02/11/2012 BBC World News

A video is posted on the internet which shows Syrian rebel fighters

summarily executing a group of what appears to be Government soldiers.

Reports that dozens of young men have been shot by the military in

north-eastern Nigeria. The battle for the White House

moves to a Ohio and Wisconsin with four days of campaigning before

Tuesday's vote. Welcome to BBC World News.

Also in this programme: In business, it's the last major economic report

before the US election and it's on the big issue - jobs. And the

smooth running German economy is spluttering. The latest report

shows another slowdown in factory activity.

Human rights groups have condemned a video posted on the internet

which appears to show Syrian rebels executing captured Government

soldiers. Amnesty International and the United Nations say that if the

killings are confirmed they constitute a war crime. The BBC's

Jim Muir reports from Lebanon. He told me that even though the

contents of the video have not been verified it's likely to be genuine.

It's clearly not the kind of video that you could fake. You would have

to be very good actors to play those parts. Basically, it shows,

as you say, a group, a large group of gunmen, obviously in a state of

some excitement, herding and pushing something like a dozen,

perhaps ten army soldiers who have been captured in this unfinished

building which was presumably acting as a reserve for a

checkpoint there, pushing and shoving and kicking them, forcing

them to the ground and eventually opening fire. You can see the

building there, it's kind of an unfinished building, the kind of

troops manning a checkpoint would be resting and sleeping. The

prisoners are herded and pushed and kicked and shouted at. Then the

fighters open fire. You can see, I don't know how much you are going

to show of it, but you can see the bodies twitching as bullets are

pumped into them, ugly scenes indeed. The kind of thing that has

already drawn condemnation from international and local human

rights groups. Reminiscent rather of video that appeared a few months

ago from Aleppo where a group of rebel fighters summarily executed

some pro-Government militia who they had captured and that

similarly drew condemnation and action from the rebels themselves,

most signed up to a pact of honour or agreed principles which would

ban this kind of behaviour. Now the group that's being blamed or

certainly alleged that it is responsible for the killings that

you are seeing there, is a group, an extremist Islamist group that's

joined in on the ground alongside the other uprising groups. It is

being blamed for this particular set of killings. Hillary Clinton,

the US Secretary of State, has warned these radical types of

fighters are are trying to hijack what's going on in Syria, what

response has that drawn? Well, it's not gone down well by the

opposition as a whole. Even the head of the Syrian National Council,

the main umbrella group basically said that it's very unfair for the

Americans and others to criticise the opposition for allowing

Islamist extremist fighters to join in the fray. They're saying these

people have given us nothing, the outside world, they're desperate to

have anti-aircraft weapons which -- with which they could defend

themselves against the regime's air power but they've not been

receiving arms or support, practical support, from the west in

that way. Jim Muir reporting.

The BBC has heard allegations of dozens of young men being shot by

the military in north-east Nigeria. The killings reportedly happened on

Thursday in an area called Maiduguri. An iman there told the

BBC that he had seen the bodies of almost 50 young men with gunshot

wounds. However, the military said it was not aware of the deaths. Our

East Africa correspondent is following the story and told me

more. We have heard from an imam who has given a vivid account of

what happened, he says on Thursday, after prayers. He says he was

basically arrested by soldiers along with his children and forced

to go to an open field. He says many people were gathered there. He

then says a kind of screening process went on, people's photos

were taken and they were checked against a database and then the

group was separated and a number of young men were put to one side. He

says he was then told to look away. He heard gun shots and four of his

own children were shot right there. He says he then went to the the

morgue and saw 48 bodies of young men who he says had been shot by

the military. I have also been speaking to somebody in Maiduguri

who saw dead bodies. Amnesty International was releasing a

report saying the Army and other arms of the security forces were

responsible for gross human rights violations.

The. The US jobs figures released shortly will be crucial to the

campaign. The aftermath of Storm Today the final broad snapshot

before polling day of the state of the American economy. The October

jobs figures will feed into an election in which economic recovery

has been a key, if not the key issue. In September the

unemployment rate fell below 8% for the first time since Barack Obama

took office but despite that the presidential race remained too

close to call. Will any benefit for Mr Obama for that trend last?

Today's figures were predicted to show a slight rise again in

joblessness. This against the background of

estimates by some economists that the clearing up and recovery after

superstorm Sandy could cost up to $50 billion. People on the East

Coast are still struggling to adjust and in parts of New York

frustration is growing. We are going to die, we are going to

freeze. We have 90-year-old people. The pace of recovery clearly

quicker in some places than others. Millions still without power and

motorists queuing for hours to fill up. The endorsement of Barack Obama

in the race by New York's politically independent mayor

Michael Bloomberg, a potentially significant moment. He says the

storm and climate change have made the stakes in the election even

clearer. The campaigning now back in full swing, with those most

affected by the candidates sparring over America's economic performance,

now watching the new joblessness figures as they weigh their votes.

Let's get more on our top story, the alleged execution of a group of

Syrian Government troops by rebels. Joining me now from Beirut. What's

your response to this video? Well, the video, the footage shows rebel

fighters rounding up and summarily executing more than 20 Syrian

soldiers. The rebels abused the victims physically and verbly

before the massacre, kicking them repeatedly. This comes after rebel

fighters take over a checkpoint west of the town. This act is

condemned by all international laws and by the main principles of the

Syrian people. This will not pave way for Democratisation in Syria

and will obstruct the process. groups like yours which are opposed

to the current regime, doesn't this make opposition to the Government

very, very difficult because it shows the rebels are acting in a

way the UN is saying is going to be seen as a war crime? Of course it's

a war crime and this is very dangerous for the country, the

opposition are using the same methods that the regime is using,

then we will - we are not fighting the methods, we are only fighting

the people, which means that the places will change and names will

change but the methods of torture and killing and detaining will

still be the same. Who do you blame for the fact that this sort of

violence now has spread to the rebel groups? Do you believe it's

Syrians who are responsible for this or outside groups who are

responsible? What about those countries who are funding the

rebels? I think hold responsibility of where we have reached today,

because Syrians have been witnessing a lot of killing which

makes them - which makes sort of reaction towards the violence

inflicted on them by the regime. But a foreign country is also hold

responsibility because they are the ones who are supporting these

groups financially and as well as the Syrian national council who was

the first to support the rebel groups and army or militaryising

the revolution. We are out of time, thank you very much for joining us.

Now all the business news. We have been talking about jobs, we are

going to get numbers from the US. Politically hugely watched. Yes, it

is. I think it's watched particularly because at the moment

the figures could have a bearing because the election race is so

close. It will happen in under an hour's time. The US Labour

Department will release its monthly update on the jobs market. It's the

last report before next week's election, so it will be under

particular scrutiny. Both President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney

will be hoping the numbers favour their analysis of the economy

recovery. Meanwhile, economists forecast that the economy created

around 125,000 jobs last month. That's the figures expected. James

Shugg is the senior economist at Westpac Institutional Bank. Right

at the bottom of the market, we are looking for about a 30,000 increase

in pay roll employment and% un-- 8% unemployment. The reason being

every survey, every regional sur sraeuf we have seen -- survey we

have seen for October, and the recent trend in employment has been

looking too strong given the pace of growth of the economy. This time

last year we occasionally got a few weak outcomes to offset that sort

of overly strong jobs number that we have seen in other months and we

are going to see a repeat this year. 30,000. We saw strong figures

yesterday on the consumer confidence and we have also had

better figures coming out of China from Asia. Surely the global

economy - with the exception of Europe, of course, the global

economy is beginning to roll forwards a little bit more

strongly? It is but American businessmen are hugely worried

about the fiscal cliff and Congress and what they're going to do about

that. The automatic changes to the tax laws that come in early part of

next year could push the economy back into recession, if nothing's

done about it. Why would you be hiring people in that environment?

They gave outlook guidance that implied they were less inclined to

hire staff and worried about the outlook. American businessmen

heading to the end of 2012 are not really that inclined to hire people.

Europe's biggest economy is under stress. A report out this morning

showed that activity at Germany's factories shrank for the eighth

month in a row. The purchasing managers index from Markit also

showed that new orders fell for the 16th consecutive month. The big

problem for Germany is that many of its trading partners are in

recession. Steve Evans is our Berlin correspondent. He explained

what economists are saying about the Germany economy. There is a

feeling that a recession is possible, but not likely, but

certainly that the economy's slowing down. Those figures you

mentioned indicate manufacturing in some difficulty and getting worse.

Big fall in orders, for example, for machinery from German factories

from abroad and that's the slowdown in Asia, in particular. Every time

the authorities look at growth they downgrade the figure. They were

expecting 1.6% growth next year. Now it's 1%. So all the figures go

in the wrong direction. Unemployment this week up by more

than expected. Again in the wrong direction. So the whole atmosphere

is gloomy and if you look at the papers. The papers are full of

economic gloom. Most expensive heating costs this winter ever,

says the big tabloid. That's the sentiment, the sense of gloom

pervading the whole economy and that feeds back on itself and

spending then falls. Japan Airlines, the once-bankrupt

flag carrier that re-listed on Tokyo's Stock Market this year, has

boosted its full-year profit forecast to $1.74 billion. But JAL

and rival All Nippon Airways have both said that the simmering trade

spat between Tokyo and Beijing has forced them to cancel thousands of

flights between the two countries. Underlying profits at Royal Bank of

Scotland rose to $1.7 billion in the third quarter. The bank is

undergoing a massive reorganisation following a state bailout in 2008.

During the 3rd quarter it sold a third of its Direct Line insurance

business and is trying to sell more than 300 branches. That's the

Still to come: When I went into that Spain it was very violent, it

was weigh more violent than we anticipated. We chat with Felix

Baumgartner, the man who leapt from the edge of space.

China is set to promote two rising stars and possible future national

leaders at the Communist party congress next week. It is held only

once a decade and is traditionally where the next generation of

leaders are unveiled. Our correspondents have been looking at

the challenges China faces over the next 10 years. Martin Patience has

travelled to Hubei province to see how the Three Gorges Dam has

affected people in the area. It is one of the biggest dance ever built.

It stretches for over two along with tears and cost over $40

billion. It was designed to tame the mighty river. With a project on

this scale nobody was allowed to get in the way. When the dam was

completed, these fishermen were told to leave. But they say it is

the only job they know. TRANSLATION: We cannot make a

living if we cannot face. We have appealed to the Government, but no-

one is listening. This damn stands as a symbol of China's development.

Over the last decade the scale and pace of change has been

unprecedented. But the weight millions of people have been pushed

aside by the Communist Party has generated enormous resentment. This

man was one of the 1 million people forced to relocate because of the

dam. He never received the compensation he was due. When he

complained to local officials he says he was beaten, leaving him

paralysed. TRANSLATION: If ordinary people cannot defend their own

rights, but if Government officials follow the law, this country were

changed by the better. The march of China's wealth is now flowing down

the river. These people are becoming used to being better off

in the cities. Many are no longer prepared to be pushed around like

in the past. For the new leaders that means ruling a population less

likely to follow the party line. There is full coverage of events

coming up next week at the BBC News website and more coverage on the

news all week. This is BBC World News, the

headlines: A video posted on the Internet appears to show Syrian

rebels executing a dozen captured Government soldiers.

Jobs figures are out in the US very soon as the election campaigns

continued. Today they move on to a higher and Wisconsin.

Good news for Burma. The World Bank has approved a development grant of

$80 million, the first such assistance in 25 years. The bank

said it would provide a further $165 million of credit once Burma

had cleared its debts. The Asian Development Bank and the IMF are

also re-establishing co-operation with Berne after a year of

political reform. Tin Htar Swe from the BBC's Burmese Service, tells us

what the money will be used for. will be used primarily to provide

financial governance to the Government and also to create

conditions for growth and jobs. That is where the money is going to

be spent. This is a tremendous boost to the Burmese Government

because in the last 20 decades Burma has not received any

assistance from financial institutions such as the World Bank

and the Asian Development Bank. The military Government has always been

saying Western sanctions have prevented them from getting this

financial aid and it is because of that that the development programme

has been postponed, or is not taking place. This is a tremendous

boost to the Burmese Government and is a recognition of their reform

process. China has been its main ally. In the region are other

countries concerned about the growing influence of China? Or it

does everybody want to invest in the country? The current Burmese

Government has been very honest in a sense that they have been going

around the world saying, we need foreign investment, we do not have

capacity or a human resources. A lot of people are now rushing to

Burma to invest. But going back to the World Bank loan, there is a

clause to provide growth and conditions for jobs and they are

going to provide technical assistance. This is where the

Burmese Government needs to watch. It means consultancy in main areas

like finance, public finance management, and these are where the

consultants are required and by taking technical assistance, a

hefty sum of money goes back to the donor countries. This is where the

Government needs to watch and make sure the money the World Bank is

giving is benefiting the public in general. Japanese officials have

lodged a formal complaint with the American ambassador to Tokyo after

an alleged assault on a teenager by a US soldier. He is reported to

have entered a private apartments in a canal art where he hits a 13

year-old boy. He then fell from a window and was taken to have

hospital. This is an incident that was

supposed to have happened on the early hours of Friday morning in

Okinawa, and Ireland about 1000 kilometres south of Tokyo weather

are several very large US military bases. In fact it is the biggest US

military base in the Pacific region. A young airman left a bar inside a

building, climbed up to an apartment on the third floor, broke

in, assaulted a 13 year-old boy, broke a television, jumped out of

the window and broke some burns as he did so and was taken back to the

US-based where he is being treated. This in itself is a fairly small

incident, but it comes after two weeks ago two airmen on Okinawa

wire were arrested and accused of raping a young Japanese woman. They

are still in police custody. Relations between the US military

and the local population are extremely tense and have been for

many years. This adds another incident on top of what is already

a very bad situation. Three weeks ago the Austrian

skydiver Felix Baumgartner leapt from a balloon at the edge of space.

It broke a number of records and he became the first human being to

break the speed of sound unaided. It is nearly three weeks since your

historic triumph. How has your life changed since then? It has changed

a lot. We did something that mattered to the whole world. I have

been getting so many e-mails, pictures, drawings, from so many

kids. A lot of young people say we are so thankful that you did this

because we missed the moon landing back in 1969. When we did this it

was their moon landing. When it comes to the preparation, were you

always confidence this would actually work? There are not a lot

of people who have been doing skydiving in pressure suits. It is

so hard because you have a lack of mobility. I was very confident

because we were preparing for almost five years. Was it a

spiritual moment when you looked down on earth? Did you think about

mortality? Did you think about the chances of surviving? I would not

say spiritual, but I would say very humble. Because when you are on the

top of the world and you stand there, you realise it is a quiet

moment and you I the only person at that point. You go into that Spain.

-- spin. That could have killed you, did you think you would die at that

moment? When I did that, it was a lot more violent than we

anticipated. I thought, I was slowing down so much, and I thought

I could not break the speed of sound. Even at that moment you

biggest concern was the record, more than survive in. Yes, because

this is my job. NT is down! Then finally you land and everything is

over. I did not know if I broke the speed of sound. There is no sign

for it, it is hard to tell. But people on the ground told me they

heard the supersonic boom. Did you plan to lie down like that and

kneel down with your arm in the air? No, it was spontaneous.

Victory appear so many years of preparation. When I was a little

kid I got a client with the three astronauts on it. When I was five I

always had it in my hands and I looked up to the men and I thought,

how did they do it? It was very inspiring for me and maybe it is

the reason why I did this. children who are five will be

watching you jump and will be inspired as well. Yes, and that is

a great honour. He is safely back on earth, as is this, the Space