10/01/2014 BBC World News

Of hello, this is BBC World News. Our top stories: a magazine claims

the French president is having an affair. Francois Hollande considers

legal action. Onwards and upwards - and Indian

diplomatic was arrested in the US has bucked a diplomatic row has left

for India. The army in South Sudan says it is

on the verge of capturing the rebel held town of Bentiu.

And the glamorous life of a New York broker who makes a fortune selling

worthless dog - Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese spilled the

beans on his new movie. -- he makes a fortune selling worthless stock.

France's president, Francois Hollande, says he is considering

suing a magazine which has claimed he has been having an affair with an

actress. Mr Hollande has not denied the allegations, but says the

magazine, Closer, has violated his right to privacy. The magazine has

published seven pages of photographs. It claims they prove

the president is having an affair with the actress Julie Gayet, seen

here, who appeared in one of his campaign commercials. Let's speak to

the French journalist Agnes Poirier, who is in Paris. What is the

reaction there? What details have emerged? Well, you must remember

that France is reeling from two stories this morning. Not only

Francois Hollande's alleged affair with act is, -- Julie Gayet, but

also the ban on a French racist comedian. Yesterday, there was a

real legal saga, so the French are talking about this ban, which I

think most of the people will see as a more important issue. It does not

come at the right moment. I guess it's never comes at the right moment

for April and president that a gossip magazine says you are having

an affair with an actress. President Hollande is not Nicholas are cosy.

-- he is not Nicholas Sarkozy. He is not going to stage it for his own

communication, the way Nicholas Sarkozy did with Carla Bruni a few

years ago. It is certainly very distract tin at a time when he has

two military operations going on in Mali and the Central African

Republic. There are a lot of learning issues in France, the first

one being unemployment. But with the history of people like President Mr

and anti-French oversee law, the attitude to oversee is quite

specific and unique. Do you feel people would think this impinge is

on his ability to do his job, even if it is true? I don't think so .

You can always argue that the Dominique Strauss Khan scandal did

actually dent the sacred respect and tolerance for public figures

gallivanting and having amorous affairs. But still, on the whole, we

are talking about consenting adults, presumably. The French will take it

with a pinch of salt, as they always do. They will think it is just

gossiping and it is not journalism. However, it is coming at the wrong

moment for President Hollande, who is not very popular with the French.

Now, we have just heard some breaking news that the president of

the Central African Republic has resigned. He has confirmed that he

was standing down at a recent gathering in Chad. That meeting had

been organised try to end the violence in the Central African

Republic. He had been widely criticised for failing to stop the

sectarian violence between Christians and the mainly Muslim

former rebels who brought him to power in a coup last year. He tried

to disband the rebels, but had been seen to be unable to control them

and there has been a fear of the risk of genocide in the CIA are. So

there was speculation that he was going to have to step down. That

news has just come in that he has resigned.

One of India's top diplomats in New York is on her way home after being

charged with visa fraud. Devyani Khobragade was accused of

underpaying her housekeeper and lying about it on a visa

application. The case rapidly escalated into a full-scale

diplomatic row, and she was handcuffed and strip-searched by the

investigators. Devyani Khobragade, the Indian

official at the centre of a diplomatic row. Formally indicted

for visa fraud and making false statements, now heading home. Her

arrest and strip-searched in December last year caused huge

tension between the US and India. There were angry protest in Delhi.

Security barricades outside the American embassy were removed, and

there has even been a threat to restrict access to the Embassy bar.

But if US officials are upset, they are refusing to go public with their

anger. Are you disappointed by the fact that they have chosen the route

they have chosen? I am not going to address that. Any disappointment we

have, we expressed privately. The diplomat worked at the Indian

consulate in New York. She was accused of underpaying her

housekeeper and lying on a visa application, something she denied.

Court documents showed that she had been given diplomatic immunity. It

is understood that the US asked India to waive this immunity. Delhi

said no, so then she was asked to leave the country. One consequence

of this is the postponement of a planned trip to India by the US

energy secretary. As for Devyani Khobragade, prosecutors say the

charges against her will remain pending and she would stand trial if

she were to return to the US without diplomatic immunity.

Government forces in South Sudan say they are on the verge of recapturing

the town of Bentiu, which was seized last month by rebels loyal to the

country's former deputy president, Button. A spokesman says the South

Sudanese Army is now on the outskirts of the Bentiu itself, the

capital of oil-rich Unity State. Thousands of people are sheltering

in UN compounds amid fears of all-out civil war. The BBC's

reporter is outside Bentiu. Government troops say they are close

to the city. The rebel forces have withdrawn to the city itself. It was

very dramatic this time yesterday, when they destroyed and arms dump.

They said they blew up all the ammunition they could carry. It was

quite a display, with fireballs and shells exploding. We thought the

battle had started. That gives an indication as to how they think

things might go. They are waiting on the other side of a bridge. We don't

know how much of a fight they are prepared to put up when government

forces arrive. The key thing is to get a cease-fire in place. That is

what is needed to stop the fighting. We have seen thousands of

people leaving this town and heading into the bush or further south, just

carrying whatever they could and leaving their homes. There are

thousands of people in this country who have been displaced, and that is

a huge challenge in terms of giving them a. They need clean water and

food supplies. Here at the UN compound on the outskirts of Bentiu,

there are now upwards of 9000 people. More came in when there were

reports of government forces arising. So now, the camp has been

split into the two tribes which have historical rifts that were being

resolved, but now have been torn apart, so much so that at the

entrance to the camp when people come in, there is a sign pointing

one way for one tribe and another sign for the other. There is such

tension between the people that they have to do it this way. It is very

side. -- very sad. Human rights in Pakistan say the

country's labour laws are nor the abuse of children who from a young

age are working on the streets or in the homes of middle-class families.

It is estimated that there are 12 million child workers in Pakistan,

many working in harsh or unsafe conditions. Last week, the employers

of a ten-year-old girl were arrested following her death. Tulisa there

were indications that she had been beaten. -- police said there were

indications she had been beaten. The haunting whaling, the song for

the dead. A funeral ritual in this small Punjabi village. Today, it is

for another young girl full of the ten-year-old was sent to the city to

cook for another family so that her own could eat. She came back in a

white shroud, apparently tortured to death by her employers. They

disabled mother had not seen her in three months. She has buried her

youngest child, but she does not know where to bury her own guilt.

Maybe we should have eight for scraps instead, she tells us. Why

did I send my own daughter to these cruel people? The child's employers

are in police custody. Mrs May mood has confessed to repeatedly beating

the child with an iron pipe, while her 16-year-old son stood by and

watched. She says casually that it was an accident. No one expected her

to die. TRANSLATION: Three times, she stole money. I got angry, so I

beat her. She said she was getting sleepy, so I tied her up and left

her to make dinner. The police say the girl died slowly, not

accidentally, tied up as she was breathing her last. There were

indications of beating. There was swelling. These were indications of

the fact that the girl was subject to torture. There are no laws

against child the most Labour. Protesting human rights activists

said they see 20 cases like this every year, and hear many other

stories of abuse. This mound of earth is where the victim lies

buried now, but a short while ago, she was just a child like those

children playing in the fields beyond the graveyard. Yet her

childhood, her future and her life was cut short by poverty and

despair, like so many others. According to human rights groups,

more than 12 million children are pushed onto the streets and the

homes of strangers to seek an income. Without a legal safety net,

these children, with lost childhoods, slip through the cracks

and fall, with no one to catch them.

Back to our breaking news. The president of the Central African

Republic has resigned. Michel Djotodia confirmed that he was

standing down at a regional meeting in Chad. That meeting had been fixed

to try and end the violence that has been unfolding in the Central

African Republic. He has been criticised for failing to stop

sectarian violence between the Christians and mainly Muslim former

rebels who brought him to power in a coup last year. With me is our

correspondent from the busy African service. What has happened here? The

president and prime minister are going. This is an outcome of the

process whose purpose was to secure their resident nation. As you said,

they failed to quell the violence and, despite the troops from the

African union and France being in the country, we have seen that

partisan supporters of different military and rebel factions and

civil society leaders, they have maintained the feud. France decided

that the African countries should take responsible tea. --

responsibility. Chad convened this meeting, and any other outcome than

their resignation would have been a surprise. But given that the

president has been unable to control his own rebels, he is the first

Muslim leader, whoever now comes into run the country, will they be

able to stop the violence between wrist gins and Muslims? The whole

issue is the rebellion itself. Putting Michel Djotodia side will

work psychologically. Central Africans will understand that the

one who caused the divisions has been put aside. Let's now think

about what we can do. But the details of what will actually come

after their resignation, who will take over, is still being worked

out. If it has been worked out, we will have to wait and see. This is

BBC World News. An American story about the pursuit

of happiness and hard cash, Martin Scorsese tells us what inspired him

to make his latest movie. The big chill which has gripped the

US is finally coming to an end. But, before Americans can breathe a sigh

of relief, the big thaw may be about to bring problems of its own. Along

with the warmer temperatures comes the threat of floods. And, to cap it

all, the financial cost of the big freeze is estimated to be a

staggering $5 billion. Russell Trott reports.

First came the freezing temperatures. Then, the frozen

rivers. Now it is the floods. The city of Trenton in New Jersey is

facing a potential flood threat as ice jams up near a key bridge and

the water continues rising. I have never seen anything like it

before. We have seen it when it is flooded. But never ice. It is quite

unusual. During the summer, there are spots when you can walk across.

You can see it is underwater. As the thaw sets in, pipes and water

towers which were frozen solid and cracked because of the ice, are now

leaking water, as the ice melts. Here in New York, snowmelt flooded

rivers and homes. The authorities are monitoring the area for

additional flooding. No evacuations have been ordered. And no one has

been hurt. But these are unusual times with virtually unprecedented

low temperatures. After that polar air mass swept across America

earlier. Shattering decades of whatever Chev records as it

enveloped the eastern seaboard. For those along the banks of this river

experiencing their river freezing over like never before, it remains a

worrying time, with ice joined by another potential hazard, flood

water, and lots of it. Everyone wants to be lucky. For

some, it involves crossing their fingers. And, for others, it might

involve focusing on auspicious numbers or symbols. But, in Japan,

luck goes to the man who runs the fastest. Around 5,000 men made the

dash through a shrine in Hyogo prefecture, hoping to win good luck

for the year ahead. The winner was 19-year-old runner Seiki Kyoda. As

well as good luck, he's also won a barrel of sake.

The latest headlines: The French president says he's considering

legal action, after a magazine claims he's having an affair with an

actress. The president of the Central African

Republic has resigned. Michel Djotodia came to power following a

coup last year. The deputy Prime Minister of Iraq

has told the BBC that the city of Fallujah cannot be retaken from the

rebels by military force alone. The Iraqi government has been sending

military reinforcements to the province of Anbar, after rebel

groups linked to al-Qaida overran parts of the area last week. The

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Saleh al-Mutlaq, who is himself from

Fallujah has been speaking to the BBC's Rafid Jaboori.

All of us had to fight terrorism. But do not expect that by missiles

and aeroplanes... You can defeat Al-Qaeda and I rock through

reconciliation, and by introducing justice, social justice -- Iraq.

Will the people of Fallujah drive them out?

They will drive them out of their city definitely, providing that the

government will not interfere through the Army. Maybe there will

be some sort of working together. The target for Al-Qaeda and the

civilians will be the Army who is coming to defeat the people.

How come you do not trust your own army?

Because, frankly speaking, the people in Fallujah, they do not feel

that it isn't their own army -- it is their own army. This army is not

the way it should be. We are asking for a balanced army, but it was

never done. The United States says a Yemeni man

held uncharged for more than a decade at the Guantanamo Bay

detention centre can be released. So, who is he? We don't have a

picture of him, but his name is Mahmud Mujahid, and he is 33 years

old. He is accused of being an al-Qaeda fighter. And bodyguard to

Osama Bin Laden. The review panel says he no longer poses a

significant threat to the US. But a Pentagon spokesman says no decision

has been made on when he will be released.

The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner told me this was a

significant milestone. He is the first person to come

before this review board which has been ordered by President Barack

Obama for orders for his release. No date has been given because certain

conditions have got to be fulfilled first. The most worrying thing is

the ongoing instability in Yemen, his country of origin. His name is

Mujahid, he has been there since January 2002, since the time of

those first images of people shackled and in orange jumpsuits. He

is now considered no longer of continued significant threat to the

US. The problem is, what do you do with him and how? Over the past few

years, some people have been released. 16% have gone on to rejoin

Al-Qaeda. Their main base in the Middle East is Yemen. So, that is a

concern for them. He may be released to a third country, to a

rehabilitation programme. I do not think the situation in Yemen will

become more stable. They need a safe channel to make sure he is not

grabbed by militants and sucked back into fighting.

Do people think that is actually possible? Effectively, would he have

to be monitored afterwards? In an ideal world, Americans would

like him to be monitored. Once he goes back to Yemen, I do not think

he will be monitored carefully. The numbers here are that, overall,

around 707 jet five people have been inmates in Guant?namo Bay. Over 600

have been released. 155 remaining. Most of those, just over half are

from Yemen. This is an unstable country, and ongoing fight with

Al-Qaeda, a healthy rebellion in the South and North. A lot of

instability. There is a concern if they were to release all those

people, and President Barack Obama really was to shut down Guant?namo

Bay, it was a campaign pledge. They have got to find a safe home for

these people and make sure they are not channelled back into joining

Al-Qaeda, which is a powerful force in parts of Yemen.

The Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese's latest movie about

bankers and brokers The Wolf Of Wall Street is out in cinemas. And it has

already been criticised for revelling in the corruption and

debauchery of its main characters. Martin Scorsese told the BBC's

Stephen Smith why he appears to have let the bankers off lightly.

This is the greatest company in the world. Martin Scorsese's new film is

the true story of a New York broker who made a fortune selling worthless

stock. I was making so much money I did not know what to do. And he

lived high on the proceeds. Some have called this a black farce, the

director's best film. For others, it is a little too rollicking. We did

not try to judge their world and the people. We think, I have seen that

so often. Very often a story about that, a plate, novel, film, where

you know the author is commented on the action and condemning it or

criticising it, sometimes, especially in certain films, it

makes the audience feel they have done their job. It is over to us to

do the moral heavy lifting? And to make it more complicated. It is a

very American story, about the pursuit of happiness, or at least

greenbacks, preferably laundered through Switzerland. What about her

family? They will have Swiss passports. She has parents, a

brother, a wife, children. They are all Swiss. America is represented as

a place of opportunity. I was able to take advantage of that. I don't

recall it being a case where the main thing was only to get rich.

Only. I have a couple of milk coming in a week. Come pick it up if I give

you a call. Give me a call? When it gets here, I will give you a call to

pick it up. We don't work for you. You have my money taped onto you,

technically you do. Bankers, some of them, brokers, are they the new bank

-- gangsters? It seems easy to say politicians and bankers are all

gangsters. How shall I put it? Power, it's about power. For power,

it can corrupt. Just to update you on our breaking

news, the Central African Republic interim president has resigned after

weeks of religious clashes. Michel Djotodia has stepped down amid huge

criticism of increasing violence. Thank you for being with