23/02/2012 BBC World News

Gross and systematic violations of human rights in Syria - a new UN

report says orders come from the highest level.

But Damascus reject responsibility for the killing in Homs of two

Western journalists who "sneaked into the country at their own risk.

At least 10 killed including two American soldiers, as protests

continued across Afghanistan over the burning of Korans at a US base.

At least 50 people have been killed in Iraq in apparently co-ordinated

bomb attacks during the morning rush-hour.

Why have come to BBC World News. Also in the next 30 minutes, in the

wake of political reform, is Burma about to undergo a boom in

business? And lighting up the landscape, as

2012 beacons will be lit to mark The United Nations says Syria is on

the brink of a civil war and that Bashar al-Assad's government is

directly responsible for the murder of civilians. But who is giving the

orders, and what are the chances of a meaningful dialogue? The BBC's

reporter is in Geneva with more on that report and how the UN gathered

the information inside Syria. This UN panel of investigators

monitored what is going on inside Syria. There were not allowed in by

the Syrian government. They talked to people who had fled the country.

They talked by telephone to people who were still there. They used a

lot of satellite imagery which pour out evidence they had heard by

mouth of violations. In this follow-up to an earlier report,

they have further credible and damning evidence of widespread

systematic gross human rights violations which seemed to have

been ordered by people at the top of Syria's regime. The

investigators have sent a list of names of senior Syrian army

officers and their alleged crimes to the UN Human Rights Commissioner.

The thinking is that this evidence could at some point be used in a

trial at the International Criminal Court.

Somalia has an opportunity for peace and stability that we cannot

afford to miss. So says the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

Speaking at the opening of a major conference on the future of the

war-torn country in London, he does for more than 50 countries are

tackling problems including a refugee crisis, widespread famine

and piracy, as well as an armed Islamist group, Al-Shabaab.

Leaders arriving for a conference that the British government insists

is different in its potential from the many others on Somalia that

have gone before. The largest, with the most influence, and not out to

fix Somalia, but to back Somalis who are trying to fix their country

for themselves. The two decades, Somalia has been torn apart by

famine, bloodshed and some of the worst poverty on our planet. As

many as 1 million people have died. The terrible scenes that we all saw

with the famine last year were heartbreaking. With death and

suffering on a scale that no country or people should ever have

to suffer in our modern world. to Somalia's shattered capital that

bears out so graphically both the enormous challenges left by the

last two decades of chaos and the opportunities. For now, at least,

Al-Shabaab Islamist militants do appear to be driven out of

Mogadishu by the African Union peacekeepers. Just yesterday at the

UN, their mandate was extended beyond the capital and numbers are

to be boosted by nearly 50% to almost 18,000. This is because,

David Cameron said, the problems of Somalia do not just affect Somalis,

but the whole world. In a country where there is so little hope,

where there is chaos, violence and terrorism, pirates are disrupting

vital trade routes and kidnapping tourists. Young minds are being

poisoned by radicalism, breeding terrorism that threatens not just

Somalia, but the whole world. If the rest of us sit back and look on,

we will pay a price. One of the key tasks the conference is setting

itself is to back the efforts of Somalia's leaders, with their

limited real authority to set up a more representative government. The

current leaders are calling for an end to the arms embargo on Somalia

and a further strengthening of security.

Fife NATO forces have been fired on in Afghanistan. At least nine have

been killed. This happened on the day that at least four people died

in anti-US protests across the country. Demonstrators are angry

about the burning of copies of the Koran at a US base. Andrew North

has the latest developments on the anti-US protests in Afghanistan.

In the last few minutes, we have heard that in an Eastern Province,

a joint US and Afghan base came under attack from protesters who

were demonstrating against the American burning of the Koran. In

the process of that, we are told by Afghan officials that a man in

Afghan army uniform opened fire on NATO troops at this base, and that

at least two of them have been killed. We understand that both of

these soldiers are Americans. Then there was an exchange of fire

following this shooting. And we are told that two other protesters were

killed. We are also hearing reports of a French NATO base east of Kabul

coming under attack. So there is a sense that this has now been

directed much more at the military. This follows a Taliban call for

Afghans to retaliate following the Americans' burning of the Koran at

their Bagram base. This idea of the assailant being in

an Afghan military uniform, given what has gone on in the country,

does it mean the person was a member of the Afghan military? We

understand you can buy those uniforms on the streets of Kabul.

Food that's right. There are still questions to be answered about who

this man was. But what we are hearing from Afghan officials

suggests that this was an Afghan army soldier in Afghan uniform. But

there have been infiltrations by the Taliban. But there have also

been other cases in the past few years of Afghan security forces

opening fire on Americans or British. But with what is happening

now, it will be particularly worrying for the Americans and

other NATO forces. Time for the business news now.

Germany's second biggest bank, Commerzbank, is blaming the

Eurozone debt crisis and losses on its investments increase for its

slashed profits for 2011. The bank also announced new plans to beef up

its core capital by more than EUR1 billion, about $1.3 billion. Eric

Strutz, the chief financial officer for Commerzbank, joins me. How

exposed was the back to that Greek debt? We are obviously one of the

larger position takers in Greece because of our subsidiary Bank,

which was specifically involved in public finance and bonds are around

the Eurozone. In the fourth quarter, this cost another impairment on our

Greek sovereign bonds of almost 700 billion. It is a big chunk of a

loss we had to take. That took away profits from an extremely strong

core bank. If that is worrying going forward, because this Greek

crisis may not be resolved. So it could weigh on your profits in the

future? We have now negotiated an agreement with Greece which will be

in place by mid-March. So we do not believe this will be a further

burden on Commerzbank. On the other hand, you have put your finger on

an important question. What does Europe want? Does it want to make

sure it is politically unified? Does it want to have one common

market in the future? How well the whole PSI increase impact on the

public finances of other countries, not only Portugal, Ireland, Spain

or Italy, but also countries like France, the UK and Germany? The

decisions being taken have to be rethought a bit, considering the

contribution of the public sector towards Greece. We saw that the

European Central Bank expects to make a profit on that negotiation.

Even passing the profit on to the national banks does not make a lot

of sense. If we want to unify Europe, we need to make sure

politics and the private sector are in one boat. Therefore, there will

be more to come on the question of how we reunify Europe. You are

reiterating a line we have heard from a few people in your position

regarding the Greek situation. But in terms of the Bank going forward

and reducing its risks, what do you see as the low risk areas for

future investment? We are currently expanding our French and German

projects. We have just had a press conference. When I joined the bank,

we had 4 million customers. Today we have 15 million. Our bank his

the market leader on the export side and one of the leaders on the

customer's side. We have created an excellent result in the core bank.

On the other hand, we do have our non-core areas which we are

reducing. We want to reduce our public finances portfolio.

Let's stay in Europe. Any optimism around Greece's second bail-out

seems to have evaporated. The European Union says it now expects

the Eurozone to go into recession this year, despite recent signs of

stabilisation in the financial markets. The executive of the

European Commission says it expects the Eurozone economy to contract by

0.3% and 2012. The commissioner for economic Affairs, Olli Rehn, called

it a mild recession, with signs of stabilisation. Last November, the

Commission predicted growth of 0.5%, but there is some good news because

the closely watched economic institute's business survey

indicated that German business confidence rose to a seven-month

high level in February as domestic demand helped protect the German

economy against the Greek debt crisis. I am joined by our Europe

business correspondent, who has been poring over those numbers from

the commission. Are they in line with what we can expect, given that

we had those 4th quarter figures for the Eurozone issued a few weeks

ago? Yes, we knew that Europe could no longer say that it was going to

stay out of recession. We have now seen a string of countries joining

Greece and Portugal in a recession. The question is how long it will

last and how deep it will be. Olli Rehn was relatively bullish about

this. He said it would be short if five things happen. There are five

big great things that the Greek Government sorted out. Banks have

been capitalised. There are structural reforms. These things

are difficult. If that happens, we know that Ireland and Portugal are

on track. Spain and Italy are only just starting that process. So it

is a slightly better picture than it might be. At least we do not

have a credit crunch in Europe. But it is still a tale of two Europes,

Germany forging ahead because they still have an industrial base. That

is the problem for the rest of Europe. In a sense, the it If I OS

map blunts the fall-out. It is still there. Germany does sell a

huge quantity of goods to the rest of Europe. So if the Eurozone is in

trouble, that is bad for Germany. But they are also good at global

exports for all-star let's look now We were discussing the possibility

of the Eurozone going into a small recession. We are still trying to

get through the small print from that Greece deal. Something has

been negotiated, but there are still a few hoops to clear. It has

to go through to the national parliaments of some of these Euro-

sceptic nations who have bought into the currency. I am referring

to hardcore players like the Netherlands and Finland. They made

some negative comments in the run- up to those deals. So there are

quite a few factors for the markets You're watching BBC World News.

Still to come: Could Burma be about to see a boom in business,

Now to Australia, where an extraordinary leadership battle is

shaping up. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced a ballot will

be held on Monday for the leadership of the governing Labor

party. She's trying to fend off a challenge from Kevin Rudd, the man

she ousted 19 months ago. Duncan Kennedy reports.

And the Prime Minister came out to defend her record and abilities but

said, for the sake of the party and the country, speculation about her

leadership had to end, with Kevin Rudd, the man whose job she took,

the target of her comments. Following his resignation yesterday,

I have formed this view we need a leadership ballot, in order to

settle this question once and for all. I believe it is in the

interests of our party that it be determined at once and for all, but

more importantly, I believe it is in the interests of the Australian

nation. Speaking from Washington where he resigned, Kevin Rudd did

not officially declare his intention to run but made clear

only he could now save the government from certain defeat at

the next general election. I do not believe, I do not believe that

Prime Minister Julia Gillard can lead the Australian Labour Party to

success in the next election, that is a deep belief and one I believe

which is shared across the Australian community. Speculation

has dominated Australian politics, sapping energy and focus. The

government has paid a price. Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd do not have

many political differences, this is much more personal. Their

respective supporters have also been getting personal. The senior

ministers have been calling Kevin Rudd incompetent and disloyal,

while his aides have called Julia Gillard not fit for office and say

she should leave before the next general election.

The ballot will be held on Monday. Whilst Julia Gillard is favourite,

it may be the size of Kevin Rudd's At least 12 people have been killed

by an explosion in the city of Peshawar in north-western Pakistan.

The blast, which wounded more than 30 others, targeted a bus stop

where people were waiting to begin Of the country. There haven't yet

been any claims of responsibility for the attack, which happened near

This is BBC World News. The headlines: The UN accuses Syrian

forces of gross and systematic human rights abuses under orders

from the highest level. At least 10 are killed in Afghanistan,

including two American soldiers, in a third day of protests over the

There's been a series of bomb attacks in Iraq, leaving more than

50 people dead, and many more wounded. The biggest blast took

place in a mainly Shi'ite district of the capital Baghdad. There were

also reports of attacks in other cities. Nick Childs reports.

Once again, smoke hangs over Baghdad, in a familiar tactic, the

morning rush hour was bred by a co- ordinated wave of bombings and

shootings across the city, and in provinces beyond. As the emergency

services rushed to deal with the carnage and chaos, it looked like

security forces were the main targets of the attack. As ever,

others were caught up in the blasts. TRANSLATION: A car bomb went off,

targeting an official. Vehicles and buildings were damaged. Also other

people were hurt. It is destruction. An explosion took place 30 minutes

ago, followed by another blast. The shattered glass of a window injured

knee. And far to the north of Baghdad in

Kirkuk, the wreckage of a car. It carried a bomb, one or two aimed at

police patrols. Most of the destruction was in the capital.

It's not on a scale reached at the height of the insurgency, but that

may be little consolation. Against the backdrop of a stand-off between

Shia and Sunni leaders. These attacks look like another attempt

to sow political and ethnic tensions, the latest in an

onslaught since US forces pulled out last year.

Reforms in Burma have already prompted western governments to

lift some sanctions. And now, the World Bank says it's looking for

ways to re-engage. This change in mood is encouraging a wave of

interest among local and international businesses. Our

correspondent, Rachel Harvey, reports on the growing sense of

business optimism. The lunchtime rush in and up market

Brandon restaurant. Local cuisine seasoned with old colonial

splendour. Monsoon was opened in 2005 by two sisters. In the past,

their customers were local experts, the elite and the tourists. Now,

that has changed. Lately, we have seen more businessmen, like

Japanese and European businessmen, coming in. We want to expand,

especially in Mandalay, if we have the opportunity, I want to open a

new restaurant. The sisters are not the only ones looking to exploit

the opportunities Burma's reforms seem to offer. Local construction

firms are rushing to meet growing demand, rents are soaring. A steady

stream of foreign business executives are beating a path to

Burma. Hotels are fully booked weeks in advance. With demand

growing, a well-trained local staff is a precious commodity. We have

seen associates being sent over, preparing for the international

client health, preparing them for the English language and

expectations. It is important to keep people motivated. With all of

the competition. There is a buzz about Rangoon these

days, a feeling things are about to take off. But his Burma really

ready for a business boom? This is still how many people in Burma keep

in touch with friends and relatives, coming to an outside stall, to make

a call. If we move over here, there are shops selling the latest mobile

phone hand sets but the network is very patchy outside major cities.

Internet speeds are slow. So the modern technology that modern

business needs is still lacking. For some, that is part of Burma's

of charm. Tourists, once deterred, are keen to see a country largely

untouched by the rapid development that has changed so much of Asia.

It is always considered not politically correct to come but

things are changing and the feeling is it is good to go, there is a

change. We want to come before it becomes spoilt.

The trick will be to encourage the wave of investor interest, without

swamping Burma's unique character. The former President of the

Philippines has pleaded not guilty to charges of electoral fraud as a

court in another. Gloria Arroyo, President for nine years, is

accused of conspiring to alter a poll results to favour certain

candidates in 2007. This was the moment many people in

the Philippines had been waiting for, for years, their chance to see

Gloria Arroyo in court. In the event, it took 15 minutes, no more.

She arrived completely surrounded by bodyguards, went into this

building, was told the charges against her out of electoral fraud,

and pleaded not guilty. Then she left almost as quickly. She is

likely to get to know this building very well in the next few years

because trials here take an awfully long time. Her predecessor was also

tried as soon as he left office, for corruption, and his tribe took

six years. Although there's still a few months

to go, many people across the UK are already finalising their plans

for the celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. To mark

the event, two thousand and twelve beacons will be lit across Britain.

Jenny Hill is in the central English region known as the Peak

District to see how the preparations are going in the small

village of Flash. At 1,500 ft above sea level, this is a village with a

view. In fact, Flash is the highest

village in England. It's always pretty blowy, the highest point in

the village. It is here they will build and light their jubilee

bonfire. One of more than 2012 beacons to be lit across the UK.

Here are the people who will be lighting it. There are just seven

children in the village school here, among them, Leon who told us plans

for the jubilee are well under way. There's going to be a big party in

the village hall. Then we are going to go and stay up late at night

which will be pretty cool. For centuries, beacons have lit up

royal anniversaries. These bonfires were set in 1897 for Queen

Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth, here lighting a beacon

for her Golden Jubilee, will be the only other British monarch to

celebrate 60 years on the throne. The procession went on for

absolutely ages. Back in Flash, this couple are looking forward to

the Queen's Jubilee. Shirley and Howard remember going to relatives

to watch TV coverage of her coronation. Because we are very

isolated here, we had our own celebration. But it's important to

the country, important to the world as well, to show what Britain is.

Yes. It is a remarkable reign really, when you look back. Which

is why the pupils at Flash School also plan a street party. And they

are inviting the Queen. To celebrate one of the UK's biggest

events but one of the UK's smallest communities.

Sweden's Crown Princess has given birth to her first child. She was