:00:11. > :00:14.News. Our top stories: The African Union says Zimbabwe's election
:00:14. > :00:20.process has been free, fair and credible; this after local monitors
:00:20. > :00:30.called it seriously compromised. Silvio Berlusconi condemns Italy's
:00:30. > :00:31.
:00:32. > :00:36.highest court for upholding his prison sentence for tax fraud.
:00:36. > :00:40.this the way Italy recognises the sacrifice and commitment of its best
:00:40. > :00:43.citizens? Is this the Italy we love? Is this the Italy we want?
:00:43. > :00:47.The United States announces it will close some of its embassies on
:00:47. > :00:51.Sunday, mainly in Muslim countries, because of a security threat.
:00:51. > :01:01.And after cars and air conditioning units, the Pakistan TV quiz show
:01:01. > :01:16.
:01:16. > :01:25.criticised for offering a baby as a Zimbabwe's disputed elections is
:01:25. > :01:28.deepening. The head of the African Union observer mission, Nigeria's
:01:28. > :01:36.former president Olusegun Obasanjo, has described the elections as
:01:36. > :01:46."free, fair and credible". I have never seen any election which is
:01:46. > :01:54.
:01:54. > :02:04.perfect. The point has always been, and will always be, how much should
:02:04. > :02:05.
:02:05. > :02:15.our the infractions, imperfections -- how much have the infractions,
:02:15. > :02:16.
:02:16. > :02:23.infinite perfection is influenced the will of the people?
:02:23. > :02:27.I am joined by Lucy Fleming from BBC Africa. There are qualifications
:02:27. > :02:35.from the African Union at the moment. Yes, they released a
:02:35. > :02:44.statement this morning and they said the result was wrong, it was not
:02:44. > :02:48.published in a reasonable time. It notes that there were names missing
:02:48. > :02:54.and there were duplicate names and it also was very critical about the
:02:54. > :02:58.fact that polling stations were only announced barely 48 hours before
:02:58. > :03:02.polling. It says they should have been greater transparency because
:03:02. > :03:11.this has caused a lot of problems on the day which is why people may have
:03:11. > :03:14.been turned away on the day. using the phrase, there is former
:03:14. > :03:19.president Olusegun Obasanjo, and there were also Zimbabwean
:03:19. > :03:23.observers, the fact that the former president has said this was free,
:03:23. > :03:29.fair and credible is perhaps a bit rash given what you have just said
:03:29. > :03:33.and what they are saying in the statement? He is saying on the day
:03:33. > :03:38.there was no harassment, it was all very useful and calm and everyone
:03:38. > :03:42.when they think of Zimbabwe remembers the time between the
:03:42. > :03:45.run-off fate and first round when there was political violence. When
:03:45. > :03:51.you look at Zimbabwe in that framework it does look as if it was
:03:51. > :03:56.very peaceful. That is, in their minds, perhaps a step forward.
:03:56. > :03:59.what about the process? We have had a statement yesterday from
:03:59. > :04:04.presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai and we heard from this
:04:04. > :04:08.date Zimbabwean monitoring group. Morgan Tsvangirai, the Prime
:04:08. > :04:13.Minister, who was in the unity government with Robert Mugabe after
:04:13. > :04:20.the disputed elections last time, he said it was null and void and it was
:04:20. > :04:28.a total farce. He said the movement for the change, his party, had made
:04:28. > :04:34.its concerns known about the voters' role. They said it was done
:04:34. > :04:43.very quickly. They said the Zimbabwe electoral support network which had
:04:43. > :04:48.7000 observers across the country, said in its opinion 1 million
:04:48. > :04:53.Zimbabweans were disenfranchised. You had people not being able to
:04:53. > :04:56.vote and concerns there were multiple names on the voters' role.
:04:57. > :05:04.There are also concerns about the fact that there were 6.4 million
:05:04. > :05:09.registered voters and 8.7 million ballots printed which they sales
:05:09. > :05:16.also a concern. So enormous differences highlighted from
:05:16. > :05:20.different statements. Thank you for joining me on BBC World News.
:05:20. > :05:26.Silvio Berlusconi seems adamant that he will be back despite Italy's top
:05:26. > :05:30.court upholding his conviction for tax fraud. He says he will return to
:05:30. > :05:34.public life. The court rulings seem to have upset the Italian stock
:05:34. > :05:41.market as concerns are raised about whether Italy's economic reforms can
:05:41. > :05:48.continue. The BBC's Alan Johnston joins us from Rome. Milan is not
:05:48. > :05:53.happy with this verdict and the way Berlusconi is responding?
:05:53. > :05:59.markets do not like uncertainty of any kind. The asked the mast of this
:05:59. > :06:07.conviction of Silvio Berlusconi, there is inevitably a great deal of
:06:07. > :06:12.uncertainty. He is in a coalition government, an awkward coalition
:06:12. > :06:16.with centre-left parties. He frames all his troubles as being the result
:06:16. > :06:24.of left-wing elements in the judiciary targeting him and how deep
:06:24. > :06:27.him for years. Inevitably, there are political tensions. The markets are
:06:27. > :06:32.wondering how these tensions will play out and what it will mean for
:06:32. > :06:37.the government, what it will mean for the government's ability to
:06:37. > :06:40.tackle the serious economic crisis which continues to unfold here.
:06:40. > :06:47.could he realistically come back as he appears to be vowing, as it
:06:47. > :06:52.appears to be said, when he says, I am essentially mid-70s and I am at
:06:52. > :06:59.the time of my political life when this is unfair to do this to me.
:06:59. > :07:06.Silvio Berlusconi got where he is for a variety of quite good reasons.
:07:06. > :07:10.He has a great deal of wealth. He is a formidable political tactician. He
:07:10. > :07:16.is the best campaigner when it comes to an election here in Italy. He has
:07:16. > :07:21.some raw strengths that may be slightly diminished as a result of
:07:21. > :07:26.this court case, but he will feel he can wield those strengths into the
:07:26. > :07:33.future. If he has been forced perhaps off the front line, by this
:07:33. > :07:37.verdict, then I imagine he feels he will direct things from the rear, if
:07:37. > :07:41.you like, as the general of that right-wing bloc which attracted,
:07:41. > :07:47.let's remember, something like a third of the electorate's vote in
:07:47. > :07:50.the last election. New intrigue in Italian politics. Thank you for
:07:50. > :07:54.joining me from Rome. The US State Department says the
:07:54. > :07:58.number of its embassies and consulates around the world will be
:07:58. > :08:05.closed on Sunday. The decision has been described as precautionary
:08:05. > :08:08.because of unspecified security threats. Most of the affected US
:08:09. > :08:15.embassies are in the Middle East and include Abu Dhabi, Baghdad and
:08:15. > :08:19.Cairo. The Department of State has instructed certain US embassies and
:08:19. > :08:29.consulates to remain closed or suspend operations on Sunday August
:08:29. > :08:33.the 4th. This is out of an abundance of care and caution for our
:08:33. > :08:36.employees and visitors. The Department when conditions warrant
:08:36. > :08:42.take steps like this to balance security operations with security
:08:42. > :08:49.and safety. I asked our security correspondent about the intelligence
:08:49. > :08:53.the US must have been receiving? They know it is Sunday but they do
:08:53. > :08:56.not know where it is. They have decided to close all US embassies
:08:56. > :09:02.which would regularly be opened on a Sunday and what that means is
:09:02. > :09:05.particularly those which operate in the Muslim world. They have closed
:09:05. > :09:12.across swathes of North Africa, the Middle East and into South Asia. It
:09:12. > :09:15.is thought this might relate to and Al-Qaeda affiliate planning
:09:16. > :09:21.something. Clearly they do feel it is serious enough to take the steps
:09:21. > :09:25.even though they have said it is only precautionary. Is this the
:09:25. > :09:30.ghost of Benghazi and what happened there? They do not want a repeat of
:09:30. > :09:34.that? If you look at the attack on the US Consulate which killed the US
:09:34. > :09:37.ambassador to Libya, that still has huge fallout politically to
:09:37. > :09:40.Washington and issues about whether enough had done to protect US
:09:40. > :09:46.embassies, whether a threat intelligence had been acted upon
:09:46. > :09:49.properly. That has certainly changed the context in which embassy
:09:49. > :09:54.security is taken in the US and the way they look at intelligence they
:09:54. > :09:59.might get in about a possible threat and that feeling that they do need
:09:59. > :10:05.to act just in case. The phrase here is actionable intelligence and what
:10:05. > :10:09.action should be taken. Do you suggest a recalibration in the
:10:09. > :10:14.American mind about what action needs to be taken? Post Benghazi I
:10:14. > :10:17.think you have seen a post recalibration definitely when it
:10:17. > :10:22.comes to embassy security and the desire to perhaps be more cautious
:10:22. > :10:28.than before because of the fear that embassies could be targeted with
:10:28. > :10:33.huge consequence for loss of life so you do see some changes.
:10:33. > :10:38.Now, on television quiz shows around the world, you can almost win
:10:38. > :10:43.anything, holiday of a lifetime, a new car or a washing machine. One
:10:43. > :10:48.Pakistani game show is giving away babies live on television. The
:10:48. > :10:53.top-rated show is accused of handing over infants just to increase
:10:53. > :10:58.audience ratings. In Karachi, Orla Guerin watched the programme.
:10:58. > :11:08.Rushing to centre stage, the host followed by staff bearing gifts.
:11:08. > :11:08.
:11:08. > :11:16.Prizes are an audience favourite. This time, an air conditioner. A
:11:16. > :11:23.controversial show man, he mixes Islam and entertainment. But she was
:11:23. > :11:28.also one of his giveaways. Baby Fatima, found on a rubbish dump.
:11:28. > :11:35.Then the moment when she was in the arms of her new parents, who have
:11:35. > :11:40.been hoping for a child for 14 years. Her adoptive father is
:11:40. > :11:49.overcome. He says his mother's prayers have been answered. She died
:11:49. > :11:58.the day before. His wife clutches her new daughter, who she calls a
:11:58. > :12:04.gift from God. The presenter insists he is saving abandoned babies, not
:12:04. > :12:10.using them to promote his programme. These children are not a part of
:12:10. > :12:13.garbage, are not a part of trash. So we took these children from the
:12:14. > :12:22.garbage, from the trash, and delivered to the needy people, needy
:12:22. > :12:27.parents. My life is changed. We sat down with the couples who are now
:12:27. > :12:31.savouring parenthood. They were vetted by a private charity in less
:12:31. > :12:37.than two weeks. That time frame is typical here where most adoptions
:12:37. > :12:41.are not regulated by the state. TRANSLATION: When the baby came into
:12:41. > :12:48.my arms on the show, it felt like another soul had entered my body,
:12:48. > :12:53.like an angel came. She has brought so much peace. Did any of you think
:12:53. > :12:58.it was wrong that you were giving the babies on TV? The answer from
:12:58. > :13:06.all four, was no. This woman said she hoped it would encourage couples
:13:06. > :13:10.to adopt. But the fear is that other TV shows will copy the baby
:13:10. > :13:20.giveaway. A child welfare official told us it was degrading and done to
:13:20. > :13:24.
:13:24. > :13:31.boost ratings. TRANSLATION: The baby was given away the same way as a
:13:31. > :13:36.gift. Though it was good to find parents, the baby was given like a
:13:36. > :13:44.car, a laptop, a motorcycle. It is an insult to the baby and the
:13:44. > :13:48.parents. Fatima's parents are proud of their precious gift and want to
:13:48. > :13:57.dispel the stigma around adoption here. They hope she will grow up to
:13:57. > :14:03.be a religious scholar or a civil engineer like her doting father.
:14:03. > :14:08.Stay with us here on BBC World News, I am Nick Gowing. Still to come: The
:14:08. > :14:11.brawl is back in Taiwan politics. Here, MPs wrestle on the floor of
:14:11. > :14:18.Parliament during a debate over the island's nuclear future.
:14:18. > :14:22.We will have more. And we will have the latest live from the third Ashes
:14:22. > :14:29.cricket test. Australia try to post a challenging total for England to
:14:29. > :14:34.chase. More now on Egypt and the Muslim
:14:34. > :14:39.Brotherhood and its supporters have announced plans to organise new mass
:14:39. > :14:41.marches on Friday, which they have dubbed it against the coup,
:14:41. > :14:46.rejecting an appeal from the Interior Ministry to end their
:14:46. > :14:49.citizens, thousands of supporters of former President Mohamed Morsi
:14:49. > :14:53.marched to the military intelligence headquarters overnight, despite a
:14:53. > :15:03.government warning that it would disburse two vigils in Cairo. Jim
:15:03. > :15:15.
:15:15. > :15:18.Muir visited the place where The government has told the
:15:18. > :15:23.Interior Ministry to clear the protest camps. The ministry is
:15:23. > :15:33.urging the protesters to leave. They all have of the same answer.
:15:33. > :15:36.
:15:36. > :15:43.We will it stay. We will not leave have. Do you have guns or weapons?
:15:43. > :15:49.No, we do not. We have nothing here. It is impossible to judge how many
:15:49. > :15:59.protesters there are here. During the long, hot days of fasting, they
:15:59. > :16:05.are scattered in it street shelters. Many have brought their whole
:16:05. > :16:14.families. There are many vocal women here. Every bit as defiant
:16:14. > :16:19.and determined as the men. We are not leaving. Until we are dead.
:16:19. > :16:25.are prepared to die? Of course. This is the aim of everyone who has
:16:25. > :16:34.come here to defend the truth. interim government has offered safe
:16:34. > :16:39.passage for anybody who wants to leave her. But people here are
:16:39. > :16:43.planning to escalate their protests. Confrontation does seem to be
:16:43. > :16:47.looming here. The Interior Ministry says these people should leave
:16:47. > :16:57.immediately. Everyone says that they are determined to lay down
:16:57. > :17:03.
:17:03. > :17:13.their lives for the cost. -- cause.
:17:13. > :17:15.
:17:15. > :17:17.The latest headlines. The African union assess -- The
:17:17. > :17:20.African Union says Zimbabwe's election process reflects the will
:17:20. > :17:23.of the people. It comes after local monitors called it seriously
:17:23. > :17:25.compromised. Former Italian prime minister,
:17:25. > :17:32.Silvio Berlusconi, denounces the Supreme Court ruling upholding his
:17:32. > :17:35.four-year prison sentence for tax fraud.
:17:35. > :17:38.There's growing tension between the US and Russia after Moscow granted
:17:38. > :17:43.Edward Snowden temporary asylum. The White House said it is
:17:43. > :17:48.extremely disappointed. The BBC's Daniel Sandford has been
:17:48. > :17:56.speaking to Mr Snowden's lawyer. I asked him about Snowden's options.
:17:56. > :18:02.He can go wherever he wants him Russia and now. For the time being,
:18:02. > :18:07.he is staying in a hotel. There are thousands of hotels in the Moscow
:18:07. > :18:12.region, let alone what is the biggest country in the world. If he
:18:12. > :18:19.wants to stay well hidden, he will be able to. But his lawyer did say
:18:19. > :18:23.that he is likely to come out and talk to the media. He is allowed to
:18:23. > :18:32.stay here for 12 months according to the document de was issued
:18:32. > :18:37.yesterday. But that is a renewable document. Unless that the Russians
:18:37. > :18:44.change their mind about whether it is a good idea to have him, that
:18:44. > :18:54.will be renewable and eventually, he could claim a Russian
:18:54. > :19:04.citizenship. What about the politics here?
:19:04. > :19:11.
:19:12. > :19:20.Edwards Oldham's lower -- Edward Snowden lawyer. It has been
:19:20. > :19:27.suggested that the Russians of options had been blocked off.
:19:27. > :19:33.Russia did not have much option according to the Russian newspapers.
:19:33. > :19:38.But they do know it will further antagonise the Americans. The
:19:38. > :19:47.Americans had been antagonised over the last few years, President Obama
:19:47. > :19:53.is due to be here ahead of a summit in St Petersburg. But there will
:19:53. > :20:03.come a point when the Americans will it say enough is enough. The
:20:03. > :20:03.
:20:03. > :20:06.Russian calculation is at this stage, the Americans are not there.
:20:06. > :20:09.Fighting in parliament is supposed to be about words and ideas, but
:20:09. > :20:13.that isn't always so in Taiwan. Not for the first time, the politicians,
:20:13. > :20:15.as you can see, have resorted to physical violence to try and get
:20:15. > :20:18.their way. They were supposed to be debating the country's nuclear
:20:18. > :20:21.power policy and whether or not there should be a nationwide
:20:21. > :20:30.referendum on the construction of the country's fourth nuclear plant.
:20:30. > :20:32.The $9 billion project has been hugely controversial.
:20:32. > :20:35.So, brawling on the floor of Taiwan's parliament. I asked
:20:36. > :20:43.Raymond Li of the BBC's Chinese Service if this was a normal
:20:43. > :20:50.occurrence in Taiwanese politics. Certainly, it has happened before.
:20:50. > :20:55.But it is fair to say that, over the last few years, it has become
:20:55. > :21:04.relatively peaceful until today. There is a critical issue here.
:21:04. > :21:08.Nuclear plant, the 4th, almost complete. Why is it so bitterly
:21:08. > :21:17.contested? The whole issue about nuclear energy is already
:21:17. > :21:22.controversial. Since the two years ago, there was a disaster in Japan
:21:22. > :21:30.because of the massive earthquake, obviously, that has caused concern
:21:30. > :21:40.end up time and over the safety of their own nuclear plant. -- in
:21:40. > :21:46.
:21:46. > :21:56.Taiwan. What has been the reaction? Entire run, it is very divided on
:21:56. > :22:01.
:22:01. > :22:07.such an issue. -- In Taiwan. Some people feel there is no need for it.
:22:07. > :22:13.But others say, how can we deal with the need for energy?
:22:13. > :22:23.critical issue is not just nuclear, but nuclear on an Ireland that is
:22:23. > :22:25.
:22:25. > :22:33.prone to earthquakes like Japan? -- island. Yes, but the authorities
:22:33. > :22:43.say they will try the best to ensure safety. But the authorities
:22:43. > :22:50.
:22:50. > :22:54.-- at Fukushima. Yes, but there have been rigorous tests. We are
:22:54. > :23:00.seen protests here. What about the role of social Media, empowering
:23:00. > :23:05.the arguments on both sides? There is already a very hot debate on
:23:05. > :23:12.social media platforms. As you can imagine, immediately after this
:23:12. > :23:16.incident in Parliament, there was again very heated debate on weather
:23:16. > :23:26.they should be behaving like this. I have seen many comments that it
:23:26. > :23:26.
:23:26. > :23:36.is shameful. Let's get some support. I'll
:23:36. > :23:40.
:23:40. > :23:50.Australia heading for the greatest comeback in Ashes history?
:23:50. > :23:53.
:23:53. > :23:59.It is looking good for Australia. Are really good start. 30 runs
:23:59. > :24:05.added without any loss of wicket. They are continuing as they
:24:05. > :24:10.finished off last night, with real authority. Michael Clarke continues.
:24:10. > :24:15.He is now approaching 150. His batting partner is approaching a
:24:15. > :24:20.century. This is the highest fourth-wicket partnership by any
:24:20. > :24:29.team ever in Test history at this ground at Old Trafford. It is quite
:24:29. > :24:33.a recovery from when Australia lost their third wicket. This is exactly
:24:33. > :24:41.what Australia needed. They knew that they had to win this game or
:24:41. > :24:44.the Ashes would be retained by England, or maybe altogether lost.
:24:44. > :24:48.They have given themselves at their absolute best chance of doing that.
:24:48. > :24:54.If they can now go on and get the kind of score that they should do
:24:54. > :24:58.with this partnership, around 550 or 600, that will put a lot of
:24:59. > :25:08.pressure on England's batsmen. It will be fascinating to see how they
:25:09. > :25:15.
:25:15. > :25:22.perform. This wicket gives something to the bowlers. It is
:25:22. > :25:31.tantalisingly poised. Real drama there. But what about
:25:31. > :25:38.the overhang of that dramatic umpiring decision? Many people
:25:38. > :25:46.getting involved in that? Yes, concern over the dismissal of
:25:46. > :25:55.Usman Khawaja. He was given out after England appealed. It went to
:25:55. > :25:58.the review system. The third umpire looked at the replays. You would
:25:58. > :26:04.have thought that the original decision would have been overturned.
:26:04. > :26:10.But instead, the decision was upheld, mysteriously. It seems that
:26:10. > :26:15.the third umpires are unwilling to overrule their colleagues. But for
:26:15. > :26:20.most of us looking, there was no evidence that the ball hit the bat.
:26:20. > :26:30.He was given out and it is testament to how well Australia are
:26:30. > :26:38.doing that they are recovering so well. England were on the receiving
:26:38. > :26:44.end of another controversial decision later in the day. This
:26:44. > :26:52.decision review system is being criticised widely. Australia have