20/02/2012 BBC World News

A fresh bail out deal for Greece could be approved by European

ministers in the next few few hours. Was it a set-up? Mexican police

investigate the riot that killed 44 people. UN inspectors arrive in

Tehran, but will they get to see the nuclear sites?

Welcome to BBC World News. Also in this programme:

It helped cause the disastrous floods, how the BBC discovers

illegal logging continues in the Philippines.

How the Royal seal of approval is giving British designer a boost at

Hello. The Greek government says it has

met all the requirements it needed to for the bail out package and it

believes a deal will be done today. Eurozone ministers are in Brussels

to decide whether to give the go ahead for the deal and the French

Finance Minister has said all elements are in place. But even if

this round of funding goes through there are still fears Greece will

eventually have to default and public anger remains very visible

This country is sinking deeper into recession and hopes of a way out

are fading. But the Government is pushing on, desperate to secure the

country's vital bail out money which it hopes will be released at

a eurozone finance meeting later today. TRANSLATION: It can't wait

anymore. The Greek Parliament met last week and committed itself to

important structural reforms that are John are ongoing. The political

commitments are made. It can't wait any longer. In March Greece has

financial deadlines and is a country that could go bankrupt.

This is a crucial moment for Greece as it teeters towards the edge. At

stake is the country's 130 billion euro bail out, a 70% reduction in

Greece's private debt is likely. The aim is to cut the country's

debts to a more sustainable level, around 120% of GDP by 2020. Greece

maybe edging towards its 130 billion euro bail out, but the fear

is it won't be enough to save this country, with the recession deeper

here than previously thought, another injection of cash might be

needed to prop up this flailing economy, but for now, nobody in

Europe seems willing to pay. And that is the worrying prospect

here, that for all the pain, it won't be enough.

Greeks are stretched to break point. TRANSLATION: I don't see light in

the horizon. No matter how many loans we receive, if we don't start

producing something to stand on our own two two feet, we will never

have recovery in Greece. Even if they cut all pension, all

benefits from the unemployed, from everyone, the problem will not be

solved. It is a dead end. The worst riots in years engulfing

Athens as Parliament passed the austerity package. How much more

can people here take and will Europe feel it is time to cut this

Jamesy Robertson is here. We have - - Jamie Robertson is here. We have

had this statement saying the Greeks are making the sacrifices

necessary, but the technical problems are being discussed. What

do they mean? It is a nice phrase. It is about preferences or

priorities of institutal partners or member of states. It means they

can't come to an agreement. Are they going to get to the end by

the day? Greece could be close to bagging its second bail out. Greece

finds it hard to stick to its promises and usually the State and

its politicians that are blamed for not collecting more tax income. Our

business correspondent has been talking to a small business owner

who says the Greek people must take responsibility for the financial

mess they are in. We will soon lose count for the

people looking for work on the streets. This man has a family of

five and used to own a business employing is 14 people building

swimming pools. Now he does odd jobs for people for as little as

five euros. Many people won't pay Government tax on their bills. He

says there is little incentive to submit honest paper paperwork. He

says many citizens try to dodge tax. If they say this costs 100 euro, we

sometimes ask if you will not give me a receipt, we will give it to

you for 80 euro. The State loses taxes, loses income and this is our

problem, but if if five million people do that, there is a problem.

EU Finance Ministers are are gathering in Brussels and they are

they are being asked to sign up to the biggest bail out yet. Each time

they demand that in return, Greece changes its ways. So more tax is

paid and collected so Athens starts to get to to grips with its debts.

So far, there is not much evidence on the ground that the country is

yet turning over a new leave. Even with another bail out deal,

experts are saying that getting Greece's economy to grow again will

be the challenge in the long-term. The focus so far was too much on

austerity and too little on growth and we saw the Greek economy was

shrinking heavily over the past two years. And it is very difficult for

the Greek economy to restart again and growth and I think that will be

a big issue for the next five or six years, but nevertheless that it

will there will be no intention, even if the Greek economy continue

to shrink, there will be no intention from the other

governments to get Greece go out of the euro area.

Japan Japan reported a hi-def sit. -- deficit. Its fuel imports went

up because most of its nuclear reactors were shut. That is making

Not since records began in 1979 have Japan's imports so far

outstripped its exports. In January, the trade deficit was a record

1.475 trillion yen, that's $19 billion. That's not good news for a

country that relied on exports for growth. Japan was the first Asian

nation to grow rich by selling its goods abroad. At one time, it was

criticised for its surpluses, but not now. The strength of the

Japanese yen is making manufacturing here less profitable.

In the last 12 months alone, the Japanese currency has risen by 8%,

compared to rival South Korea's 1%. There has been pressure on imports

too. The nuclear crisis at Fukushima and safety fears means

that almost all of the country's nuclear reactors are off line. To

generate enough electricity to keep the lights on, Japan is turning

more and more to natural gas and oil and of course, in this energy

poor country, gas and oil oil are imported.

Moves by Iran to withhold oil sales to the UK and France has pushed the

price of crude oil to a high. Crude rose over 1.5%. That was on

the New York exchange. EU member states agreed to stop importing

Iranian oil from the 1st July. The other big stories, China made a

move to make it easier for banks to lend. Economic growth at over 8% a

year has been slowing down for the last five months. By cutting back

on the amount that the bank needs to hold in reserve, the Central

Bank hopes to encourage more lending and that lifts hopefully

growth back towards the 10% level which is where they want it.

That had a positive effect particularly that China move had a

positive effect on the markets. I am not sure if you can see the

figures. There is the European markets. All are looking positive.

The higher oil price is a concern. People are worried about whether

that will have a dampening effect. The euro is getting stronger. It is

up nearly 133 which it hasn't been at for a highly and there is --

highly and there is Brent Crude up over 1%.

That's the business business news. Thank you very much. Expectation of

a deal on the euro, perhaps. We are receiving reports from Syria

that army reinforcements are heading towards Homs. The

Associated Press has been quoting a Syrian based activist as saying

that three columns of troops, including tanks are moving towards

the the city. The Government continues to shell the Baba Amr

neighbourhood. In Mexico, 44 people have died in a

prison riot. Security officials say members of rival drugs cartels

confronted each other with stones and home-made weapons. An

investigation is underway to see if some of the prison guards colluded

in the fight by unlocking doors, separating two wings of the jail.

Once again, Latin America's jails in the spotlight for all the wrong

reasons. Rival gangs inside this prison in northern Mexico start add

fight in which dozen were killed. There is speculation there may have

been involvement by some of the guards as the two groups should

have been kept in separate wings. Again, overcrowding was a serious

issue. 3,000 inmates, inside a facility facility built for only

1500. Outside the prison gates, desperate

family members waited anxiously for news.

TRANSLATION: We want them to listen to us. There are many family

members here and there are many more innocent prisoners inside that

are injured. We need ambulances. We want the governor to listen to us,

but they are not listening. The authorities took back control

of the building by force. But as the hours passed, the number of

dead continued to rise. This is the second major prison

riot in northern Mexico in a month. It comes days after a fire in a

jail in Honduras. Over 350 people people were killed with many men

men trapped in their cells. There is no explanation as to how the

fire in Honduras began with a riot and electrical fault having been

suggested by the Government. As in Honduras, Mexico is now

looking hard at the way its prisons are run and the way its prisoners

are treated, but many victims families are very very sceptical

that such soul searching will You are watching BBC World News.

How the Kate effect is giving British designers a boost ahead of

Now the man tipped to be the next president of China has wrapped up

his three day trip to Ireland, his only stop in the EU before he heads

to Turkey. Ruth McDonald reports. Ireland always gives a warm welcome

to its VIP guests, but this visit is particularly special.

The last time Mr Xi was in Ireland was nine years ago. He He returns

as one of the most important important men in the in the world.

There is delight in in Irish Government circles that hosting

China's next leader. Ireland is the only stop on

president's itinerary. Ireland does $10.5 billion worth of trade with

China each year. Both countries would like that to grow. James

Lynch's farm in County Clare has never had such a distinguished

guest. Mr Xi Was here to look at Irish farmling methods and found

himself being introduced to a familiar sounding calf.

We will be calling this calf after yourself.

Farms like this one are crucial to Ireland's plans to significantly

increase its agricultural exports in the coming years. Years China is

a vast market with over one billion mouths to feed. Mr Xi was keen to

study the Irish experience. He was very interested. He has a huge

interest in in agriculture, he wanted to know about the quality

standards in Ireland and what is associated with the production of

Irish food. Stress has been on the mutual

benefits between the countries. Mr Xi stopped off at the cliffs of

Mohar. Mr Xi's Irish trip will be shown on TV screens all over China,

making investors aware of what An avalanche killed three people in

the North West of the United States. The deaths happened in an off

limits area. There have been 70 meters of snow in recent days.

Meteorologists warned of a risk of This is BBC world news. The

headlines for you: The Greek Finance Minister said his country

has done everything necessary to receive a fresh eurozone bail out.

And was the Mexico prison riot that killed 44 people started

deliberately to allow inmates to escape?

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency have arrived

in Iran's capital, Tehran, hoping to get officials to agree to talk

about its nuclear weapons programme, something which Iran has always

denied. Over the weekend, western diplomats told journalists that

Iran appeared to be expanding an underground facility near the city

of Qom. Heading for Iran, inspectors making their second

journey to Tehran in less than a month. Looking for answers to

growing international concerns about Iran's nuclear programme.

hope to have a couple of good days in Tehran. Certainly the spirit

with which we are going there - importantly though we hope we can

have some concrete results after this trip. The highest priority

remains, of course, the possible military dimensions, of Iran's

nuclear programme. It's not clear whether they'll have access to

Iran's nuclear facilities. Their visit lasts just two days - hardly

enough time to get answers about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The

visit comes amid growing tensions between Iran and the west. On

Sunday, Iran said it had halted oil sales to France Britain in

retaliation for a ban on Iranian oil, which begins in July. The US

has imposed financial sanctions on Iran. Israel suggested it may

consider a strike against the nuclear facilities should diplomacy

fail. Something which America's top soldier has warned against. Iran

continues to insist that its nuclear programme is peaceful. This

was President Ahmadinejad last week, showing off the use of locally-made

nuclear fuel in a reactor. Despite Iran's claims, the international

pressure on the country shows no sign of easing.

An explosion has ripped through a polling station in the southern

Yemeny city of Aden, one day before the country holds Presidential

elections. The Vice-President is the only candidate in tomorrow's

vote after a year of protest forced President Saleh to end his 33-year-

old -rule. The economic crisis is ramping up social tensions in

Greece, far beyond the discord over austerity cuts. The country is

often a first port of call for illegal migrants. Now many are

caught up in a cycle of poverty which is impossible to escape. Paul

Mason travelled to Patras. In the port of Patras you can still

find some Greeks with spare change, but away from the music, the cafes

and the shoppers, hides a much darker side to the Greek economic

nightmare. These young men are illegal migrants waiting to board

trucks and hitch a ferry ride to Italy. Most will fail and go back

at dawn to sleep in this disused factory which has become hope.

Abdul, from Darfur, told me he's been here too long. In the factory

here I have six months and three months in a train there. You have

lived here six months. We came here I have sipbgs months

here. The men are from Sudan, Afghanistan and North Africa, but

have been forced together by an economic crisis which has made it

harder to get out of Greece than it was to get in. Wassim, from Kabul

says he has a wife and children in London. He has been deported to

Afghanistan and makes it back to here. The story he tells of Greece

is not a happy one. This is not Europe. It doesn't feel like

Europe? No. I used to live in London. This does not look like

Europe. The police can hit you. The people cannot swear at you for no

reason. The people hit us, like animal. The men curl around me,

showing wounds where they have clashed with the police and far-

right groups in the town. All they want to do is leave, but the crisis

has meant less trucks and less charity from local people. Local

NGOs say the situation is not going to improve any time soon.

racism is getting worse. The media, they are also, they support this

racism because they want to show that the immigrants are the enemies

and they are responsible for the situation, so as to hide, in my

opinion, the real responsibilities. The economic crisis is ramping up

the social tensions in Greece. Attacks on migrants are on the

increase. The Greek Government has better things to do than to record

them. The irony is few of these men want to be here, but geography and

fate have trapped them in the very country least equipped or minded to

cope with them. It's now two months since the

devastating floods that hit the southern Philippines, killing more

than 1,000 people. Officials admit that deforestation was the cause of

much of the destruction. The Government says it is trying to

stop any more trees being cut down. The BBC has seen evidence that

Our correspondent reports from Iligan, one of the worst affected

areas. The logs that destroyed Iligan are now being used to

rebuild it. Two months after torrential rains

brought devastation to this part of the pill feens, there's a grow --

Philippines, there's a growing realisation that it was not the

waters but the logs it brought with it which were the biggest killer.

The risk would be reduced by more than half. So if we have something

like 750 people who died, maybe half of those lives were caused by

the logs. In total more than 1,000 people

died when Tropical Storm Washi hit. Rivers burst their banks. Cut trees

smashed into people's homes. The President has banned all logging.

It depends where you live as to how strict it is enforced. Down here,

which bore the brunt of the destruction, it is almost impose

tobl get a permit to log. Up stream, where most of the logs came from,

it is much easier. With an armed escort, we travelled up river, into

the mountains. Rebel groups operate here. Central Government's ability

to enforce the law is weak. At a local saw mill, villagers spoke

openly about their dependence on illegal logging. This woman says

she sees big companies logging any way. What her community is doing is

only small scale. He says he's got to support his

family. He's got no other choice, but to keep cutting down trees. So

the logging continues. This consignment was only caught because

the vehicle was involved in a traffic accident. Inside mahogany,

worth nearly $10,000. The police say they are doing their best. For

local campaigners, that's still not good enough. You know, in the

Philippines we have good policies. We have obviously good policies but

the problem is the implementation. Those who lost their homes in the

floods now live in temporary camps. For them, live changed overnight.

Stopping the loggers is going to take much longer.

Now, the fashion industry is worth more than $30 billion to the UK

economy. This week, all the experts are in town for London Fashion Week.

At a time when things are looking up for the British retail sector,

designers say the best boost for the industry has been, yes, the

Duchess of Cambridge. Fashion fit for a princess, or at

least a Duchess. This is British designer's Alice Temperley's latest

collection. It is one of the biggest shows, not least because of

who wears the brand. Both the Duchess of Cambridge and her sister

have worn Temperley on public occasions.

In the hours after she wears either high street or a British designer

Internet searches and sales spike by as much as 500%. She has won

wonders. She looks fantastic. She's a lovely girl. She supports British

fashion by wearing just British fashion. She's a fantastic

ambassador. She has breathed a new life back into the Royal Family.

She's fantastic. In just a decade Alice Temperley's business has

grown to sell in 37 countries. With a workshop in London and branding

itself as quintessentially British. The first ever study by the British

Fashion Council estimated the industry was worth �21 billion to

the UK economy. It provided 800,000 jobs and was responsible for 1.7%

of the GDP. That is more than the car industry. There's a lot going

on for Britain. There is Kate Middleton, there's Downton Abbey

and there are the Olympics. It's the perfect storm for the brand.

And the made in Britain brand has a lot of cache globally. It is not

just Temperley which is benefits. These are the opulent surroundings

of the Mulberry fashion show, and luxury brands like this are getting

front seats into worldwide expansion. By 2015 Asia will

account for 20% of all luxury good sales. Mulberry and Burberry a are

well known labels over there. According to the designer, London

is making business sense too. we've managed to do as the fashion

capital in recent years. We have proved to the world that we have an

amazing wealth of creative talent who can be commercially viable.

Because of this, designers like Stella McCartney return to London

for the first time in a decade to show. The challenge will be to keep

her here. Much more of course at the website