounts in the Cayman Islands? There is nothing illegal

about that. There is nothing unethical about it. You have to

declare your income. All my accounts are in a foreign land -

they are here in London. As long as I declare them to the US government,

that is legal. Doesn't it make him look incredibly out of touch?

issue how he should play it is he has been very successful. He knows

how to run the business and that is what he has been doing. Do you

think he will be damaged? I do not. It will be a storm in a teacup. The

Obama administration will chide to change -- try to change the % thing.

We pride success. We do not have the same sort of class warfare as

in the United Kingdom. One of Spain's highest-profile judges is

on trial for trying to reopen human rights cases dating back to the

Spanish civil war. Judge Baltasar Garzon who indicted the former

Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet is accused of breaking an amnesty

law, when he tried to investigate alleged human rights abuses,

committed during Spain's civil war and during the dictatorship of

Franco that followed. They want to remember the past. Crimes committed

under a dictatorship should be remembered in a democratic Spain.

Their support -- Bay are supporters of this man, Judge Baltasar Garzon.

He will go on trial again. started to investigate alleged

crimes committed during -- during the Spanish Civil more and under

dictatorship of General Franco. He stands accused of breaking the

amnesty law which was brought in after the death of General Franco's

so that Spain could move on. This has serious implications about the

silence of Spain and where the crimes committed in the past could

be the subject of future investigations. Baltasar Garzon

became a champion for human rights fund -- campaigners when he

indicted Augusto Pinochet for crimes committed under his regime.

In at a room full of Spanish and foreign journalists in Madrid,

human rights lawyers condemned the judge's trial. They said this was

the first time in an established democracy that a judge was being

prosecuted for investigating alleged abuses of human rights.

years after the death of General Franco, someone is finally being

prosecuted in Spain in connection with his crimes. It is the very

judge who sought to investigate those crimes. Not far away, in his

office full of files related to the case, the man whose organisation

brought the trial of against Judge Baltasar Garzon. He said he was

politically motivated when he started to investigate alleged

crimes during the Franco era. TRANSLATION: Undoubtedly he has

opened old wounds which people of all political colours had overcome

and moved on from the Franco regime. You have to take into the account

that he is a judge from the left. A judge is on trial for her let --

the fact a judges on trial for investigating alleged trials has

angered many abroad. It will perhaps reignite some of the

divisions of the past. Jobs, how many do we need? We are talking

about the International Labour Organisation. It has released its

global report and it says it is a really tough situation. Three years

of the financial crisis and leading to the economic slowdown has

resulted in an extra 29 million people out of the labour force

since the start of the crisis in 2009. They are turning around and

saying 600 million jobs, that is what governments around the world

need to create over the next decade. It is a really big problem. Several

months ago they warned governments around the world saying you have to

do more. You need to create growth and create jobs. Despite that

warning and despite strenuous efforts by governments around the

world, this ugly, global jobs crisis continues unabated. It is a

real worry. 1.1 billion people around the world are out of work or

in poverty. A real serious situation. I spoke to one of the

senior economists and asked him how worrying it was, given their making

some effort but the job crisis continues. There has been a

tremendous response. Early on there was a lot of money which was put

into the financial system to support banks. Especially in

developed economies, to support jobseekers and firms. It is a

concern going forward. We have a period a very difficult finances.

Governments are having difficulty raising capital. We need to target

our efforts on the job markets. ILO has said governments need to

create 600 million jobs over the next few years. That does seem

unrealistic, doesn't it? The first thing I would say is it is not the

Government's that one need to create these jobs. It has to come

from the private sector. We need public support. There is a

tremendous amount of cash being held by companies around the world,

in the US and in Europe. That is because of the high levels of

uncertainty. We need to see that money invested in building plant

and hiring workers. Now for some of the other business news. The Bank

of Japan has downgraded its forecast for economic growth. It

expects Welt to shrink and contract. Forum %. That would -- contract by

0.4 of a %. Yoshihiko Noda warned Japan would miss targets. It

announced plans to double sales tax to help plug the hole in the

coffers of Japan. Although Japan may be in recession, a

representative is upbeat. It refers to the downgrade or refers to the

forecast - the new forecast - for 2012, as more less unchanged. That

forecast is 2% Kriss Akabusi. It up graded its forecast for 2013. --

growths. I would say most of the negative quarters are behind us.

The European Union is putting pressure on Greece to reach a deal

with its private creditors. They need to be agreed this week if

Greece is to receive the second rescue plan. Without that it is

likely to default on billions of dollars. That would destabilise the

whole eurozone economy. The block of 17 finance ministers meet again

in Brussels later on on Tuesday. have reviewed the process on the

operation between the Greek government and the creditor groups

as well as holding discussions in Athens about the new adjustment

programme. We welcome the increased convergence and ask the Government

to reach, in the next few days, a current understanding of the main

Europe's largest oil refiner has filed for insolvency in Switzerland.

Petroplus said it would have to shut down three of its five

refineries and default on $1.75 billion of debt after creditors

called in their loans. The Swiss group employs 2,500 workers across

Europe. Industrial equipment giant Siemens

has reported a 17% fall in profit. The German group blamed worsening

government finances across Europe which, in turn, have delayed big

rail and wind power projects. Siemens made $1.9 billion in the

last three months. Saudi Arabia's kaeblt says it will approve efforts

to develop oil and gas co-operation with China. It follows a visit by

the Chinese Prime Minister to the world's biggest exporter of oil.

During the visit he pressed Saudi Arabia to open its mark totes

Chinese investment. The U kfplt S as added another Iranian bank to

its list of sanctions. It's been blacklisted for providing services

to banks and companies which are under international sanctions for

their involvement in the country's nuclear programme.

A quick look at the markets. We start in Asia, there is Asia. A bit

of a catch-up for some of the markets in Asia. On Monday many of

them were closed for the Chinese new year public holiday.

Europe turned a bit foul, heading south in the mid-Training Day. Same

old story, like a broken record! I am the broken record here. The

markets are eyeing this deal that hasn't been reached yet between

Athens and the private creditors and they really do need this and

the European Union finance ministers, as I mentioned, giving

them just days to get a deal on the table. They'll focus on Italy and

Spain then. You are watching BBC World News.

Still to come: Conservationists struggle to help whales stranded on

New Zealand's coastline. International efforts are being

stepped up to tackle the threat of a new food crisis in the Sahel

region of West Africa. Nearly seven million people are at risk of

severe food shortages, due to insufficient rains, poor crops and

pest damage and high prices in local markets. Britain has

announced that it is sending therapeutic food for 68,000

children, as well as providing fodder and vaccinations to keep

livestock alive. Our world affairs correspondent, Mike Wooldridge,

reports from Niger. This man and his family are struggling at the

moment. They're now trying to make a living in this district on the

outskirts of the capital and keep hunger at bay.

A lot of people leaving their village, people going to search for

gold, people go to Ghana or Nigeria because of difficult harvest.

Efforts are under way to curb the hunger, migration and risks with it.

Some of the poorest and most vulnerable are staying, for now.

Constructing a basic irrigation system, which would help the

village in future droughts. Wye like to be given something that

would last longer than food, this woman says, to help me raise

animals or start a business, but she says the work is good.

She gets a share of the millet and beans being distributed by the

World Food Programme. The UN agency also provides a nutritious lunch

for the children at this school in the same area to help prevent them

being pulled out of school. This is the kind of aid that links efforts

to tackle the crisis It is facing now with reducing malnutrition in

the longer-term and help families withstand future crises. Education

will play a big part in that N the lifetime of these children Niger

has seen a devastating famine. Can the cycle of crises now be broken?

Gulf states follow Saudi Arabia in pulling their 55 Monday stores out

of the Arab League mission to Syria. And multimillionaire Republican

ropl knee Releases his tax returns. Here in Britain we often joke about

the lack of sunshine but the Chief Medical Officer is now worried

about people suffering from a shortage of Vitamin D. Doctors are

being told to make sure those at risk take a supplement. Jenny Hill

reports. It's hard to believe he once

struggled to walk, Toby was four when he was diagnosed with Ricketts.

No one had told his mum she should take vitamin D supplements during

her pregnancy. There should be more awareness. They should be telling

people to get calcium into your body you need vitamin D otherwise

you can't absorb it. It's thought one in every three babies lacks

vitamin D. At this children's bone clinic they treat the resulting

disorders. They see children who have been overprotected from the

sun. It's feared deficiency can cause all sorts of health problems.

Even death. Jaden was just four months old when he died, his skull

was damaged and he had broken bones. His parents were accused of child

abuse. In fact, a judge cleared them recently. Jaden was simply

deficient in vitamin D. Jaden's one of two babies whose deaths have

been linked to a lack of vitamin D. One pathologist has told the BBC

she believes deficiency may have contributed to the deaths of nearly

30 other youngsters. Healthcare professionals do not know enough

about vitamin D and some know nothing. In fact, they're giving

out misinformation, they're telling families that as long as your diet

is good you don't need vitamins and that's fundamentally wrong.

At this nursery in Birmingham they run awareness programmes for

parents. In this city every child under five and pregnant woman is

offered free sreut Amin D -- vitamin D supplements. Ricketts

cases here have halved in the last four years.

Toby has made a full recovery. Last night the Chief Medical Officer for

England told us she will now contact health professionals to

emphasise the importance of supplements. The Government review

into vitamin D is now under way. It's due to report back in two

years' time. There's been a sue bomb attack in

Somalia at a military base. The group al-Shabaab say they carried

out the attack. Our correspondent in Nairobi told me more. This is a

rare attack in that it's on an Ethiopian base, just inside Somalia.

The town was taken by Ethiopian troops last month. What we

understand is that a minibus was driven up to the gates of this

military barracks, the base of the Ethiopian troops and an Ethiopian

soldier fired to stop it and the driver blew up the vehicle. Al-

Shabaab, it say it is carried out the attack and it's saying more

than 20 Ethiopians were killed but we can't verify that number and

eyewitnesses are describing a huge explosion but cannot verify how

many were killed. Now, if you're frightened of creepy

crawlies, you never know, our next item might just change your mind.

The largest textile in the world created from silken thread

extracted from spiders has been unveiled. The embroidered cape has

taken three years to make and is going on display in London.

It's probably not what you would wear to go to the shops or drop the

children at school but this cape is unique. It's made from the thread

of more than a million golden orb spiders in Madagascar. The golden

colour is totally natural. The colour you see is the natural

colour. We haven't tampered with it, done nothing to it. This is like

the webs, these would have been dispersed in the wind. The spiders

are prised from their webs first thing in the morning and clamped

into special harnesses, a long continuous golden thread is

extracted by hand. After about 20 minutes the spiders are released,

unharmed, back into nature. The thread is then woven on looms

to produce the dazzling fabric. thread is incredibly light. It's

sticky. It's incredibly strong. You don't feel it when you touch it, at

all. You might feel some warmth but otherwise you feel nothing. It's

taken three years to make the cape, a labour of love for all those

involved. But even after all that time Nick Godley still hasn't

conquered his fear of spiders. Conservationists in New Zealand are

battling to save dozens of whales stranded on a beach in New Zealand.

It's a sorry sight, where time is running out. These whales beached

themselves on Monday and already many have lost their lives.

Conservationists are being helped by volunteers as they seek to

refloat the marine mammals. Scientists don't know why they

stranded themselves but pilot whales like these are notorious for

doing so. The golden Bay is one of the most notorious whale strandings.

We have a long finger of sand that skwruting right -- skwruts out in

the path of these animals. It's not long since the last such stranding

in the same location, at the beginning of this month it was only

possible to successfully refloat 25 out of 70 whales. Experts know that

mass strandings often occur when a single whale beaches and the rest

of its pod follow. It's why the rescue team has its work cut out.

Just always had a passion for marine mammals, dolphins and whales.

I would do anything coy to help them out. A human wall is being

formed in a bid to encourage the whales not to head back to the

beach after refloating, something they often do.

Those that are still alive on the sand are being kept wet in the

attempt to save them. It's hoped that the high tide can be used to