16/07/2012 BBC World News

Gearing up for London's Olympics as the first of thousands of athletes

begin to arrive at Heathrow. Russia's Foreign Minister accuses

Western powers of blackmailing Moscow over Syria.

The head of North Korea's army is removed from his post.

Raising questions about his leadership. Welcome to BBC World

News. Also: The asylum sleekers risking their lives trying to reach

Australia. We hear from a man who survived a petrifying boat journey.

The spectacular light shows in the skies over North America.

Thousands of athletes are beginning to arrive in London for the Olympic

Games. Teams entering Britain are to include the USA, Russia and

China. Heathrow Airport is expecting 10,000 more passengers

than would normally land. With London 2012 opening ceremony 11

days way, the preparations are intensifying.

It has taken seven years to plan and it has cost hundreds of

millions of pounds. Today at last, London 2012 is starting to take

shape as an event. The athletes are arriving in the UK, among them this

morning, the members of the USA sailing team. It is at Heathrow

Airport that the effects will be felt. Thousands of passengers are

touching down today, more than at any other time in the airport's

history. The Home Office is to be home thraing the deployment of

extra immigration staff will help to avoid a repeat of the delays

that have plagued the airport. Final preparations are being

overshadowed by the controversy over the security. The need for

more than 3,000 extra troops to plug the gap led by the failure of

the private contractor, G4S it supply enough staff is a major

embarrassment. There has been an issue for many,

many months about the exact numbers we were to need, but the key thing

for me, is that if you talk now to the people who are returning it,

who got their hands on the levers, who are making sure that the venues

are safe, they are very, very impressed with what the Armed

Services men are doing. With what the military personnel are doing

and they are working well with G4S to make this is safe, very secure

Olympics. Many of today's arrivals are being

whisked to the Olympic Village by road. Special Games Lanes have

started to open, today on the M had between Heathrow and Central London.

By the middle of next week, the rest of the 30-mile network of

dedicated lanes will be in operation.

The ceremony is now just 11 days away. Reports in from Syria that

troops, backed by armoured vehicles have entered the district of Midan

in the centre of Damascus. There are rebel who is have gotten

within foothold of big state installations. This is the biggest

armoured deployment in Damascus. Infantry and fighting vehicles

taking up the main thourg fares of the area, a big Sunni, Muslim

neighbourhood. The rebels are withdrawing. That is coming in,

more as we get it. Well, Kofi Annan is arriving in

Moscow for talks with a Russian Foreign Minister. The international

envoy is to try to persuade the Russians to put pressure on Syria,

but Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister, has held a press

conference outlining Russia's position.

TRANSLATION: I believe that the consensus should be sought by

Syrians themselves. It should be south without methods of

dictatorship or threats, rejecting the steps that may lead to paving

the way for external inter vention. Started with the armed positions.

We are not taking sides in the Syrian conflict. The only interest

of ours is to avoid destabilising Syria. To avoid further

destabilisation in the region. Sergey Lavrov.

There has been more heavy fighting near Damascus as we said earlier.

Activists are saying that tanks and artillery are being used against

the rebel fighters in the outskirts of the city. I spoke to Sander van

Hoorn who workforce NOS, he gave me the latest of reports on fighting

near the city centre. Fighting started yesterday. It

could be heard throughout the city. I was recording an interview near

the old city. We could hear the explosions and the sounds of gun

fighting. It continued until this morning. Now the area where there

was fighting, I am standing on the highway next to it, it seems quiet

now. There is no way to tell if that throughout the suburbs, you

cannot see beyond the immediate line of sight, so it is difficult

to accept what is exactly happening. There was heavy fighting in areas

close to the city of Damascus. much as risk a normal civilians?

Basically, we are talking about a Palestinian camp. We are talking

about the surrounding villages. Poor villages on the edge of being

rural. Damascus is a funny city, it is very stretched out. There are

highways connecting to it. You are relatively vast in the suburbs.

Duma which saw heavy fighting for months is located more than 10

kilometres from the city centre and the areas I am talking about are

five kilometres from downtown Damascus. If there is fighting

there it still can be heard throughout the city. Yesterday

after we heard it downtown we walked from the building where we

were recording and people were looking anxious. I mean news is a

very poor thing here. You cannot rely on the Syrian state TV. There

is a lot of gossiping. It is hard to get to the truth. Even for the

normal civilians. Sander van Hoorn speaking to me

from Damascus. North Korea's army chief has been

relieved from his post apparently due to illness. Ri Yong-Ho helped

to support the country's new leader, Kim Jong Un after the death of his

father. This was, until today, one of North

Korea's most powerful men. As the chief of the country's million-

strong army, Ri Yong-Ho was not only a senior military commander,

but a key power broker and guardian of the country's recent succession

from Kim Jong Un to -- from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un.

Support from him was seen as crucial. Days after the former

leader's death, Ri Yong-Ho was pictured walking with Kim Jong Un.

One of the fight circle of figures given the power to keep the

structure in place. Now he's been removed from power, because of

illness, but that explanation could hide a political rift, or an

attempt by Kim Jong Un to consolidate his grip on the main

uninstrument of control. The army has grown in power over the past

few decades, Ri Yong-Ho was regularly pictured with Kim Jong Un

on military visits. Being seen as the commander in

chief was more important for Kim Jong Un, but Kim Jong Un has shown

signs of doing things differently, a leadership style that is more

relaxed morbgs -- more jovial than his father.

He was dressed in Western clothes, recently, enough to start

speculation over his personal life and now there are questions as to

where North Korea is heading politically.

Now on the football front. Fabio Capello, the former England coach

has been confirmed as the new coach of Russia's national football team.

That has been announced by the football union. Let's catch up now

with the business. Aaron is here. LIBOR. It is obviously an ongoing

saga. British politicians questioning the former banking

chiefs. Are they going to get a handle on the former CEO of

Barclays? That is what we are waiting to hear, but there is a

long procession to confession in front of the members today. We are

hearing the former Barclays cleef operating officer, Jerry del

Missier. He is the man that resigned the same day that Bob

Diamond did, but this is the man that has been accused, it is

alleged, that he was the one that told the bank's traders to lie

about the bank's borrowing costs. You mentioned LIBOR. It is

important it is the interest rate that the banks pay to lend and

borrow from each other, keeping the money circulating amongst the

banking system. So big questions facing him and Lord Turner, the

head of the Financial Services Authority. He akuezed Barclays of

being too aggressive, but he is to face tough questions himself. This

has been going on for four years, but let's listen to the experts I

spoke to about the question facing Jerry del Missier. How did Jerry

del Missier miss enter pret the conversation that he had with Bob

Diamond, subsequent to his conversation with the deputy

governor of the Bank of England? Did he go away and tell the traders

to falsely lower the LIBOR submissions? That is to be one of

the key take aways from the Treasury select committee.

Let's talk about, I mean, this is, well, it is likely to turn out no

just to be a Barclays story, but a global banking scandal. We are

likely to hear that other big US, UK and Japanese banks could have

been involved, do you think that? How big could this get? This is

global. Barclays paid the price with respect to being depropd a

nfpl rate-setting committees around the world -- dropped.

Other banks will be drawn in. What I will say is that Barclays, by

breaking cover, are probably Lansing the boil with respect to

the bad publicity. They could find that the litigation is more limited

or the fines more limited respective to new banks that are

fined by the regulator. Talking of the Bank of England,

Mervyn King, nengs year, I believe he steps down, there are questions

about the Bank of England, its role will be bigger, it will be a

superregulator, the reputation out of this will be tarnished? I think

so it. It was borne out by Paul Tucker's conversation with the

select committee last week. The fact that alarm bells didn't ring

with respect to the LIBOR submissions and when he and Mervyn

King testified to the financial policy Committee tomorrow, I have a

feeling that LIBOR could be on the agenda for some of the topics that

they are questionsed -- quizzed about.

Well, inflation has gone up in India. The prices rose by 7.25%. It

is lower than what most predicted and lower than the 7.50% rise in

May, but still inflation is a bill worry for India's Central Bank it

grapples with the measures that it uses to try to boost economic

grofplt Our business correspondent in

Mumbai, told me earlier that food price inflation is a major worry.

Inflation for the month has eased. It has come in lower than expected

at 7.25%. Many thought that would be the highest figure to be seen

this year. Fuel increases too, but food inflation, that has gone up.

Although it increases marginally, it is still in double bij dits as

it has been. So inflation is a big Rory here in India.

So -- it is a big worry here in India. The question asked is there

room now for the Central Bank to announce a lending rate cut when it

reviews the monetary policy at the end of the month? But here is the

predicament for India's Central Bank, with economic growth in India

slowed to a nine-year low, here is the juggle act, high inflation, you

raise interest rates to bring it down, but if you raise interest

rates with a weakening economy, that can make it worse? Exactly.

What is the big worry for the economy now, it is the agriculture

output. Give than the monsoon has gotten off to a weak start. We have

seen rainfall almost across the country. In India the crop harvest

depends on the rainfall. We could see problems for the agriculture

output. Even though there were some encouraging signs with the

industrial output going up, it will be a tight walk for the Central

Bank of India. Now, the United Arab Emirates has

opened to begin to operate a key overland oil pipe line that by

passes the Strait of Hormuz. With initial handling capacity of

1.5 billion barrels of crude it gives them direct access to the

Indian Ocean. The fact that it by-passes the

sensitive part of the water is very significant. 20% of the world's

traded oil goes through the Strait of Hormuz. So now the fact it can

be taken from the oilfields in the UAE, in Abu Dhabi in the west and

taken overland, this is significant. Sunday saw half a million barrels

put on to a tanker destined for Pakistan. It is hoped that that

will be increaseded to transport two thirds of the 2 .4 million

barrels of oil a day. Other business stories: The credit

card companies visa and MasterCard are to pay over $7 billion in the

settlement thought to be the largest of its kind in American

history. The case, going on for seven years, is over the firms

colluding to fix the fees that the retailers pay to process, credit

and debt card payments. Details of a $14 billion investment

in the railways in England and Wales are to be announced later.

The schemes are set to include improvements of the Midland

Mainline in Manchester area, South Wales, the east coast, but building

work will not start until at least Guess who is paying for that

operate? We are! Though one does not to use

the car for one day a week next week in London, no motorists. --

they want us not to use the car. That is because of the Olympics.

Still to come: We are with the Grenada Olympic team in Sussex as

we enter the final week of the Olympic torch relay before it

Police in Nepal say that nine people have died after a bus

swerved off the road and into the river. Rescue workers are still

searching for survivors. Just how did this bus come to rest in this

canal? It was carrying dozens of Hindus to the Nepalese pilgrimage

site. Police were quickly on the scene. Two dozen people are known

to have survived, but there are reports that the vehicle was

desperately overcrowded, with more than 100 passengers, some even

clinging to the roof. The bus was travelling from but opera - in

India, but it came off the road and landed in a canal. The passengers

were due at a religious festival in Nepal. Some survivors have been

taken to hospital and they have given conflicting accounts of how

their accidents were caused. Investigators will probe claims

that the driver was drunk. He fled the scene. He may have encountered

difficult driving conditions. The mountain roads are often poorly

maintained in Nepal. One dam has been drained and they are tried to

account for all of those on board the bus. Special teams have been

dispatched from Kathmandu to help the rescue efforts. But it is

increasingly unlikely that they will find any more survivors.

Three Kenyans who say they were tortured by the British colonial

authorities are taking their long- running legal battle to the High

Court in London. The trio were arrested during the Mau Mau

uprising which sought to end British rule 50 years ago. It is

the later stage in their fight for compensation.

Islamists are set to march to Pakistan's border with Afghanistan

as they continue their protest against the reopening of the native

supply route. Supporters of the Jamiat-e Islami party demonstrated

at the port of Karachi on Sunday. Just to let you know, some news

coming in to us from Libya, it has been reported that the head of the

Olympics committee there was taken from his offices last night. There

is some confusion about what exactly has happened. A spokesman

said he was putting his laptop in the back of a car when a group

claiming to be the National Army talking. They have found out that

was not the army, but they do not want to say any more than it is an

unofficial the tension at this point. Some clarity is needed on

the fate of the head of the Libyan in -- Olympic Committee.

This is BBC World News. The headlines: Thousands of athletes

and officials are starting to arrive in London for the Olympic

Games. And Russia's foreign minister has

accused Western powers of trying to blackmail Moscow over Syria.

Clean-up efforts are under way in Japan's southern island of Kyushu

after a whole year's worth of rain fell over the weekend. Landslide

and flooding have left 30 people dead and many missing. Clean-up

efforts are under way in Japan's southern island of Kyushu. After a

whole year's worth of rain fell on some of the cities at the weekend,

with parts of the island seeing it 10 centimetres, four inches of rain,

per hour. It has caused landslides and flooding, leaving more than 30

people dead or missing. Many of the victims were in their 70s or 80s

and were not able to flee when their homes were hit by mudslides.

Some farmers also died when they went to check their paddy fields

during a temporary lull in the torrential rain. Many others also

remain isolated as the areas have been cut off by the flooding.

Japanese troops have been airlifting food, water and medical

supplies to them. Rescue teams have been searching for those missing.

The weather agency says that the worst is over, but it warns that

even a small amount of rainfall could trigger further landslides.

Canadian police say the body of one of four people missing after a

massive landslide in British Columbia last Thursday has been

found. They are still looking for the three remaining bodies. The

second landslide in a rural region has been put on camera. You can see

that the conditions are still very unstable. Geological experts are

trying to keep a close eye on the weather, as people continue to

search for the missing from the incident last week.

The Australian Government has set up a special committee to look at

the issue of asylum seekers entering the country by boat.

Political parties of a bid to divided on the question of what to

do and a panel of experts has been appointed. -- political parties are

completely divided. It was a terrible experience, very difficult.

He was 16 when he made the treacherous boat journey to

Australia. He had escaped the war in Afghanistan, raised to $6,000 to

pay the people smuggler, and found himself in a small boat crammed

with 30 other people. Sometimes the waves were two or three times

bigger than the boat. I really should have died in the ocean. I do

not know how I survived. I am very lucky. There was no food, little

water, just days of open, unforgiving ocean. Everybody goes

crazy. They talk to themselves. They are yelling sometimes.

Sometimes they sleep the whole week with nothing to it. There is a lot

of swell from the petrol, the engine. -- smell. I could only

think by a have put myself on that boat. -- why I had put myself on

that boat. Eventually he made it to shore, but 500 other asylum-seekers

had drowned trying to make the same crossing in overcrowded vessels. It

is those repeated deaths that have haunted Australia's politicians.

They have grappled with their collective conscience over what to

do. These are the lives of the people we are playing with. Some

want asylum-seekers processed in Australia, some want them dealt

within other Pacific countries. In this man's case, the boat crossing

was not the end of the ordeal because he spent the next 13 months

in a detention centre of. I asked him why he had gone through all of

this and he put it this way. If you are in a house that is burning in a

fire, you just try to get out of the house to survive. You don't

care. You'll get out of a window, the door, anything. That is the

situation for my people and myself. To survive? To survive. This is not

to come to a good country. This is not to become rich. It is only to

survive. Australia, compared to us Kamistan, is like heaven for me. --

compared to Afghanistan. A police investigation is under way

after dozens of cyclists taking part in the 14th stage of the Tour

de France fell victim to saboteurs, who had thrown small nails on to

the course. Several leading riders including Cadel Evans, the

defending champion, and Bradley Wiggins, the race leader, were

among those suffering punctures. At the Olympic torch is in the

final stages of its journey, passing through the southern

English county of Sussex, that is where athletes from the small

Caribbean nation of Grenada are in trading.

In a leafy corner of an English park, a brass band provides some

Sunday afternoon entertainment. But for another group here, a bigger

event looms. The Grenada Olympic team are here to meet their hosts

for the next 10 days as they prepare for the Games. This is the

big dance, as everyone calls it. The history behind it, the Games,

it is magnificent is finally take part in it. The Wellcome has been

warm but the weather has taken some getting used to. The first time, I

had some trouble breathing and my muscles were not as warm so I had

to do a lot more to get warmed up. I am glad I came over early enough

to get acclimatised. There was meant to be a big event in the park

to welcome the team to the area but it has been cancelled? Why? The

weather. The ground is sodden. There is some blue sky, so we have

to make the best of it. Keep a stiff upper lip, and enjoy our

muddy shoes. It is raining. Yes, it is annoying. It just rains all the

time. Very wet. The match may be fun for some, but the unprecedented

level of rain is a concern at some other big events. The Grenada team

are keen to show their opposition a clean pair of heels!

Looking at the skies, somewhere where it is not raining, I am glad

to say. It is the aurora borealis, the northern lights show. These

pictures coming in to us from the northern US states and southern

Canada. They are the result of a blast of charged particles from a

massive solar flare on Thursday that finally reached Earth. This