13/12/2013 BBC World News

Our top stories. Betrayal and execution in the world's most

secretive state - the uncle of North Korea's leader is put to death -

denounced as a traitor. The tribunal be mentally condemned him as the

careerist, trickster and traitor for all ages in the name of the

revolution. Winter weather is causing misery for refugees of

Syria's civil war - Europe is accused of failing those who have

fled the conflict. Thousands of people wait to pay their respects as

the body of Nelson Mandela lies in state for a third and final day. And

clashes strike the streets of Bangladesh as the execution of an

Islamist leader causes shock waves across the country. It's been a

swift and brutal fall from grace for the North Korean politician who was

often described as the power behind the throne. State media in Pyongyang

have confirmed that the uncle of the leader Kim Jong-Un has been

executed. It's only a matter of days since Chang Song-Thaek was publicly

marched out of a meeting in handcuffs. A military tribunal

accused him of trying to seize power for himself. Here's how State

Television announced the execution. TRANSLATION: The special military

tribunal of the Ministry of State Security for the DPRK confirms that

the state subversion attempted by the accused, Chang Song-thaek, with

the aim to overthrow the People's Power of the DPRK by our lead

logically aligning himself with enemies is a crime punishable by

Article 60 of the criminal code. Tribunal be condemns him as a wicked

political careerist, trickster and traitor as all ages in the name of

the revolution and sentenced him to death. Let's be to the Professor of

political science in South Korea. That announcement on state

television doesn't leave any room for doubt, there was also a 2700

word treaties that wrecked his reputation. What do you make of it?

Eliminating opponents, purges ins Leninist systems are pretty common,

so it's not unlikely. -- Stalinist systems. Like I said, though, the

ferocity of the statement, talked about him as a traitor for the ages,

that's pretty rare, but it is Lily for North Korea. So that needs to be

researched. My own guess is, because we don't really know, it is supposed

to be a warning to everyone else in North Korea not to make a move on

the regime. Kim Jong-un is young, it's probably his biggest challenge,

so the fact this is public is meant to be a deterrent signal to others.

Do you think it is meant for a specific moment, in that right now

there might be a political upheaval going on that we don't know about

and therefore this is happening? That another theory that has been

thrown around in South Korea, beginning to leak out into the

analyst and think tank community. I'm wary of saying that because we

have predicted the downfall of North Korea before but this is pretty

sharp. They have pretty much admitted that he had started a

fraction of his own, he was trying to push the regime over, which is

what people had thought the sum time. People expected factionalism,

so this is something of a confirmation of what we all thought.

It lead to shooting in the street? Probably not, last year another

general was removed who was a mentor to Kim Jong-un, that didn't result

in anything more serious. People thought it would spiral at the time

but it didn't. Let's continue on the theme. We are with our East Asia

editor here. What about the background to this? Are you

surprised that everything happened so fast? What was known about his

political ambitions, if any? I think Chang Song-thaek has been a

well-known figure in North Korean politics, because he was a close

member of the him's extended family. He was the husband of Kim Jong-un's

aren't, but also he has been leading a few very economic initiatives,

mainly holding a new economic zone in coalition with China. He has met

with the last leader of China, Hu Jintao, in Beijing. So by removing

him, I would guess that the young Kim would want to send out a

message, I am my own man and I am in charge of everything in the party,

in the military and also in economic affairs. The reason I mention his

political ambitions, it seems impossible that in such a strict

controlled country, that anybody would try to challenge the regime.

Surely you would then know that your time is finished, how can it be he

thought he could possibly take power from Kim Jong-un if the state media

is to be believed? We have to think about the state media announcement

about Chang Song-thaek's crimes with a pinch of salt. Nobody would leave

that he really was staging a coup d'etat or anything like that. I

think he would have been power when the young Kim was in his hands but

obviously now the young Kim wants to consolidate his own power that is

why he wants to remove his uncle. Remember, during the funeral of his

father, Kim Jong-il, Chang Song-thaek was one of the eight men

walking alongside the coffin. Four of them have now gone. And even

there are rumours about the fate of Kim Jong-un's wife, they haven't

seen her in public for 50 days. Next week on the 17th of December it will

be the second anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.

We may see a pupil less and we may have to carry on guessing what is

happening to the family. The Russian authorities have told a group of

Greenpeace activists they're not allowed to leave the country. 30

activists and journalists, including six Britons, were arrested and

jailed more than two months ago because of their protest against oil

drilling in the Arctic. Their vessel was seized and taken to the port of

Murmansk, and while they have all been released on bail, they've

remained in Russia. Within the last few minutes, the

Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko has said he will attend

talks aimed at defusing the crisis over the country's relations with

Europe. His decision follows the release of the final batch of

protestors who were arrested when police tried to break up a rally in

the capital Kiev earlier this week. The BBC's Daniel Sandford has more

from Kiev. Yes, it has been another long, wet, cold night here. But

another peaceful one, no sign of the right place. Many of the people are

sleeping here on the square but others, like these, have slept in

their homes. They have come down here for another day of

revolutionary action. Sometimes it doesn't seem like they know what to

do next but they're certainly leaving the square, they are

preparing fresh differences, these ones all grew up overnight. There

were talks yesterday in Brussels, the dignity prime minister was there

to see if he could restart negotiations for Ukraine to continue

plans for an accession agreement within the EU and everyone here in

the square has lost confidence that the government will go down that

route and they will not believe that their European dream is back on

until they actually see the signature on the paper. Is the

European Union doing enough to help people displaced by the fighting in

Syria? According to the human rights organisation Amnesty International,

the answer is a resounding no. The United Nations estimates that over

seven million people have been displaced since the violence broke

out in Spring 2011 - with some 2.3 million leaving Syria. The vast

majority of them are in refugee camps in neighbouring countries -

including Jordan, Turkey, rack and Lebanon. Most of them live in

conditions like this. The UN has set a global target for rich nations to

take in 30,000 of the most vulnerable refugees. The EU has

offered to accept just 12,000 according to Amnesty International,

and Germany is responsible for 10,000 of those. EU governments say

they already accept large numbers of asylum seekers, as well as providing

humanitarian aid. Amnesty says the response is pitiful, and the onset

of a harsh winter could make things worse for the most vulnerable. There

have already been reports of children dying from the cold. The

BBC's Jim Muir is in the Beqaa valley in Lebanon - and sent this

report on how Syrian refugees there are trying to cope. I am in one of

the shanty huts that have been built here by directly gees, you see how

squalid and horrendous the conditions are. This is a hot made

out of strips of wood which have been fashioned into a frame, with

plastic nailed over it to keep the damp out but it also keeps the damp

in, it's not very warm despite the fact there is a small stove behind

me that is lit, it's not giving out much heat. There's a huge pile of

blankets and a baby underneath it that has been sleeping all this

time. Here we have Muhammad, one of the many refugees here, yes been

here for a year now, he's from north-eastern Syria. I am just go to

ask him what he has received by way of aid. THEY SPEAK ARABIC all he has

received is the framework, and the board, they have received nothing in

terms of money or food. So like many people here, he's having to

improvise, trying to stay warm in bitterly cold temperatures, because

outside, the ground is frozen hard, many of these kids R.N. In around

with their feet and includes you would normally wear in summer. These

people are clicking on an surviving as the winter moves in. Italian

police have arrested close family members of the most-wanted Sicilian

mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro. Mr Denao?s sister and nephew were

among thirty people detained in what police said was one of the most

significant anti-crime operations for years. More than a month after

Typhoon Haiyan devastated the central Philippines, officials say

up to thirty bodies are being found every day. Disaster management

officials say the number of dead is now more than six thousand, while

nearly eighteen hundred people are still missing.

American media outlets are reporting that a former FBI agent who's

believed to have been held in Iran for the past six years was working

for the CIA on an unapproved mission. US national Robert Levinson

went missing during a business trip to Iran in March 2007. The CIA says

it has no comment on any claimed links between Mr Levinson and the

American government. Stay with us on BBC World News,

still to come: From the hobbit to New Zealand's hospitals. We will

find out how they have benefited from one of the world guest film

franchises. A controversial Dutch MP has told

the BBC that he wants to bring down the European Union - and that voters

in his country no longer feel they get value for money from it. Gert

Wilders' Freedom Party is currently ahead in most polls in the

Netherlands. He's also warned migrants from Eastern Europe they

should stay at home. He's been speaking to our Europe Editor Gavin

Hewitt - who began by asking him for his reaction to the imminent lifting

of restrictions on people from Romania and Bulgaria coming to live

in the Netherlands. Will, my message to those countries is, stay home. I

do not say to those people that I do not understand that you wish to come

to Western Europe, I don't even blame them, I blame our own

governments, people are unemployed, and at the same time we allow people

from Romania and Bulgaria to come to the Netherlands and take our jobs,

make use of our Social Security. I think it's a crazy thing to do. You

have said that Islam is not compatible with the Western way of

life. But haven't Muslim communities become part of the European way of

life? Well, indeed I believe that Islam is an inferior culture. I'm

talking about ideology, not the people. I know a lot of Muslims are

law-abiding people whose concern is to have a good life, a good

education for their children and a good job and I have nothing against

them. Did you feel a personal responsibility not to stoke up

tensions that could or might lead to an atmosphere that you will find

difficult to control? But I don't believe I've ever done anything

coming close to that. I am a responsible politician, I think I

never stir up any problems. Plenty of people will say that in some of

your comment you do stoke up tensions between communities. You

ask my intention, I can only speak on behalf of myself but anybody

else. And my honest answer to you is no, I'm staying far away from

anything that has to do with steering

This is BBC World News. The latest headlines. The once-powerful uncle

of the North Korean leader is executed as a traitor days after

being expelled from his government job.

The European Union has been accused of failing in its response to Syrian

refugees, as hundreds of thousands struggle in freezing conditions. The

body of Nelson Mandela is lying in state for a third and final day in

Pretoria. Tens of thousands of South Africans

have visited to say goodbye to the man who became South Africa's first

post-apartheid president. In Pretoria it is 1:46pm. Plenty of

daylight and time for people to go past the coughing at union buildings

in Pretoria and pay their respects. But the queue is stretching outside

the union buildings's surrounding area. So whether everyone gets their

chance is still to be seen. The state funeral is on Sunday. Fergal

Keane has been travelling throughout South Africa. From Johannesburg to

Ventersdorp, the old heartland of the white right wing, then across

the Eastern Cape from East London to King Williams Town and to Mthata, a

stronghold of the ANC throughout the apartheid era, before travelling on

to Qunu where the fueral will be held. Today he is in Mthata, where

he visited a hospice for people with AIDS.

He is in this shelter which is for HIV sufferers in the Transvaal,

people are watching Nelson Mandela's ongoing funeral. The whole

crisis came to the fore, it was a disaster in many ways for South

Africa. In the years after he became president and when he stepped down.

He was criticised for not doing or saying enough about HIV AIDS. Then

after he left the presidency, that all changed. He became an ardent

campaigner against the stigma attached to HIV AIDS in South

Africa. Michael, you have been working in this field for many

years. Yes, many years. You are the chief executive of the shelter. How

would you characterise the way Nelson Mandela dealt with the crisis

of HIV AIDS? He'd be stigmatised, but it was too late. Basically, what

you are saying is Nelson Mandela did his best when he retired, but the

other politicians would not listen to him? Yes. Thank you very much.

That sense of Nelson Mandela as somebody who came late to

campaigning on the HIV AIDS issue is now overshadowed by people's

gratitude by what he managed to do. And that was rage -- raise awareness

and tell South Africans that this is something people should not feel

stigmatised by. There's been violence in Bangladesh

overnight following the execution of a political leader for war crimes

committed more than 40 years ago. These were just some of the scenes

in the capital Dhaka while elsewhere in the country, at least three

people died as followers of Abdul Qauder Mollah took to the streets in

support of their former leader. He's the first person to be hanged by the

tribunal which was set up to investigate atrocities during the

war of independence from Pakistan in 1971. His crimes, complicity in mass

murder and rape. There were also demonstrations in support of his

punishment. The events have underlined the division in

Bangladeshi politics. Abdel Kader Mollah's Jamaat-e-Islami party, seen

as a Muslim fundamentalist group, has already been banned from taking

part in next month's national elections. We can speak to our

correspondent in Dhaka. What is the latest? There have been pockets of

violence and clashes between police and supporters throughout the

capital. It started after Friday prayers. It was expected that

supporters would try and come out in strong numbers and show their anger

at the verdict and then finally execution of one of their leaders

last night. Police have clashed with many of the supporters. In many

cases, as has been the case in activities, it was a clandestinely

chat. Many supporters would come out onto the streets and set fire to a

few cards and explode some small, crude bombs and then run. That has

the pattern throughout the city. It is important to put it into context.

The several weeks, an alliance led blockade has the streets more or

less empty and there have been some clashes on and off. But today was an

escalation because of yesterday's verdict. There have been more

violent clashes throughout the country and especially in the

southern part of this country, where they have a stronghold. There were

several clashes and some supporters killed two ruling party supporters.

Thank you for the update. Relatives of four people who were

killed by a drink-driver in Texas have criticised a court's decision

not to jail the teenager at the wheel. Ethan Couch was just 16 and

well over the limit at the time of the accident. But his defence

lawyers successfully argued that he should be put on probation,

apparently because of his family's wealth and the lack of parental

supervision. Emily Thomas explains. His defence team said he is

suffering from a popular term for children from wealthy families who

have a sense of entitlement and make excuses for poor behaviour.

16-year-old Ethan Couch was three times the legal drinking limit and

speeding when his truck crashed into and killed for pedestrians. Earlier

in the evening he and seven passengers had stolen two cases of

beer. The teenager pleaded guilty to four counts of intoxication

manslaughter and faces up to 20 years in prison. But a juvenile

court judge decided he would be better served by ten years probation

and then rolling in a driver rehabilitation centre paid for by

his parents. His lawyers say the wealth and lack of parental

oversight justifies the judge's decision, but the relatives of those

killed are stunned. He may thing he has got away with something, but he

hasn't. My wife and daughter are gone and there have been no

consequences. Riddick said this is double standards for the rich. The

rehab centre will say it will cost $450,000 a year for his parents.

The latest film in the Hobbit trilogy will open around the world

this week. It is not just the film industry benefiting from the latest

block buster. Lots of other businesses have been boosted.

The brand is creating immense opportunities for thousands of

businesses. The first film made $84 million in the box office last year.

Now, its producers are hoping the second will smash those sales. It is

not just the film-makers who are benefiting, nearly 3000 New Zealand

firms are cashing in. Most of them are in the film industry with some

unlikely exceptions. This medical scanner was created in Christchurch

and is based on the 3-D cameras used to film the Hobbit. It is now being

used at Saint Luke's hospital in Singapore. It is the first hospital

in Asia to use the cutting edge technology which takes 3-D

photographs to track the healing process. Until now, medical staff

used tracing paper and rulers to measure the depth of wounds and

predict how long they would take to heal. This camera system, you use

the laser beam to measure inside. So in a way it gives us some control.

Perhaps the most obvious winner is the tourism industry. The government

invested $10 million in this advertising campaign which has

helped to inject $450 million into its economy. It is 100% Middle

Earth, 100% in New Zealand slogan aimed at capitalising on the

fascination with the films. The Hobbit is big as Ness, it is not

just drawing big crowds in cinemas across the globe, it is creating a

buzz about New Zealand which has led to a 10% rise in tourism. One in 12

are saying the Hobbit was the reason for the visit. With visitor numbers

up, it is little wonder Air New Zealand has painted its planes with

characters from the film. On the service, it is a movie about hobbits

running around, but for New Zealand it is about much more. Whether it is

technology, filming in New Zealand and tourism, it is about putting New

Zealand out there as a credible player. That is why this hype has

many companies getting creative to bring fans from their shires.

Let's go back to Union Buildings, the seat of government in the South

African capital, Pretoria. This is outside Union Buildings where people

are queueing to try and get their chance to file past the coffin of

Nelson Mandela, who has been lying in state for the third and final

day. For these people, it is very important they get the opportunity.

The problem is we have heard they may not get the chance because there

are 50,000 people already in the queue. Officials have told people

not to CHEERING

As Bobby Moore