17/10/2013 BBC World News


17/10/2013

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Hello. This is BBC World News. Our top stories: President Obama signs

:00:00.:00:11.

an agreement lifting the threat of a default and allowing government to

:00:12.:00:19.

get back to business. We will begin reopening our

:00:20.:00:23.

government. We can begin to lift this cloud of Hunter -- uncertainty

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and our knees from our businesses and the American people.

:00:29.:00:31.

The search for answers after the plane crash in Laos that killed all

:00:32.:00:35.

49 people on board - most of them foreign tourists.

:00:36.:00:37.

We're in Australia where firefighters battle fierce

:00:38.:00:39.

wildfires. Dozens of homes are destroyed on the outskirts of

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Sydney. And the hunt for the abominable

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snowman - new research suggests the yeti might actually exist.

:00:46.:01:06.

Hello everyone. Hundreds of thousands of US government staff

:01:07.:01:12.

have been told to report for work today. That is because there is now

:01:13.:01:16.

money to pay them. It will be the first time for almost three weeks. A

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last-minute deal broke the budget deadlock between Democrats and

:01:21.:01:22.

Republicans in Washington. President Obama has already signed the bill

:01:23.:01:26.

into law. But he said there must now be an end to what he called

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"governing by crisis". But the deal is only valid until early next year.

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That raises the prospect that the process could start all over again.

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Katy Watson has more from Washington.

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On this vote, there are 81 in favour, 18 against, and the bill is

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reported as past. Government workers have now been told to return to work

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and the financial markets can breathe a sigh of relief. America is

:02:02.:02:05.

back from the brink and back in business. No doubt a relieved

:02:06.:02:11.

president, although he said this wasn't the end of the story. There

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is a lot of work ahead of us, including the need to work to earn

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back the trust of the American people, and we can begin to do that

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by addressing the real issues that they care about. The deal will fund

:02:26.:02:31.

the government until 15th January, and extend the debt deadline until

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Fabbri. They hope to draw up a longer term debt deal. After

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attempts by the Republicans to include restrictions on the health

:02:49.:02:55.

care law, they have had to climb down. One of the most vocal critics

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of this debate remains deeply opposed to the new bill. This deal

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kicks the can down the road. It allows yet more debt, more

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deficits, more spending, and it does absolutely nothing to provide relief

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for the millions of Americans who are hurting because of Obama care.

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This comes as a relief not just to the politicians here in Congress,

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but all those worried about the political stalemate. But it doesn't

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resolve the spending issues that have divided politicians here, and

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we could see the same debate all over again in three months time.

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Well, the market here in Europe have been open for about four hours. How

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is the deal being seen in Europe? Steve Evans joins me from Berlin.

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The Dax is down .85%. And that is because of two things, really. They

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expected the deal to happen, but in the cold light of day, they think,

:04:03.:04:07.

the traders think, that the awful cliche is, the Cannes has been

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kicked down the road, and the thing has not been resolved, and we will

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get the same thing again in January. One of the traders in Frankfurt is

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being quoted as saying, the circus still goes on. So there is Disney

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about that. In terms of a political reaction, there is a bit of scorn

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coming in with the commentators sharpening their quills and

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comparing it to customers last stand and Rambo and all those kinds of

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things. So there is clearly relieved that the immediate threat has gone,

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but also a bit of wonderment at the way in which the thing was dealt

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with. Steve, thank you very much. The chemical weapons inspectors

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working in Syria say they've completed nearly half of their work

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to verify the extent of the arsenal. But despite this progress, they say

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security remains a concern, with mortar and car bomb attacks

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continuing around the inspectors' hotel in Damascus. They have until

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June next year to oversee the destruction of Syria's chemical

:05:14.:05:14.

weapons arsenal. A passenger plane has crashed into

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the Mekong river in southern Laos. Officials say that all 49 people on

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board were killed. The Laos Airlines plane was on an internal flight from

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the capital, Vientiane, when it crashed in bad weather. Most of its

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passengers were foreign tourists. Jonathan Head reports from Bangkok

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In other news: along the banks of the River, authorities are running a

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difficult operation, to retrieve the bodies of the victims and what is

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left of the aircraft. The aircraft said it struck the bank

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while approaching the airport in stormy weather and plunged into the

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river, which is swollen by heavy rain. Divers struggled against the

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powerful current. Bodies and wreckage have been found far from

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the crash site. The broken pieces of aircraft testified to the impact of

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the crash. It was turning back to approach the airport, said this

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witness. Then it just fell out of the sky. They found suitcases,

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passports and other personal effects. It will take time to

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recover all of the bodies. The aircraft, a French Italian made

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craft, was brand-new, delivered in March this year. The model is widely

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used in this region, and has a proven safety record. It is Laos

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Airlines' first fatal crash for 18 years. A nearby temple is serving as

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a makeshift morgue. The victims came from all over the world, attracted

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by the unspoiled beauty of a country that was for many years largely

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closed to outsiders. At least 30 homes have been

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destroyed by wildfires on the outskirts of Sydney. They have been

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fanned by high erotic wins an unseasonably warm weather. So what

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is the extent of the fire threat? Jon Donnison is live for us in

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Sydney. Barely any rain in New South Wales in the last few will stop we

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had the hottest September on record, and we are only in the spring. We

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have had temperatures in the high 30s. They are the very worst

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conditions for firefighters, hot and windy. And as those conditions over

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the past few months would suggest, very dry. At various stages today, I

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think we have still almost 100 fires and earning across the state. 34 of

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them are out of control. Thankfully the temperatures are dropping this

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evening, and they are forecast to drop tomorrow, but it has been a

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difficult day, and it will be a difficult night. If it has been very

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dry, that means there is less vegetation to burn. That is right.

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Sometimes when you have wet weather, you get a lot of growth, and there

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is more stuff to burn. That it has been so dry, they have not been able

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to do the back burning they sometimes do to try to burn off some

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of the vegetation in order to make there be less fuel so that even when

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there are fires they can't spread. But they have been scared of

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starting fires during that back burning process. I think the real

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worry is that we are only in spring. We had the first bushfires

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this year really in winter. Very unusual, people were saying it was

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the earliest they could remember. Australians are well used to dealing

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with bushfires. But there is a lot of worry as we approach the summer

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months. Jon, thank you for joining me.

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The recent migrants tragedy near Lampedusa has highlighted just how

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many refugees are risking their lives in non-seaworthy boats in the

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hope of gaining asylum in Europe. A few days have passed since the

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disastrous sinkings near Lampedusa, but here you will find survivors

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from those tragedies. People are held here for the first days and

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weeks when they land on Lampedusa, the first days and weeks of their

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new lives, they hope, in what they see as the promised land of Europe.

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This place could comfortably hold about 250 people, but there are

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something like 700 in there right now, many of them living out in the

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open in the most uncomfortable imaginable conditions. And

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Lampedusa, lying where it does on the front line of the migration from

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North Africa, everybody here knows that at almost any moment, another

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boat packed with migrants could be brought into the port, and more

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migrants seeking that better life could be brought in here, weary and

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exhausted from the sea at almost any moment. That was Alan Johnston there

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on Lampedusa. In other news: Norwegian musician Kristian "Varg"

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Vikernes is due to go on trial in Paris. He is a self-proclaimed

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neo-Nazi. He was once in touch with his compatriot Anders Breivik, the

:10:56.:10:57.

far-right militant who killed 77 people in attacks in Norway in 2011.

:10:58.:11:01.

Mr Vikernes is being tried for inciting racial hatred and

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glorifying war crimes in some of his writings on the internet.

:11:05.:11:11.

The number of people known to have died in the Philippines earthquake

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has risen to 158. The quake caused many buildings to collapse,

:11:17.:11:21.

including historic churches. Rescue crews have started salvage work.

:11:22.:11:26.

The United Nations has appealed for more troops and equipment for its

:11:27.:11:29.

peacekeeping force in Mali. The UN force has less than half of its

:11:30.:11:32.

mandated strength of more than 12,000 military personnel. Mali held

:11:33.:11:35.

presidential elections in July, but militant attacks have resumed in the

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north where Islamic militants are based.

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An estimated 30 million people worldwide are living in conditions

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of slavery. That is according to a new survey released by an Australian

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campaign group. The latest The Global Slavery Index says the

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greatest number, 14 million, are in India. The organisation says slavery

:12:03.:12:05.

can also encompass debt bondage or forced labour. It can also include

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forced marriage. Victims of modern slavery have their freedom denied.

:12:11.:12:14.

Victims from many countries suggest that the African state of Mauritania

:12:15.:12:19.

has the highest proportion. An estimated 4% of the population their

:12:20.:12:26.

lives in slavery. Haiti, where child slavery is widespread, second. The

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greatest number of slaves, 14 million, is in India, followed by

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China, at almost 3 million, and Pakistan and Nigeria. Together with

:12:38.:12:42.

five other countries, they account for three quarters of the total

:12:43.:12:45.

estimated number of people in modern slavery. I am joined by the BBC's

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Africa online editor, Joseph Winter. You know Mauritania well. 4% of the

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country in slavery. How does not manifest itself? According to the

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law, slavery has been abolished in Mauritania, several times. The fact

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that it has been abolished several times tells you that what happens on

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a piece of paper in the capital doesn't necessarily translate

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through to the camps in the Sahara desert where people live in many

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ways much as they traditionally have 400s and hundreds years. But are you

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saying that there is almost complicity or a blind eye being

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turned by the political class? Not necessarily. That is what some

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people stay. It is very difficult to get out into the middle of Sahara

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desert, where people are uneducated. The slaves would not be able to read

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about the fact that they have been freed. And even if they are freed,

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then what would happen to them? They would have no money, no education.

:13:53.:13:57.

It is difficult for them to find, to start a new life. That is the

:13:58.:14:02.

problem, but many of them are living in difficult conditions. Some are

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chained up at night. They are subjected to sexual abuse, all kinds

:14:08.:14:12.

of problems. But changing it in reality, in these poor, remote

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areas, is a big challenge. How do you see it changing, particularly in

:14:19.:14:22.

a country and a nation and region, and more broadly on all these

:14:23.:14:25.

countries, where many more people now have mobile phones and are

:14:26.:14:30.

talking to each other. Even if you are a slave, there are people who

:14:31.:14:33.

are becoming connected. Is that likely to make a difference, do you

:14:34.:14:39.

think? There are campaign groups in Mauritania who are campaigning, so

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people who have come to the relatively big cities in Mauritania,

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they might have more access to help and education, but it is a poor

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country, so educated the whole country will not be straightforward.

:14:57.:15:02.

These are pictures of China, and they are a video which has been

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taken secretly of the scale of slave labour. When you look at the extent

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of the problem, far more broadly, in Mauritania, what is the potential

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for these horrific numbers to be reduced at some point? That is a

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difficult question to answer. Obviously it is a question of

:15:22.:15:24.

getting out into the areas worst affected, having campaigners for the

:15:25.:15:29.

governments on board is going to be a key thing. Having governments

:15:30.:15:35.

going out into all these areas where these problems do still exist. Thank

:15:36.:15:40.

you very much indeed for that update.

:15:41.:15:50.

Still to come: A couple in Paraguay finally married. They have had been

:15:51.:15:59.

together for 80 years. We will tell you what happened. The world's

:16:00.:16:06.

population is getting older. While that is having a profound social

:16:07.:16:12.

effect, it can also be seen as a business opportunity. That is the

:16:13.:16:16.

case in Taiwan where universities are actively targeting senior

:16:17.:16:20.

citizens. Playing ping-pong for the first

:16:21.:16:26.

time in 40 years. This 62 year-old slowly gets used to the feel of the

:16:27.:16:31.

ball game. But this is not for fun. He has to take this class in order

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to graduate from college. The owner of an IT services company, he has

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been a boss for 32 years, but he has now retired and was to fulfil a

:16:43.:16:46.

dream he could not afford to when he was young. He enrolled in

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college to get a degree in enterprise management. TRANSLATION:

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I started working, and eventually I started a business. But I still

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want to learn. Lifelong learning is important. The student population

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dropped by several hundred this year. It is a crisis shared by big

:17:11.:17:16.

institutions of higher learning and some will have to shut down if the

:17:17.:17:21.

trend continues. Taiwan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world.

:17:22.:17:26.

As a result many universities like this one are facing declining

:17:27.:17:30.

student enrolment and they are trying to encourage elderly people

:17:31.:17:36.

to get a college education. There is a new wave of senior citizens

:17:37.:17:40.

going to college for short-term courses or degrees. In 2008, the

:17:41.:17:45.

Government began offering subsidised classes for the elderly

:17:46.:17:50.

as a way of helping them live more active lives. Elderly people had to

:17:51.:17:56.

be persuaded to attend college at first. Now they bring their friends

:17:57.:18:00.

to take the subsidised classes, like this one which teaches them

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how to make lotions. This year, 100 universities offer courses

:18:07.:18:11.

especially by the elderly. The numbers have increased from a few

:18:12.:18:18.

hundred to several thousand. Enrolment has risen by about 25%

:18:19.:18:23.

each year in the past couple of years. That will have to continue

:18:24.:18:28.

if the empty chairs in the lecture halls across Taiwan are to be

:18:29.:18:39.

filled. You are with BBC World and years.

:18:40.:18:45.

The headlines: President Obama signs a bill extending the US

:18:46.:18:50.

Treasury's borrowing limit. It marks the end of almost three weeks

:18:51.:18:55.

of partial Government shutdown. A passenger plane belonging to Lao

:18:56.:18:59.

Airlines has crashed in a river in Laos. All of the passengers and

:19:00.:19:05.

crew were killed. Throughout October we are running a

:19:06.:19:08.

special series on the challenges faced by women in the 21st century.

:19:09.:19:14.

Next Friday, 100 inspiring women will gather for a unique, global

:19:15.:19:18.

event at the BBC's London headquarters. In our report today

:19:19.:19:26.

we will look at education in China. This year the country welcomed its

:19:27.:19:30.

first female astronaut, but many women in China have to keep their

:19:31.:19:35.

aspirations firmly on the ground. There are many jobs and university

:19:36.:19:42.

courses that are for men only. Child's play with an eye on the

:19:43.:19:49.

future. At this theme-park in Beijing these little visitors can

:19:50.:19:55.

test out possible Koreas. The girls at dressed up as flight attendants

:19:56.:20:01.

and learn to serve meals. Young boys choose to work as security

:20:02.:20:07.

guards. Even in this imaginary world the children and their

:20:08.:20:10.

parents stick to reduce gender stereotypes. In China the idea that

:20:11.:20:14.

girls cannot and should not do the same jobs as men is passed on early

:20:15.:20:20.

and it extends into university and beyond. Students fight to get into

:20:21.:20:27.

this prestigious mining engineering course. They are almost guaranteed

:20:28.:20:33.

well-paid jobs after Darren -- graduation. This programme has one

:20:34.:20:38.

clear entrance Requirement, men- only. TRANSLATION: China's labour

:20:39.:20:44.

law suggests mining work is unsuitable for women, so we ask

:20:45.:20:50.

women to refrain from applying. This school is not alone. Out of

:20:51.:20:57.

respect for women's safety, it says, the Education Ministry has banned

:20:58.:21:00.

girls from studying a variety of subjects across China from

:21:01.:21:04.

engineering to geology. TRANSLATION: Some jobs are really

:21:05.:21:10.

unsuitable for women. If they force their way into these jobs, they

:21:11.:21:13.

will waste energy that can be better used elsewhere. A small but

:21:14.:21:19.

first the network of students and lawyers is biting the restrictions,

:21:20.:21:22.

shaving their heads in a rare public protest last year.

:21:23.:21:29.

TRANSLATION: It was blatant discrimination. No-one has stood up

:21:30.:21:34.

to these universities before and told them their policies were wrong.

:21:35.:21:40.

The activists are also banning unofficial gender quotas at many

:21:41.:21:45.

universities that favour boys. Females usually top college

:21:46.:21:50.

entrance exams, but schools do not want their courses to be dominated

:21:51.:21:54.

by girls, so they lower the admissions standards for boys,

:21:55.:21:58.

leaving girls with higher marks out of luck. Back at the theme park

:21:59.:22:04.

these little girls in theory can move beyond the beauty salon to

:22:05.:22:09.

tried dozens of jobs. If some in China have their way, these girls

:22:10.:22:14.

might soon have the support and the drive to do it. Let me remind you

:22:15.:22:27.

of the address. Scientists may finally have solved the mystery of

:22:28.:22:31.

the yeti, the mythical creature which is believed by some to wonder

:22:32.:22:36.

in the Himalayan mountains. Researchers at Oxford University

:22:37.:22:40.

said they have conducted DNA tests on hair samples. Professor Bryan

:22:41.:22:47.

Sykes is professor of human genetics at Oxford University. He

:22:48.:22:53.

led the tests. I asked him if it confirmed that the yeti exists. Yes.

:22:54.:23:00.

Describe it to me. Why have we not got a picture? You did not ask me

:23:01.:23:07.

to bring one. Have you got one on your telephone? There are a few

:23:08.:23:14.

around. This is of a mummy and from a couple of pairs that have proved

:23:15.:23:18.

to be of interest from the Himalayas. I have been testing

:23:19.:23:24.

hairs from all over the world. In this case, the DNA analysis shows

:23:25.:23:29.

that they match exactly with an ancient polar bear that was found

:23:30.:23:40.

in Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean. It is a 40,000 year-old bone and it

:23:41.:23:48.

matches the DNA that I found in a yeti money, shot by a local hunter,

:23:49.:24:02.

described as a yeti. Their hair was identified by the King of Bhutan's

:24:03.:24:06.

yeti supremo. So now you know, it does exist.

:24:07.:24:10.

A couple in Paraguay have finally tied the knot, or got married,

:24:11.:24:16.

after spending 18 years together. Their relationship has survived

:24:17.:24:21.

more than a dozen US presence, One World War and the Rise and Fall of

:24:22.:24:27.

the Berlin Wall. They say it is the bride's

:24:28.:24:31.

prerogative to be late for her wedding, but this is getting

:24:32.:24:36.

ridiculous. 80 years after first falling in love, they finally said

:24:37.:24:43.

I do in the eyes of God. The groom, 103, the brushing blight Eimear

:24:44.:24:51.

sapling at 99. A ceremony held in their back garden passed off

:24:52.:24:55.

without a hitch, even if they need a little help with the ring.

:24:56.:25:00.

TRANSLATION: It is the first time I am marrying someone of this age and

:25:01.:25:06.

I am happy to be marrying these two. There is no denying this has been a

:25:07.:25:11.

long engagement. They met and fell in love in 1933. It was the same

:25:12.:25:16.

year Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany and Franklin Roosevelt

:25:17.:25:20.

took office as President of the United States. They had a civil

:25:21.:25:24.

wedding half-a-century ago around the time President Kennedy was

:25:25.:25:28.

assassinated, but they never bothered with a religious ceremony

:25:29.:25:34.

and some now. TRANSLATION: My children wanted us to get married,

:25:35.:25:38.

they told me it was what they wanted. All but two of my children

:25:39.:25:45.

are here. And not just the children. There are 50 grand children, 35

:25:46.:25:52.

great-grandchildren and 20 great- great grandchildren. No doubt the

:25:53.:25:59.

reception was a little crowded. Ne to a violin that was played to help

:26:00.:26:07.

calm passengers as the Titanic sank. The instrument belonged to the

:26:08.:26:12.

leader of the band, Wallace Hartley. He died along with the others when

:26:13.:26:17.

the ship went down in 1912. The Auctioneers says the violin

:26:18.:26:21.

represents everything good about human nature. It is expected to

:26:22.:26:27.

fetch about half a million dollars and has attracted attention from

:26:28.:26:33.

all over the world. In France, pupils have been protesting against

:26:34.:26:38.

the deportation to Kosovo of a 15- year-old girl. She was taken off a

:26:39.:26:43.

school bus before being forced to leave France. Her family had

:26:44.:26:48.

entered France illegally in 2009 and had exhausted all appeals to

:26:49.:26:53.

stave. Pupils blockaded several schools in Paris and they boycotted

:26:54.:26:58.

lessons. This has been BBC World News.

:26:59.:27:02.

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