10/02/2012 BBC World News

Two explosions in Syria's second city of Aleppo - state TV says 25

people have been killed, and blames the attack on terrorist gangs.

A two-day strike begins in Greece after Europe's finance ministers

demand more cuts before the country gets another bailout.

Barclays shares surge despite a slight drop in profits to just over

$9 billion last year. Welcome to BBC World News. I'm

Geeta Guru-Murthy. Also in this programme: On the freezing streets

of Ukraine we see how those enduring the bitter cold make it

through the winter. And Gabon prepares for the closing

ceremony of the Africa Cup of Two explosions have shaken the

Syrian city of Aleppo, the first such violence in the northern city

since demonstrations against President Assad's regime began

nearly a year ago. The Health Ministry is reported as saying that

25 people died and 175 were injured. State television blamed the attacks

on what it called armed terrorist gangs, saying the targets were a

military intelligence complex and a security base. But opposition

activists have blamed President Assad's regime. Our correspondent

Jim Muir is following developments State TV has been carrying some

extremely explicit and lurid footage of the remains of people

who have been killed at the sight of the explosion near the military

security building in a Aleppo. They are showing bodies and so on, being

bulldozed away. Reports from activists said the blasts were felt

at least a kilometre away, Windows shaken. They are blaming what they

called terrorists for these blasts, the first of their kind in Aleppo.

Activist groups are already blaming the government. They said they saw

suspicious moves by a security people shortly before the blast,

leading them to think that something was going to happen. They

blame the regime for blasts which have clearly played to the

advantage of the regime, because they can blame terrorists. I am

reading here on one news agency that add television presenter said

that the blast went off at a public garden near where children had been

playing. How secure are these buildings?

That of course is the question. Similarly in Damascus itself, there

were two car bombings in December, supposedly suicide bombings,

carried out again in near security buildings, and questions are asked

as to how people driving car bombs can get so close to security

buildings. That well again persuade people who support the opposition

that this was a regime job aimed at discrediting the uprising by

tarnishing them all as terrorists. We have to keep an open mind, we

don't know who did it. Junior, in Beirut.

Public transport is at a standstill in Greece today as workers begin a

48-hour strike in protest at government austerity measures. The

action comes hours after Europe's finance ministers demanded even

deeper cuts as a condition for a second bailout, with time running

out for Greece to avoid a messy debt default. The so-called

eurogroup also wants a cast-iron guarantee that the measures will be

implemented by whichever party wins a general election, expected within

months. The BBC's Athens Correspondent Mark Lowen told me

that the Greeks are likely to resist further austerity cuts.

think it is going to be difficult to persuade an increasingly angry

Greek public that this is the way to go. The austerity package goes

quite far. At 22% cut in the minimal wage, 15,000 civil-service

laid off. But Brussels wants them to go further. You can see behind

me the crowds are gathering outside Parliament. They are angry at the

programme of yet more austerity cuts to come, given the fact that

Greece is in its worst recession since World War Two, and many feel

that the package of reforms and cuts is simply exacerbating the

situation and driving up unemployment, which has now soared

over 20%. Angela Merkel warning of catastrophe if Greece defaults. Is

there a sense that the government would be allowed to default, that

they will somehow get the cash that they need to stumble forward?

you find here in Greece is that there are deadlines imposed which

come and go, and then at the 11th hour, Greece is pulled back from

the financial abyss. That is because the fear of a Greek default

is still too great. Fear in Athens and the wider eurozone. If Greece

went bankrupt, which it would do without these bail-out funds, then

there would be questions and a fear of contagion spreading to other

countries like Portugal and Ireland. And decrees were to leave the

eurozone altogether, it would mean that the ideological basis of the

eurozone would crumble. And that is something that strikes fear into

the hearts of politicians throughout Europe, and Angela

Merkel has said that if the euro fails then Europe fails. On Sunday

there is to be a parliamentary session in the building behind me.

The coalition commands are large majority of MPs in the parliament

building. So what is likely to pass. But there is yet another

demonstration planned for Sunday night during the reading of the

bill, so the government faces a tough few months with social unrest

ahead. These are the live pictures coming

to us from Athens. We have seen what looks like many, many police

coming under fire from what looked like fire bombs. They keep running

forward and then having to go back again, with many fired missiles

being thrown in their direction. And of course we have seen quite

vociferous protests. Many police on the streets. This is a 48-hour

strike, people really unhappy with the the level of cuts that they are

having to face in their daily lives, their jobs, their job security,

their pensions, and just how much they can manage to live on each day

and feed their families. People are taking to the streets, and this is

what we are seeing. Some sort of missiles being thrown, and the riot

police out in force. Juliette Foster joins me now with

the business news. The so-called austerity measures are being warned

about, because they are looking at having to deal with this debt. How

do they repay this debt when they are having all these austerity

measures imposed upon them? It will not stimulate the economy.

Officials have said that in terms of the current plan being put

forward, there are 10 or 15 issues which don't quite work, but we are

not quite sure what they are. The Greeks have said, we are cutting to

the bone here. They are talking about wage cuts of 22%, firing at

15,000 civil servants. But this will not work if they default. No

one wants to see than default, and they have got to redeem billions of

dollars worth of bonds and by March 20th. And if they don't have the

money to do this, it could unleash the financial tsunami. We can see

the huge numbers of people in the main square in Athens, aerial shots

as well showing people running. They have been fairly peaceful up

until now, as far as we can make out. You can see the cameras are

tracking people running, and the police seem to be particularly in

evidence at that end of the square. Well, this was all started by the

banks, and they are still under the spotlight, not least for bonuses.

What about Bob Diamond? He is the head of Barclays Bank.

Pre-tax profits at Barclays are down slightly - the bank said it

suffered a 3% drop in net profits to �5.9 billion, that's $9.3

billion. It says its key investment bank arm ended last year with its

worst quarter for three years as the eurozone debt crisis hit bond

trading activity. But it is bankers' bonuses that are catching

all the attention at the moment. The total bonus pool at Barclays

was down 25%, and total incentive awards down 26% against 2010. Many

people were angered last year when Barclays' chief executive Bob

Diamond was awarded $9 million. He's allegedly in line for nearly

$5 million this year, but we have no confirmation of that amount yet.

Ralph Silva, banking analyst with the SRN Consultancy, says if it

becomes difficult to compensate people with bonuses in Britain,

more business and profits will happen outside the UK.

There is always risks involved. It is the nature of the business, it

is a risky business. So we have to pay these investors to keep them,

so that they don't move on. Bob Diamond is American, and Barclays

makes most of its investment banking money in America.

Ralph Silva there. New monthly figures indicate that China's

exports fell by 0.5% in January compared with last year. Imports to

China also fell. The figures were affected by the fact that the

Chinese New Year holiday, when most factories close, took place a month

earlier than last year. But there are still worries that China is

facing a deeper slowdown than first expected. Earlier this week, the

International Monetary Fund said the slowdown in Europe could cut

China's growth rate by almost half this year.

European Union and Indian leaders have made some progress towards a

free trade agreement, according to the European Council President

Herman Van Rompuy. The two sides are holding a summit in Delhi to

strengthen bilateral trade. Negotiations on a free trade

agreement have been taking place since 2008 with little success amid

a number of tariff and visa issues. The deal is expected to be

concluded in a few months. Dr Jayshree Sengupta, a senior fellow

at the Observer Foundation think tank in New Delhi, said there are

positives and negatives in this relationship. This fear that there

will be dumping of goods, and also that we cannot open up the retail

trade right away, and we cannot allow banking services in

immediately. Those are the negatives. The otherwise, there are

not many problems which will be problematic and the future. So I

think these are the negatives, India being still a developing

country, just cannot manage to come to the same level as the EU. That

is the main problem, I think. Spain's government will unveil

reforms to its rigid labour laws later today. The hope is they will

be radical enough to get to grips with sky-high unemployment while

not completely severing links with trade unions ahead of key regional

elections. Our correspondent in Madrid, Tom Burridge, explains.

People working in Spain's public sector will in the future have to

work longer hours for the same pay. Unions are not happy. It is the

private sector which is really suffering. The latest figures show

nearly one in four in Spain are out of work. The government is ready to

announce its latest economic reforms. TRANSLATION: Unfortunately,

these figures are not getting better in the short term. During

2012, they will be worse. We have to pay special attention the easing

economic growth and job creation. There are several measures aimed at

cutting unemployment. They can expect a reduction to severance

payments, so that employers would be put off hiring people on long-

term contracts, because at the moment, it is expensive to fire

them. Companies will have more power to set wages. And the elderly

will be able to work part time at the same time as collecting their

pensions, according to a newspaper. The Spanish economy minister said

the reforms will be aggressive. One of the key targets will be to

reduce youth unemployment, which now stands at around one in two of

those under 25 who are seeking work. Getting people back to work his key

in creating spending and growth in a country which is heading into

recession. And that is all the business news.

You are watching BBC World News. Coming up: As temperatures plummet

in Ukraine, we see how those down on their luck are keeping the

freezer at bay. A leading dissident Monk in Burma

is reported to have been taken for questioning by the authorities. A

witness in Rangoon told the BBC's Burmese Service that he was taken

away by government officials and the Department of religious affairs.

There has been no word since. He is one of the leaders of the 2007

protesting Burma which became known as the sack from revolution. The

Bangkok Correspondent Rachel Harvey He was taken away in the very air

and the house of the morning, won the M. Three cars showed up, and no

one has heard directly from him since. One of my colleagues from

the Burmese Service says he believes that Gambira was picked up

because he had three times been asked to go and meet the government

backed months leadership but had not shown up. In addition, Gambira

and his colleagues had broken into a monastery that had been locked

since 2007. They said they needed a place to stay after their release

from prison but the authorities evicted them. It seems as if

Gambira has been detained for questioning by the authorities

because they're not happy with his behaviour since his release.

Whether they will charge him with anything, anything that is unlikely,

it would be a provocative step and the government would not want that

publicity. Police in the Brazilian state of

Rio have voted to strike over pay and conditions, just a week before

the city's annual carnival begins. The government has approved a 39%

pay rise over the next two years for police, prison guards and fire

fighters. But officers say they want double that, and claim their

equipment is inadequate. The walkout could be disastrous for the

carnival, which draws around 800,000 tourists.

A leading dissident monk in Burma is reported to have been taken for

This is BBC World News. The headlines.

Syrian State TV says 25 people have been killed in two explosions in

the country's second city Aleppo. Greeks protest at an austerity plan

to secure the country's latest bail out. But EU ministers demand

further cuts be made. When you are going to take you back

to Athens, these are like pictures, skirmishes continuing, with many

people out on the streets. This protest which started today. We

have seen people throwing what look like stones and firebombs into the

armed police. They are using tear- gas. It comes after a difficult

week for the government, they agreed a deal yesterday and before

Brussels to say they wanted more. They have been told they need to

find another 325 million euros and budget cuts by next Wednesday.

People think they have suffered enough. 15,000 public sector job

cuts announced at the beginning of the week. Their little job security.

The result of a lot of frustration among the public. The police

responding as you can see the. Some protesters with placards. The

police moving forward with tear-gas. In the main square in Athens.

More from Syria now. There's little sign of the misery ending for the

residents of the city of Homs. Syrian government forces are

continuing to bombard the city, and opposition groups say more than 100

people were killed yesterday. President Obama condemned what he

called the "outrageous bloodshed", and repeated a call for President

Bashar al-Assad to leave power. But what do the inhabitants of Israel

make of the events in Syria? Our correspondent Rupert Wingfield

Hayes has been finding out. His role is no friend of President

Bashar al-Assad or his regime. This country has been pretty much in a

perpetual state of conflict with Syria since its foundation six

decades ago. Syria has been a long time base for groups like Hamas

which do not recognise the right of Israel to exist. Israel continues

to occupy the Golan Heights. It is ironic that this country is

extremely nervous about the demise of the regime of President Assad.

The border between Israel and Syria has been quite so many years and

President Assad had shown no inclination to start a hot war with

this country. As Israel has found on its other border with Egypt, the

demise of the hardline dictatorship to be replaced by a more democratic

regime can lead to a government which is even more hostile to this

country. Israel has not had a deal with

Syria that we have known about until now. Everything there is

changing. It could be complicated for us to deal with them in the

future. It can be good for Israel. A torrent has been taken out of

power. Whoever comes back cannot be worse but better. Israel should

support all the democratic movement around us. Two democracies never

fight each other. To get involved militarily, no. Maybe on the

humanitarian grounds, possibly, resistance to Zairean refugees.

-- Assistance to refugees. Pakistan contempt. Pakistan's Supreme Court

has rejected an appeal by the Prime Minister, Youssuf Raza Gilani,

against charges of contempt of court. The charges relate to his

failure to reopen a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.

That case dates back ten years, when Mr Zardari and his late wife

Benazir Bhutto were convicted in Switzerland of laundering millions

of dollars in kick-backs. Prime Minister Gilani is now expected to

be indicted on Monday. A UN special envoy has arrived in

the Maldives for talks with the country's new leaders. Meanwhile,

the former president, Mohamed Nasheed, who resigned on Tuesday,

is calling for power to be handed over to the Speaker of Parliament,

pending elections. Mr Nasheed maintains his removal amounted to a

coup. The Mexican army says it's seized

fifteen tonnes of methamphetamines in the western state of Jalisco.

Soldiers found the synthetic drug at a ranch, after a tip-off. It's

thought to be the largest amount ever seized in Mexico. The

authorities also seized equipment, but no arrests were made.

Ukraine is one of the countries worst hit by the cold spell that

continues to grip parts of Europe. Close to 140 people have died in

the past ten days, the highest number in Europe, as temperatures

have fallen to nearly minus 30 degrees Celsius at night. Among

those who have suffered the most in Ukraine are the country's homeless.

David Stern reports. This morning it is a frigid miners

17 degrees, but that does not stop some gay -- Sergey. Every day, he

stands outside the main train station, looking for work. He left

his home in eastern Ukraine three weeks ago. He says that the job

market there is terrible but in Kiev is not much better.

TRANSLATION: Doesn't that much work right now because it isn't called.

I am hoping family when it gets warmer there will be more employers

and more work. He stands outside the train station and to you can't

bear the colt back any longer. Then he returns to his home. He heated

shelters set up by the Ukrainian government. There are 3,000 of

these tents across the country. 10 in Kiev alone. Here, the homeless

can get a hot meal and a warm place to sleep. The shelter is a godsend.

Before it opened, he slept in the train station. The homeless

population in Kiev numbers more than 10,000. There may not be

enough places in the shelters for everyone. Well over half of those

who have perished during the cold spell have died on the streets.

Some experts blame the Ukrainian government for the high death toll

among the homeless. Others say that the country is suffering from the

weak economy, and abnormally sub- zero weather. This is one of the

pedestrian underpasses under the main square. At night, temperatures

can reach minus ten. But some people are forced to make this

their home. Ukraine is used to cold winter weather but still the

duration of this cold spell has taken many here by surprise. Right

now, for many Ukrainians, especially among those on the

margins of society, spring seems a distant prospect.

The Africa Cup of Nations football tournament is nearing its close.

Gabon has used the event to try and boost its profile and make

improvements to the country. But, as Alex Capstick now reports from

Libreville, it has been a difficult journey.

The stadium which was meant to stage the final of the Africa Cup

of Nations. Construction delays meant those plans were abandoned.

It devised the lack of progress made in the years after a Gabon won

the right to can host the tournament. In its place, a venue

built by the Chinese free of charge. Everything here it seems was left

to the last minute. People acknowledge that pays only picked

up when the current President succeeded and took control. It was

the challenge. We have succeeded because we are all together in this.

Very few were against it, many were behind it. Staging the Africa Cup

of Nations is part of a broader strategy to cut a new path for the

country's economy. Oil suppliers are dwindling since Gabon needs to

find other ways of making money. The President wants to see more

plants like this in Libreville which possesses its own timber

instead of exporting raw materials for a lower return. Another element

of the Government's plan was to turn Gabon into a tourist

destination. People do come here but not in large numbers. To tempt

them, seafronts are getting a make over. Co-hosting the Africa Cup of

Nations has provided the industry with a much needed boost but a lot

of work still needs to be done. Travel experts want more customers

from abroad but say attracting them can be difficult. It is very

expensive. We need more transportation in general,

aeroplanes, trains, cars, roads. But, for the past few weeks, the