:00:13. > :00:16.The Korean peninsula is hit by the strongest typhoon in nearly a
:00:16. > :00:19.decade, killing at least five sailors.
:00:19. > :00:24.The storm approaching the southern United States is on the verge of
:00:24. > :00:31.being upgraded to a hurricane. The family of the the American
:00:31. > :00:35.woman Rachel Corrie, crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer
:00:35. > :00:42.slams the courts after losing a damages claim. A well-heeled system
:00:42. > :00:45.to protect the Israeli military. Welcome to BBC World News. Also in
:00:45. > :00:55.this programme: Inspectors are in Portugal to make sure it's sticking
:00:55. > :01:01.
:01:01. > :01:11.to the terms of its 78 billion euro bail out. And Fords drive into
:01:11. > :01:16.
:01:16. > :01:18.China. In one part of the world, they're called typhoons; in another
:01:18. > :01:21.they're known as hurricanes but all across the world they're causing
:01:21. > :01:25.severe disruption at the moment. Korea has been hit by the strongest
:01:25. > :01:28.typhoon to have affected the peninsula for nearly a decade.
:01:28. > :01:31.South Korea's national coastguard says five crew members from two
:01:31. > :01:34.Chinese ships have been killed and many more missing after their ships
:01:34. > :01:39.capsized. South Korea has issued a storm warning for the capital,
:01:39. > :01:42.Seoul, as Typhoon Bolaven pounds the south and west regions. The
:01:42. > :01:51.storm is heading for North Korea, which is still recovering from a
:01:51. > :01:56.drought followed by floods. Lucy Williamson told me more. There have
:01:56. > :01:59.been strong winds here in Seoul but we haven't seen the worst of this
:01:59. > :02:02.typhoon. There were two Chinese fishing boats off the southern
:02:02. > :02:09.coast of South Korea which were in the path of the typhoon as it came
:02:09. > :02:16.in. Those boats capsized, five are confirmed dead, ten sailors still
:02:16. > :02:19.searched for in those waters. Here on land as well, four people have
:02:19. > :02:23.been killed by falling houses, falling objects, that kind of thing
:02:23. > :02:29.and the two main bridge linking Seoul with the main airport here
:02:29. > :02:33.have been closed. It has caused some damage in the region, but
:02:33. > :02:38.perhaps not as bad as might have been expected and now the storm is
:02:38. > :02:43.on its way into North Korea. North Korea's already had an incredibly
:02:43. > :02:46.difficult time, caused by difficult weather. Very difficult time indeed.
:02:46. > :02:50.That drought followed by that flooding, which apparently
:02:50. > :02:55.destroyed a lot of crops, infrastructure, of course North
:02:55. > :02:58.Korea not terribly well equipped to cope with this kind of thing. The
:02:58. > :03:03.North Korean state news agency has already put out a news bulletin
:03:03. > :03:06.saying the storm was entering North Korean territory but beyond that we
:03:06. > :03:08.haven't heard anything yet. You can see it's starting to get dark here
:03:08. > :03:17.now, which will make it even more difficult perhaps to assess the
:03:17. > :03:20.impact. Thank you. Tropical storm Isaac is on the
:03:20. > :03:22.verge of being upgraded to a hurricane, moving towards the US
:03:22. > :03:25.with increased ferocity. It's now threatening to reach land, possibly
:03:25. > :03:29.as early as tonight, as a category one hurricane. That could see winds
:03:29. > :03:32.of up to 150 kilometres battering buildings and whipping up the sea.
:03:32. > :03:37.Four states are under threat as the storm travels towards the Gulf
:03:37. > :03:40.coast. President Obama has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana.
:03:40. > :03:47.It was seven years ago this week that Hurricane Katrina devasted New
:03:47. > :03:52.Orleans. From there, Alistair Leithead begins our coverage.
:03:52. > :03:58.They know how to prepare for storms here in New Orleans. It was seven
:03:58. > :04:01.years to the day that people were doing a similar thing as hurricane
:04:01. > :04:05.Katrina was approaching across the Gulf of Mexico.
:04:05. > :04:12.The city was woefully unprepared back then. The levies, which were
:04:12. > :04:17.built to protect the people, failed. Much of the city flooded. More than
:04:17. > :04:20.1800 died here and along the Gulf coast. Since then, the levies have
:04:20. > :04:24.been strengthened, the storm is not expected to be as powerful, but
:04:24. > :04:29.they were still putting the finishing touches to the city's
:04:29. > :04:38.defence as Isaac approached. I am not too worried because it don't
:04:38. > :04:43.seem like it's a powerful storm like Katrina. Isaac is 200 miles
:04:43. > :04:47.across and heading at tenmph, strengthening over the warm Gulf of
:04:47. > :04:53.Mexico waters. It's expected to strike land somewhere along the
:04:53. > :05:00.coast as a category two hurricane, with winds two thirds the strength
:05:00. > :05:05.of Katrina. We are battle ready, and we will be prepared to handle
:05:05. > :05:08.what comes our way. In Mississippi the calm was deacceptive. The winds
:05:08. > :05:14.will will soon pick up as the first squals reach the coast but a a
:05:14. > :05:18.surge in the tide could also cause widespread flooding. And in Alabama
:05:18. > :05:21.people were stocking up and preparing to baton down for the
:05:21. > :05:30.storm. Some were leaving but many people have died to sit this one
:05:30. > :05:34.out and hope for the best. The arrival of tropical strom Isaac
:05:34. > :05:36.couldn't have come at a worse time for the Republican party - it's
:05:36. > :05:39.holding a national convention in Tampa, Florida. The carefully
:05:39. > :05:41.staged event, which will formally put forward Mitt Romney as the
:05:41. > :05:44.party's presidential candidate, will get under way in full later,
:05:44. > :05:49.having been been delayed by a day. There could be even more disruption
:05:49. > :05:55.to its schedule and tone, as Steve Kingstone reports.
:05:55. > :06:02.It's my privilege to proclaim the 2012 Republican national convention
:06:02. > :06:06.in session and called to order. It was an anti-climatic start. A
:06:06. > :06:10.half-full convention called to order and then immediately declared
:06:10. > :06:14.in recess because of the weather. But it will take more than a
:06:14. > :06:17.tropical storm to dampen the spirits of these Republicans who
:06:17. > :06:21.are convinced the White House is there for the taking. We are going
:06:21. > :06:24.to nominate Mitt Romney and Ryan and they're going to win in
:06:24. > :06:27.November and they're going to turn the country around. We can put the
:06:27. > :06:31.last four years behind us. This is going to be a more indepth
:06:31. > :06:38.introduction as to his background, what really makes him tick, his
:06:38. > :06:41.family. He is really the King Midas of life. Thanks to Isaac this is
:06:41. > :06:46.not the sunshine Florida backdrop that Republicans were hoping for.
:06:46. > :06:49.Instead, they'll try to get the focus firmly on their man. Today,
:06:49. > :06:53.formally nominating Mitt Romney for the presidency and all this week
:06:53. > :06:59.trying to get a sceptical American public to warm to him, both as a
:06:59. > :07:07.candidate and as a person. Organisers have turned to the
:07:07. > :07:15.candidate's biggest fan, Anne Romney has appeared in ads for her
:07:15. > :07:19.husband. If you can trust they will do the right thing... Painting a
:07:19. > :07:24.softer portrait as a multimillionaire often seen as
:07:24. > :07:31.aloof. Tonight, she will take a prime-time speaking slot, telling
:07:31. > :07:34.America her man is caring, decent, worthy of trust. But the jury is
:07:34. > :07:38.still out. Over the years Mitt Romney has been a serial flip-
:07:38. > :07:42.flopper on policy. So another task here is to define what he really
:07:42. > :07:52.stands for. And to convince America that a businessman is the best bet
:07:52. > :07:55.
:07:55. > :07:58.to turn the country around. The family of a young American
:07:58. > :08:02.activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer has
:08:02. > :08:04.lost a civil case for damages. The bulldozer driver has said he didn't
:08:04. > :08:06.see 23-year-old Rachel Corrie, a pro-Palestinian activist who
:08:06. > :08:09.opposed the military's demolition of Palestinian homes. An Israeli
:08:09. > :08:12.court found the country's Ministry of Defence was not liable for her
:08:12. > :08:15.death in Gaza in 2003. Our correspondent, Jon Donnison, is in
:08:15. > :08:21.the Israeli city of Haifa, where the civil case has been taking
:08:21. > :08:27.place. He gave more details about the judge's ruling. First, he said
:08:27. > :08:30.that the driver of the Israeli army bulldozer had not seen Rachel
:08:30. > :08:34.Corrie, he backed an early army investigation that concluded the
:08:34. > :08:41.same thing and that her death as such was an accident. Secondly, he
:08:41. > :08:46.said that the area in Gaza, close to the border with Israel and Egypt
:08:46. > :08:51.down there, was at the time a designated combat zone and as such
:08:51. > :08:58.was a war zone really and she had taken a risk by going into it and
:08:58. > :09:02.he said that there was a disparity really between the idea logical of
:09:02. > :09:05.the activists she was working with, the judge said they were in fact
:09:05. > :09:08.acting as human shields for terrorists, now that's something
:09:08. > :09:13.that obviously the family and her supporters would very much dispute.
:09:13. > :09:21.Their lawyers have said today they will appeal this decision to
:09:21. > :09:24.Israel's highest court. The Corrie family have been speaking following
:09:24. > :09:28.that court ruling. Rachel Corrie's mother, Cindy, described it as a
:09:28. > :09:31.bad day not only for the family, but also for the rule of law and
:09:31. > :09:35.the state of Israel. She said the purpose of the Israeli
:09:35. > :09:45.investigation had been to provide impunity for Israeli soldiers.
:09:45. > :09:47.the beginning it was clear to us that there was a process of
:09:47. > :09:53.investigation, military police station investigations and it was
:09:53. > :10:00.confirmed to us today that extends through the court system in Israel,
:10:00. > :10:06.a well-heeled system to protect the Israeli military, the soldiers who
:10:06. > :10:13.conduct actions in that military, to provide them with impunity at
:10:13. > :10:16.the cost of all the civilians who are impacted by what they do.
:10:16. > :10:20.The mother there of Rachel Corrie. Aaron is here with the business
:10:20. > :10:23.news. We have had numbers from Spain confirming things are
:10:23. > :10:28.actually worse than we previously thought and you are looking at
:10:28. > :10:32.Portugal today. Spain's recession is certainly
:10:32. > :10:37.deeper than we originally thought and Portugal also in a
:10:37. > :10:42.considerablably deep recession. Today, the troika, what we are
:10:42. > :10:45.talking about are the lenders to these countries, the European Union,
:10:45. > :10:48.International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, they're back
:10:48. > :10:56.on the ground in Lisbon to basically compile a report card on
:10:56. > :11:06.the Government's efforts to try and bring in and return its economy on
:11:06. > :11:09.track. It's the 5th time they've been down there. They've made
:11:10. > :11:15.reforms, done well in private acation, increased taxes, cut
:11:15. > :11:18.spending but they've certainly a huge task there.'s been reports
:11:18. > :11:23.Portugal may do similar to what Greece has been doing of late and
:11:23. > :11:27.asking for more time, that's a question I put to experts and this
:11:27. > :11:32.is their answer. A national sentiment that Portugal is a very
:11:32. > :11:39.different case from Greece and people are prepared for more
:11:39. > :11:49.sacrifices, not asking more time and money in order - I believe
:11:49. > :11:54.
:11:54. > :12:04.Portugal has been positive and that's reflected in bond prices.
:12:04. > :12:07.
:12:07. > :12:16.Portugal has also been tapping the markets, issuing up to bonds. There
:12:16. > :12:19.is a positive atmosphere regarding perception of Portuguese economy.
:12:19. > :12:23.Something different, one out of every four cars sold globally last
:12:24. > :12:28.year was sold in China, no surprises that it's the reason that
:12:28. > :12:32.Ford is relaunching its iconic luxury Lincoln brand there as it
:12:32. > :12:37.tries to catch up with rivals in what is the world's now largest car
:12:37. > :12:41.market. It aims to have the Lincoln on sale in 2014, targeting China's
:12:41. > :12:46.wealthier consumers. It's also developing a low-cost car to appeal
:12:46. > :12:49.to more cost conscious buyers. going to be replacing the US as the
:12:49. > :12:53.largest market in the world and it's right at the take-off stage
:12:53. > :12:57.and people really do value the mobility that goes with that.
:12:57. > :13:00.China's growth rates have slowed a little bit, but they were
:13:00. > :13:04.relatively high and we are very pleased with the lower growth rate
:13:04. > :13:07.because we think it's also a lot more sustainable. Over time I think
:13:07. > :13:12.it will keep sorting itself out. There is overcapacity right now,
:13:12. > :13:16.but we are very pleased with all of the Government actions, trying to
:13:16. > :13:22.match the production capacity, the production to the real demand.
:13:22. > :13:25.was the CEO of Ford talking earlier to our correspondent. He was
:13:25. > :13:28.talking about the second largest economy, let's talk about the
:13:28. > :13:34.largest, and a key measure of the health of the United States housing
:13:34. > :13:38.market, it comes out later today and there are hopes that the price
:13:38. > :13:42.index will show the first signs of a recovery there. Over the past few
:13:42. > :13:52.weeks figures have suggested that the years of falling property
:13:52. > :13:54.
:13:54. > :13:57.prices may finally be over. How are you... Kimberley is on the
:13:57. > :14:04.market, with her current home already sold she's actively looking
:14:04. > :14:07.for a new place to live. I do feel as though houses are
:14:07. > :14:11.starting to move now, I don't know if that's because I sold my house
:14:11. > :14:15.and I am nervous, but it does seem like you see more under contract
:14:16. > :14:20.signs as you drive along any streets around here. And it's not
:14:20. > :14:28.just existing homes that are seeing movement. New homes are, too.
:14:28. > :14:32.Behind this new housing development is the 6th largest home-builder in
:14:32. > :14:36.the US. We had some of the worst markets in seven decades and the
:14:36. > :14:40.last four, five years it's been pretty tough but this year for once
:14:40. > :14:44.it feels like it's not - that we are actually seeing a recovery,
:14:44. > :14:48.early signs of the beginning of a recovery.
:14:48. > :14:54.While recent US housing data is positive, the numbers are still at
:14:54. > :15:01.depressed levels. Also, looming the shadow inventory. There's still a
:15:01. > :15:04.large pipeline of foreclosures that need cleared. We will be seeing a
:15:04. > :15:09.steady flow of distressed properties and that's going to
:15:09. > :15:19.continue to add to inventory. coupled with the fragile US economy,
:15:19. > :15:20.
:15:20. > :15:25.It has been almost seven years since the housing bubble burst.
:15:25. > :15:33.People are looking for reasons to be optimistic. Now surrounded by
:15:33. > :15:41.houses being built and sold, is enough reason for some to cheer.
:15:41. > :15:44.Let me just leave you with this story that broke an hour ago. It is
:15:44. > :15:54.about the union representing cabin crew at the German airline
:15:54. > :15:59.Lufthansa. They announced a walkout at airports where Lufthansa has
:15:59. > :16:02.star. Talks with the company failed this Tuesday. The strikes would be
:16:02. > :16:05.staged in the next coming weeks. As soon as we have details we will
:16:05. > :16:08.make sure viewers around the world know about that.
:16:08. > :16:14.Just at the end of the holiday season as well.
:16:14. > :16:17.You are watching BBC World News. Still to come: Mali calls for
:16:17. > :16:20.international help to defeat Islamist extremists who have taken
:16:20. > :16:25.over the northern two-thirds of the country.
:16:25. > :16:32.And escaping a world of car bombs and chaos, we meet Iraq's National
:16:32. > :16:37.Youth Orchestra. The Colombian president has
:16:37. > :16:42.confirmed that his government is holding exploratory talks with
:16:42. > :16:48.Colombia's biggest rebel group. Mr Santos said he was fulfilling his
:16:48. > :16:53.constitutional duty to seek peace. After nearly 50 years, the FA and
:16:53. > :16:59.Colombian government origin closer to peace. The two sides have been a
:16:59. > :17:09.war since 1964 and the last time they came to the table was in the
:17:09. > :17:14.
:17:14. > :17:19.1990s. The rebels asked for an area the size of Switzerland as a safe
:17:19. > :17:23.haven and they got it. Drug- trafficking funded their
:17:23. > :17:27.organisation. But over the last decade, they have been forced to
:17:27. > :17:32.retreat under fire from the Colombian military. Numbers have
:17:32. > :17:37.dwindled dramatically. A former commissioner says the glory days
:17:37. > :17:42.are over. TRANSLATION: The economy is solid, Armed Forces are strong,
:17:42. > :17:46.the police force is strong, international relations are solid.
:17:46. > :17:52.I think they have realised they are out of time for the war and it is
:17:52. > :17:58.time to start thinking about peace. The Colombian president has also
:17:58. > :18:01.offered to include the country's second biggest rebel groups in
:18:01. > :18:05.negotiations. But they have said they will not lay down their arms
:18:05. > :18:12.to sit at the table, insisting that talks are out of the question
:18:12. > :18:15.unless they are unconditional. Talks will be held in Oslo in
:18:15. > :18:21.October and there is no doubt that if President Santos were to call
:18:21. > :18:25.this off, it would be a massive coup. -- pull this off.
:18:25. > :18:28.There has been a second day of rioting in the Kenyan port of
:18:28. > :18:33.Mombasa. An eyewitness said youths were fighting running battles with
:18:33. > :18:40.the police. It comes a day after a Muslim cleric was shot dead in the
:18:40. > :18:44.city by unknown gunmen which prompted the rioting.
:18:44. > :18:48.The nine American servicemen are to be disciplined for two incident
:18:48. > :18:52.which prompted outrage in Afghanistan earlier this year. The
:18:52. > :18:56.undisclosed punishments are for burning copies of the Iran and
:18:56. > :18:59.urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban insurgents. They may
:18:59. > :19:05.involve demotions or loss of pay but will fall short of the criminal
:19:05. > :19:13.charges being demanded by many Afghans.
:19:13. > :19:17.More news on our website. Of this is BBC World News. The
:19:17. > :19:22.Korean peninsula is hit by the strong as typhoon in nearly a
:19:22. > :19:27.decade, killing at least five sailors. Tropical Storm Isaac is on
:19:27. > :19:31.the verge of being upgraded to a hurricane as it crosses the Gulf of
:19:31. > :19:35.Mexico to southern US states. The government of Mali in West
:19:35. > :19:41.Africa is calling for international help in defeating Islamist
:19:41. > :19:46.extremists who have taken over two thirds of the country. The
:19:46. > :19:50.extremists, some of whom have links with Al-Qaeda, took over the
:19:50. > :19:55.country's elected government. In this special report, Mark Thompson
:19:55. > :20:00.has had access to the Mali army who are attempting to regain control.
:20:00. > :20:05.Arm control with the Mali army. This heavily armed convoy of his on
:20:05. > :20:10.the lookout for Islamist insurgents who have swept Mali's army from the
:20:10. > :20:15.north of this country earlier this year, behind this show of force
:20:15. > :20:24.lurks humiliation and shame. Their commander admits the morale of his
:20:24. > :20:29.men are low but insists his nation will win the fight to come. Even
:20:29. > :20:33.without any external assistance, we can fully deal with this situation.
:20:33. > :20:39.Training is being stepped up, but retaking the north, without new
:20:39. > :20:45.funds and equipment looks way off- target. My patrol has stopped,
:20:45. > :20:50.north of a town. The reason for that is beyond this point, the land
:20:50. > :20:56.is under the control of Al-Qaeda linked Islamist extremists. In the
:20:56. > :21:01.capital, politicians doubt that Mali can face the extremists alone.
:21:01. > :21:05.We have got to have an army trained to face of this sort of sedition.
:21:05. > :21:10.We do not have the number, the equipment or the training. That is
:21:10. > :21:16.why we want assistance from outside. There seems little to sing about
:21:16. > :21:22.here, but this volunteer militia is driven by revenge. Many of these
:21:22. > :21:27.400 men and women fled their homes in the north. Now they want them
:21:27. > :21:33.back. Called death before shame, what they lack in weapons, they
:21:33. > :21:38.make-up for in enthusiasm. TRANSLATION: I'm here for the love
:21:38. > :21:43.of my country. I want to help our fathers, mothers, sisters and
:21:43. > :21:49.brothers. I do not worry about being killed because the blood that
:21:49. > :21:55.has already been shed is part of my blood. The West African regional
:21:55. > :21:59.bloc is offering to put 3,000 groups on the ground, but lacks
:21:59. > :22:06.international funding to get them there. This, its spokesman says,
:22:06. > :22:14.should worry the world. The problem is not my problem now. All the
:22:14. > :22:19.region is in danger. I can say that all Africa is in danger. More than
:22:19. > :22:24.200,000 mullions fleeing to neighbouring countries, this is
:22:24. > :22:30.already a regional problem and if negotiations fail, military
:22:30. > :22:34.intervention could soon see that figure swell.
:22:34. > :22:38.A state funeral has been held and then Philippines for the interior
:22:38. > :22:42.minister Jesse Robredo who was killed in a plane crash 10 days ago.
:22:43. > :22:52.Mr Brega was widely admired for his sincerity and perceived lack of
:22:52. > :22:57.corruption. -- Mr Robredo. A Requiem mash -- eight Requiem Mass
:22:57. > :23:03.was held in the cathedral. The last time this kind of morning
:23:03. > :23:08.took place was for the former president. Be Greece propelled her
:23:08. > :23:12.son into office. It is different this time. Jesse Robredo was the
:23:12. > :23:16.interior minister and he was a quiet, unassuming man. No one could
:23:16. > :23:22.have predicted the scale of public grief. But it seems he has caught
:23:22. > :23:25.the public imagination. He was not corrupt, he was not self serving.
:23:25. > :23:30.He rose through the ranks of politics gradually, because he was
:23:30. > :23:34.good at his job, something which is rare in Philippine politics. This
:23:34. > :23:39.is the end of the mourning period. The politicians here are unlikely
:23:39. > :23:44.to forget Jesse Robredo's legacy. The people who have been mourning
:23:44. > :23:50.have shown what they want is a clean, honest government. These
:23:50. > :23:53.politicians are going to have to live up to that legacy.
:23:53. > :23:58.Learning an instrument is difficult enough but to do it when you are
:23:58. > :24:01.scared for your life is a huge challenge. Arts correspondent,
:24:01. > :24:05.David Sillitoe, has been to meet the group dubbed the bravest
:24:05. > :24:11.musicians, the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq, currently
:24:11. > :24:17.preparing for their first concert in the UK.
:24:17. > :24:22.My name is Tu'qa Al Waeli, IMA cellist. Teenagers can get up to
:24:22. > :24:26.all sorts of forbidden things in secret. She learnt the cello. A
:24:26. > :24:36.girl playing a Western instrument and growing up in Baghdad, she
:24:36. > :24:37.
:24:37. > :24:41.lived in fear. TRANSLATION: When I first started, it was very hard for
:24:41. > :24:45.a girl to play music and I house was very far from my school and a
:24:45. > :24:54.cello case is very big say people would always notice what I was
:24:54. > :24:58.carrying. Zuhal Sultan also grew up in Baghdad. In 2003, when Britain
:24:58. > :25:07.and America invaded, that was the end of music lessons but she
:25:07. > :25:14.persevered. I'd downloaded sheet music and I practised and played.
:25:14. > :25:23.No teacher? No teacher. Now, nine years on, she has formed an
:25:23. > :25:28.orchestra. Auditions are scenting on duty but. -- auditions are sent
:25:28. > :25:33.in on the YouTube. Because learning an instrument is
:25:33. > :25:39.difficult enough but learning an instrument in Iraq, over the last
:25:39. > :25:42.ten years, you can only begin to understand the problems. Some of
:25:42. > :25:45.them discovered their instruments by watching something on the
:25:46. > :25:50.television and falling in love with it. They had to ask their friends,
:25:51. > :25:55.what is the name of that instrument and they somehow got hold of one,
:25:55. > :26:01.usually a pretty poor instrument. They downloaded the fingering and
:26:01. > :26:08.notation from the internet and taught themselves to play. I am a
:26:08. > :26:17.flute player. How long have you been playing the flute? Five years.
:26:17. > :26:27.Five years? Have you ever had a teacher? No. I am a double bass
:26:27. > :26:36.player. Again, no lessons. He just watched the videos on YouTube at
:26:36. > :26:42.home. Been doing a ten-minute break in rehearsals, it is suddenly party
:26:42. > :26:48.time. To many here grew up hidden indoors, fearful. So this, a chance