22/05/2012 BBC World News

Organisation the eurozone risks falling into severe recession. Sri

Lanka's former army chief who led the controversial military campaign

against the Tamil Tigers tells the BBC is country must co-operate with

international war crimes probe. -- his country must. And Falcon nine

has lived off on the first commercial flight taking cargo to

the International Space Station. Welcome to BBC World News. Also in

the programme, the crisis of youth unemployment. The UN rule -- warns

that 75 million people under 24 are now out of work. And Qantas splits

its international and domestic operations, hoping its business

There is a fresh warning that the crisis in the eurozone is the

biggest threat to the recovery of the world's economy. A new report

says opportunities must now be taken to tackle the problems. The

OECD findings come after the International Labour Organisation

said youth unemployment, particularly in Europe, remains at

crisis levels with no sign of improvement for at least another

four years. The split between Europe's leaders on whether to

spend or cut their way out of debt appears to be widening.

Europe is receiving a cocktail of messages from different

institutions weighing into the debate about its economy. One in

debate about its economy. One in five young people are unemployed,

warns the International Labour warns the International Labour

Organisation. Followed by the 34 member OECD, that gave a measured

forecast that the economy could pick up, but also of the

consequences of getting it wrong. In the euro area, which remains the

most significant single area of risk in the global economy, had

moved away from the edge of the cliff, things had begin to

deteriorate again recently. So we cannot rule out the development of

a downsize scenario, which if ignited, could lead to serious

repercussions worldwide. Further interest rate cuts were needed at

the European Central Bank. Confidence had to be restored in

banks and governments, and for that, there needed to be changes in the

way things were done. It is high time to go and structural.

Structural reforms are not only the best short-term remedy left but

they also offer multiple dividends. But with the left gaining ground,

technocratic pragmatism is coming face-to-face with democratic

politics. Greece is the test case. One populist leader arguing for

policies that, in the eyes of many economists, simply don't make sense.

TRANSLATION: Your presence gives us strength for the fight that we

fight, because we are fighting for everyone in Europe. We are going to

win, all together. The euro crisis is a global one, with a warning now

from the International Monetary Fund of how it could impact on non-

euro Britain. The stresses in the euro area affect the UK through

many channels. Growth is too slow and unemployment, including youth

unemployment, too high. In Spain, teachers' strike over austerity

cuts, claiming long-term education will be damaged. A common seen in

Europe now, as it decides whether voters or markets are best to

The OECD report, is there any glimmer of good news? There is, on

one hand. To summarise what the OECD said, it is important. It is a

very influential think tank. It says it seems to be the one thing

which could throw the whole global economy of truck -- off-track. The

OECD points out in its report that there is the recovery going on,

there is a small recovery. It is pointing towards recovery picking

up in China and Brazil. In Japan there were figures for the Japanese

GDP which were very encouraging. But the eurozone could throw all of

that out of the window. Those in France might say, look, what is

happening there. They might even say that the euro cannot afford to

do that kind of thing because they are at the whim of the markets. The

argument seems to be heading more towards the idea of growth rather

than austerity, and this is the great attention that is being set

up. Youth unemployment, one of the symptoms of the problems facing the

eurozone. The UN agency in charge of workers' rights has said that

the number of young people aged 15 to 24 without jobs now stands at

almost 75 million worldwide. This is a figure that has risen by 4

million since 2007. Some of the highest rates of unemployment are

in the EU. That is where one in five under 24s are looking for jobs.

In some figures -- some countries the figure is far higher. They risk

becoming increasingly detached from society altogether, and becoming

long-term unemployable. relatively large share of young

people are detached from the labour market. At the risk of dropping out

of education systems, and it is very important that there are young

people, especially at the bottom of the Labour Market, who have an

opportunity to train, educate, or find a proper job. Onto some

corporate news from Australia. Qantas has been on the rise after

the airline announced radical restructurings plans, effectively

splitting the company in two. This is one of the biggest changes

to the structure of Qantas since it was formed in 1920. The business

being split in two, separating domestic flights from international

ones. The new ventures will each have their own chief executive,

able to establish different plans for growth. Qantas has seen half

yearly profits fall by 80%, the result of high fuel costs, a strong

Australian dollar and weak passenger demand. The current boss,

Alan Joyce, will stay on to oversee both new ventures. He is regarded

as a tough but effective leader, who can return the company to

profitability. But will it all work? Well splitting Qantas in two

be enough to revive this proud national carrier. No one really

knows until it has been given the chance to work over the next few

months. A critical time for an airline with a long and impressive

history. The move to divide the company comes a day after Alan

Joyce announced around 500 job losses at the Quantas maintenance

operation, reducing the number of plants from 3-two. The measure

challenged by the unions, but seen by Qantas as one more key step to

reducing costs. Now to Japan. Bearing in mind what

I was saying about Japanese growth, there has been a downgrade from

Japan from Fitch credit agency. It has cut Japan's sovereign debt to

AA, from double-A. The country struggles through much-needed tax

hikes, trying to rein in national debt. Its national debt amounts to

more than twice gross national product, although most of that debt

is held domestically. Another casualty of the eurozone

crisis, profits on Vodafone. The telecoms giant has been forced to

write down the value of its assets by over $6 billion in Italy, Spain,

Portugal and 1C. Pre- tax profits to 31st March were $15 billion, but

the world's largest operator was forced to cut its operating profits

Apple is getting stronger, according to a survey of brand

values. Samsung appears to be gaining ground, as do brands from

rising markets, reflecting the spending power of the so-called

BRIC economies. Let's have a quick look at the markets. The European

markets, all of them are up. Talk about increased stimulus policy

being put into place by China, some comments at the weekend from the

Chinese authorities. And also, the meeting later on this week amongst

the eurozone countries, again hoping for some kind of stimulation

of the economy. We hope. We all want growth. Thank you very

much. Let's catch up with some of the

rest of the day's news. Sri Lanka's former army chief, President Obama,

The UN said the military killed tens of thousands at the time and

Sarath Fonseka told the BBC's reporter how he felt to be released.

If I produce behind bars, later on I put you out, what do you feel

about it? What about the terms of your release? We be able to re-

enter politics or you forbidden from doing that? I have completed

the prison sentence already. Unless they reverse it, I can't do

politics. As it is, we don't know exactly what the agreement is, but

we will know. Would you like to re- enter the political arena and to

challenge Mahinda Rajapaksa for the presidency again? Yes. It is not

but I want to become the President of the country or something. My

intention is not to contest fought the presidency and become the

President of the country. I have a political agenda to change the

cultural agenda in this country. March, the United States sponsored

a resolution at the un Human Rights Council, critical on human rights

performance in tracker, saying it's to do more on reconciliation and

accountability for alleged war crimes -- performance in Sri Lankan.

That was passed. Did you welcome that? Straight away, we agree.

Violations of human rights and the reconciliation, yes, it is a must.

The war crimes, there are various different opinions. We have to

argue with that, argue it out, clarify any doubts, so that those

who are pointing out special issues, I believe they must point out

specific issues. The way some people hide their face, they give

the impressions to the rest of the world that these people are guilty

already. I am ready to answer any allegations about war crimes in

relation to the military operations. That is my position.

The former army chief of Trafalgar, Sarath Fonseka.

Five, 4, 3, 2, 1, zero, and launch of the space -- the SpaceX Falcon

nine rocket. The American company, SpaceX, launched a rocket from Cape

Canaveral in Florida. It carries a capsule packed with �1,000 of space

station provisions and is expected to reach the space station in a few

days' time. Coming up, we will take a dip with

robofish, the latest weapon in the NATO leaders have wrapped up the

summit in Chicago, promising full support to Afghanistan whilst also

saying they will withdraw troops by 2014. But that deadline may not be

the end of Western involvement. Barack Obama says his strategic

partnership with President Karzai means a long-term relationship with

Afghanistan is likely. Caroline Wyatt is in Chicago.

NATO, not unexpectedly, his deeming the summit a success. An agreement

has been reached with the money nations that contributes to the

ISAF in Afghanistan for what happens next. The communique at the

end of the summit has said that the Afghan forces will be in the lead

on security by the middle of 2013. That should allow time for them to

bed in, but also for NATO forces to still be there if there are

problems for the Afghan national forces. On the side of NATO, it

hasn't managed to reach a deal with Pakistan on the issue of reopening

supply routes to the south, which are very important for NATO, not

least as they withdraw something like 122,000 shipping containers

worth of equipment that they have, 70,000 armoured vehicles, many of

which will need to go home after the combat is over. That is pretty

key. President Zardari has gone back to Pakistan saying he will

talk to officials to instruct them that this deal must be made. That

is something that will be a continuation from the summit,

pretty key for me to itself. The other world leaders go home after a

very long period -- pretty key for NATO itself. The other world

leaders are probably satisfied that the cracks have not appeared too

wide. Where it leaves Afghanistan, that remains to be seen. David

Cameron said Afghanistan should not be abandoned by its NATO and the

Taliban had been defeated on the battlefield. The Taliban and people

of Afghanistan may see that different league. They have had a

lot of assurances about what happens next but I think the proof

of whether the Afghan national security forces can cope in the way

that NATO's says they can will be seen in the coming months in

Several protestors have been arrested in Azerbaijan's capital,

Baku, ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest this weekend. Police

carried away opposition supporters after authorities refused

This is BBC World News. I'm Geeta Gurumurthy. The headlines:

The organisation tasked with assisting governments with the

economy says there is a risk of the eurozone falling into a severe

recession. Sri Lanka's former army chief

Sarath Fonseka tells the BBC that his country must co-operate with

any war crimes investigation. Egyptians are getting ready to

elect a President, the first leadership vote since the toppling

of former President Hosni Mubarak last year. His 30-year rule was

brought to an end by a wave of protests focussed on Tahrir Square

in Cairo. But as John Leyne reports, Egypt's next leader is likely to be

decided by voters outside the Politics always takes second place

to the price of cattle out here on market day. But these Egyptian

villages are clearly enjoying the opportunity to choose their

President. After years in which they have been taken for granted.

TRANSLATION: In the past, if they said Hosni Mubarak, it was Hosni

Mubarak. Now we have 13 to choose from.

As we talk, the crowd pushes him. Who is going to vote? Lots of hands.

Lots of different choices. To understand the selection better we

travelled even deeper into the countryside. This is where it could

well be decided. Most Egyptians still live out here, not in the big

cities. On the face of it, not much has changed in Egypt since the

revolution but look more deeply and you will find people thinking for

themselves, speaking their own mind for the first time. That's what

makes this whole election so unpredictable. Someone always used

to tell these people how to vote. The ruling party, the head of the

family. Now the candidates have to fight for their support. Egyptians

like Gamal who is a vote is keenly sought. Women in the villagers now

make up the highest proportion of undecided voters. It's a huge

political and social change. TRANSLATION: I just want everything

to be stable. I want the problems here to be over so life can be

better. Have you decide who to vote for? Tellingly, she looks at her

husband. Not completely independent yet. Her husband Mohammed says,

since the revolution, crime has increased, prices are going up.

TRANSLATION: God willing, things will change after the election and

a good person will take us out of this crisis to safety, because our

lives are getting harder. This very conservative country is in the

throes of dramatic change. No wonder the voters are having

trouble making up their minds. After all, it is the first free

vote for almost 5,000 years. The BBC's Lyse Doucet is in Cairo

for us now. How interest there are people in the prospect of this

historic vote? Who is the front- runner? I have to say that reading

the opinion polls we had the observation that there's lots of

undecided voters in these elections. Some say it could be as many as 30%.

When we have travelled across different neighbourhoods of Cairo,

it was interesting to see how many Egyptians had a very strong views

about who they wanted to see for their President. Everywhere we went

there was no clear front-runner. That's one of the most important

things about this election. It's truly open. Just judging by the

kind of debate we have been seen on the streets by the election posters,

and the real excitement about when the first presidential debates were

held here, on television, the first ever in the Arab world. This is

being seen as a crucial moment in this country sister -- history.

What about the controversial role of the military? This is a really

big question. First of all, let's point out that this election for

president is taking place before the powers of the President had

been spelt out in a new constitution and one of the key

aspect will be what will the powers of the military be? After six

decades of virtually unchallenged military dominance, in this country,

in the economy, society, will there be a President who tries to curtail

the powers, helped by a new constitution? Will be defence

budget be scrutinised? Some say the military should go on trial for

what they regard as some of the crimes committed by the military.

It's a huge issue in this election. It's a huge issue in Egypt today.

No one can say with certainty how it will unfold. Thanks very much.

Would you be prepared to take part in a medical trial? A recent survey

in the UK found that nearly three quarters of people would. The BBC

has found out that some research companies have seen a huge rise in

the number of applicants. Jenny Hill's been given exclusive access

to two medical trials. No one knows how they might react.

You're looking at a phase one clinical trial. The pharmaceutical

company won't tell us what kind of drug these people have taken. But

we do know it's being checked for potential side effects to the heart.

We do need new medicine as a requirement. This many medical

areas where we have a big need and obviously we couldn't do our work

if there were not people volunteering to participate. We met

some of the regular volunteers here. Trials can last days or weeks.

Participants are paid often thousands of pounds. Lisa signed up

to fund a family holiday. My mum was the most worried, I think

because she was not just worried for me, for the drug testing and

the side-effects, but also the actual effect on my children and

how it would psychologically affect them so, yeah, it was quite tough.

Claudiu's a medical student about to start his seventh trial. He,

like all volunteers, has to leave a three-month gap between each trial.

It's really important because humanity has to advance. It doesn't

need to stay where it is. It needs to improve, to put on the market

drugs which have fewer side-effects and which are more efficient.

what are the risks? In 2006, an private trial based at this London

hospital went badly wrong. Six men ended up intensive care after

taking an anti-inflammatory drug. Since then, regulations governing

clinical trials have been tightened, And that's why at this research

company they believe they've seen a huge increase in the number of

They specialise in cold and flu medication. The recession they say

had an impact too. Last year, 10,000 potential volunteers

contacted them. Already this year that number has more than doubled.

This facility is now in lockdown, and number of healthy volunteers

have been placed into quarantine and infected with a weakened form

of the flu virus and then given the drug which is currently being

tested. This is as far as we can go because they are just the other

side of that door. They will be in there for a couple of weeks earning

nearly �4,000. We were able to Back at Richmond Pharmacology it

should be a quiet night. Too much movement could interfere with the

results of the trial. Results which will determine whether this drug

goes on to become an licensed A passenger train has crashed into

a freight train in southern India bursting into flames. At least 15

people are thought to have been killed with 35 more injured. The

freight train had been stopped at a station near Penukonda when the

Hampi express slammed into the back of it.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake has struck Bulgaria near the capital,

Sofia, causing residents to rush into the streets. The quake hit at

3am local time some 20 kilometres west of Sofia. There are no reports

of deaths or injuries, but a number of heavy aftershocks have shaken

the region. The financial cost of water

pollution around the world is vast and it can cause untold damage to

the environment. Now scientists have come up with an unusual

solution to the problem and it comes in the shape of a robotic

fish. On patrol for hidden pollution,

this is Robofish. Today, several were being put to the test in this

harbour. They are the latest hi- tech attempt to keep our water is

clean. This robotic fish may have been inspired by nature but it can

do much more. It is packed full of sensors and using artificial

intelligence, it can hunt down contamination and reported back to

shore in real time. Once it is in, it can work alone. Without any

control from the researchers. Just like a real fish, it can manoeuvre

easily through the water. If you want to do pollution readings, you

have to get divers to go down and take samples but with these fish,

they can run autonomously and do it for you. But further than that, if

anything happens, these fish can find a leak and tracked down the

source of it so we can put a stop to it straight away and reduce

pollution at sea. For the moment, these prototypes cost $30,000 each.

The next challenge for the team is to cut those costs so they could

become a permanent presence in our waters.