:00:00. > :00:13.Hello, this is BBC World News. The top stories.
:00:14. > :00:19.Both sides in South Sudan accused of atrocities as the United Nations
:00:20. > :00:24.says Bentiu has been abandoned. It is simply wiped out, it has not
:00:25. > :00:28.only been looted, it has been burned.
:00:29. > :00:32.The Syrian government asks Russia to organise a suspension of hostilities
:00:33. > :00:36.in Aleppo and says it is ready for a cease-fire.
:00:37. > :00:39.Barack Obama prepares to announce changes to intelligence gathering as
:00:40. > :00:44.leaks say the National Security Agency collect 200 million text
:00:45. > :00:49.messages every day. Also, the Sundance Film Festival
:00:50. > :00:51.opens in Utah, over 100 independent films been shown over the next ten
:00:52. > :01:13.days. Hello, the United Nations says it
:01:14. > :01:18.has evidence that both sides in the conflict in the world's newest
:01:19. > :01:22.state, South Sudan, are committing atrocities. Two of its biggest
:01:23. > :01:26.cities are being described as ghost towns. Talks to bring an end to the
:01:27. > :01:32.conflict have reached deadlock. Fighting broke out a month ago when
:01:33. > :01:37.this man, Salva Kiir, accused his former deputy, Riek Machar, of
:01:38. > :01:41.plotting a coup, charges he denies. The United Nations says at least
:01:42. > :01:45.1000 people have been killed, other estimates put the figure much
:01:46. > :01:49.higher. Tens of thousands at least have been displaced. The disputes
:01:50. > :01:53.have seen killing is largely a long ethnic lines. Salva Kiir is a member
:01:54. > :02:00.of the Tinker community, the largest grouping, Riek Machar is from the
:02:01. > :02:12.Nuer ethnic group. The UN has been gathering evidence for a report, to
:02:13. > :02:16.go to the Security Council. I was told what they had seen in some of
:02:17. > :02:22.these towns of. It is appalling. Bor looks like a
:02:23. > :02:29.ghost town. There is almost no activity, except for the military.
:02:30. > :02:37.However, Bentiu is far worse. It is wiped out. It has not only been
:02:38. > :02:41.looted, it has been burned. There are a couple of houses standing,
:02:42. > :02:50.such as a hospital. When going through Bentiu, just following the
:02:51. > :02:56.main road, we have identified between 15 and 20 decomposing
:02:57. > :03:05.bodies. What sort of atrocities do you believe are being committed, and
:03:06. > :03:10.by whom? NTU was a town when there was a change of control. It is
:03:11. > :03:15.likely that both sides have been involved in at least some
:03:16. > :03:19.atrocities. I have also had the opportunity to talk to displaced
:03:20. > :03:25.people belonging to different ethnic communities. What is striking is
:03:26. > :03:33.that their narratives are completely different. Each of them blaming the
:03:34. > :03:37.other side to be involved in atrocities against civilians, which
:03:38. > :03:42.makes it clear, without impartial and objective fact-finding, it is
:03:43. > :03:47.impossible to reconcile the communities. I have also seen
:03:48. > :03:53.reports that African mercenaries are involved, there are many different
:03:54. > :03:58.potential groups of militias or fighting forces. What chance is
:03:59. > :04:09.there of getting some sort of deal to bring this to a close? The
:04:10. > :04:13.priority is to get a cease-fire, which will not be easy, because
:04:14. > :04:20.there are myriad groups involved. For a cease-fire to evolve into
:04:21. > :04:28.sustainable peace, more is needed. Just as it was the case in the
:04:29. > :04:32.conflict in 1991, involving similar actors, it is essential to have the
:04:33. > :04:39.elders and religious leaders involved in peacemaking. But who
:04:40. > :04:43.needs to do what? Earlier, there was talk about possible release of a
:04:44. > :04:51.certain number of hostages, that did not take place, who did you think
:04:52. > :04:58.needs to take the lead? It is important that the two sides
:04:59. > :05:06.continue their dialogue. But also, that international envoys, who are
:05:07. > :05:09.there, and who I was able to meet, influence the two sides to achieve
:05:10. > :05:15.some sort of basic agreement on cease-fire. The fewer conditions,
:05:16. > :05:23.the better. Then, the dialogue should continue. The trouble is that
:05:24. > :05:28.as this dialogue goes on, it has been running for weeks, you have
:05:29. > :05:39.seen the effects, you have seen Ben and who. Today, I had the
:05:40. > :05:44.opportunity to talk to the President's legal adviser, who is
:05:45. > :05:50.influential, he said that although the government was quite firm that
:05:51. > :06:02.there could not be the release of 11 people who were detained for alleged
:06:03. > :06:08.crimes, the 11th VIPs, when the investigation is over, it is on the
:06:09. > :06:14.president to decide whether they could be released or whether legal
:06:15. > :06:16.proceedings will continue. I have the impression that the
:06:17. > :06:23.investigation could be completed quite seem, within a week or two.
:06:24. > :06:27.Reports coming from Lebanon say at least seven people have died and
:06:28. > :06:32.another 15 have been wounded by rocket fire coming from Syria. The
:06:33. > :06:36.Lebanese National News agency said one rocket hit the border town of
:06:37. > :06:42.Aarsal, the local security sources say at least seven rockets in all
:06:43. > :06:46.hit the area. After nearly three years of conflict
:06:47. > :06:49.in the country, President Assad's government have said it is prepared
:06:50. > :06:53.to agree a cease-fire with the Rebels. It is asking Russia to
:06:54. > :06:58.organise a suspension of hostilities in the largest city, Aleppo. The
:06:59. > :07:01.move comes after a meeting between the Foreign Minister, why lead,
:07:02. > :07:04.well, and his Russian counterpart. Next week, a major news conference
:07:05. > :07:26.on Syria is due to get under way. Can I ask you about these rocket
:07:27. > :07:30.attacks and the extent of them? It is quite a big attack, there is no
:07:31. > :07:35.doubt about that, but there is doubt about the source of the attack. Many
:07:36. > :07:43.say it came from across the border, from Syrian territory. I spoke to
:07:44. > :07:48.one Syrian refugee, and he said, yes, they came from Syrian
:07:49. > :07:53.territory, but local officials in Aarsal said that the rocket came
:07:54. > :08:04.from Lebanese areas, areas under the control of Hezbollah. So, there is
:08:05. > :08:10.still a lot of ambiguity about exactly where the rocket came from.
:08:11. > :08:15.As for the slightly bigger picture, this supposed offer coming from the
:08:16. > :08:20.President Assad regime, seeking some sort of cease-fire or cessation of
:08:21. > :08:29.hostilities, how is that going to be received by Rebels? The opposition,
:08:30. > :08:35.both political and military, is in disarray at the moment. The
:08:36. > :08:39.political opposition, based in Istanbul, is struggling to decide
:08:40. > :08:46.whether to go to Geneva or not. The peace conference is scheduled for
:08:47. > :08:49.the 22nd. They are under intense pressure from Western countries to
:08:50. > :08:55.attend, and even more pressure from events on the ground not to attend.
:08:56. > :09:01.On the other hand, the military opposition, the Rebels inside Syria,
:09:02. > :09:04.many of them will not recognise the coalition, almost all of them are
:09:05. > :09:10.dead set against any Geneva process that does not explicitly include
:09:11. > :09:14.some kind of clear timetable for the removal of President Assad from
:09:15. > :09:24.power, and they are fighting each other, they have been for quite a
:09:25. > :09:30.while, clashes between the factions. All of this opposition disarray on
:09:31. > :09:34.one hand, and the regime wants to capitalise on its military
:09:35. > :09:39.advantages, and resent a united front and act as one unit. --
:09:40. > :09:43.present a united front. What the Foreign Minister said will add to
:09:44. > :09:50.the disarray of the opposition, without having much effect on the
:09:51. > :09:54.ground. In the United States, up to 200
:09:55. > :09:58.million texts are collected and stored every day by the National
:09:59. > :10:01.Security Agency. This is the latest revelation coming from leaked
:10:02. > :10:06.documents by the former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. It
:10:07. > :10:11.emerges on the same day that Barack Obama is due to announce changes in
:10:12. > :10:14.the way intelligence agencies will collect and store information. That
:10:15. > :10:20.includes e-mails and phone calls around the world.
:10:21. > :10:23.How much is the government watching? That is the question many
:10:24. > :10:26.Americans have been asking since top-secret files were licked,
:10:27. > :10:34.revealing the extent of surveillance by the NSA. The thorniest question
:10:35. > :10:37.facing Barack Obama, with the intelligence services should still
:10:38. > :10:43.have unhindered access to the phone records of millions of Americans.
:10:44. > :10:46.When the government collect this information, there has never been a
:10:47. > :10:54.time in history where it has not accused that collection and that
:10:55. > :11:00.database for political purposes. Do we want to live in a surveillance
:11:01. > :11:03.state? The president also have to placate foreign allies. Many were
:11:04. > :11:06.less than impressed that leaders like Angela Merkel were being
:11:07. > :11:11.booked. But some people are born in that now is not the time to cook
:11:12. > :11:16.back on intelligence gathering. We are not passed the point where we
:11:17. > :11:24.have to worry about the phenomenon that led to those attacks on 911. We
:11:25. > :11:29.look now at the terrorist movement, it probably has a large area for
:11:30. > :11:33.safe haven and operational planning and it has had in a decade. This is
:11:34. > :11:38.the first time the American government has considered rolling
:11:39. > :11:42.back surveillance since September the 11th, and Barack Obama has to
:11:43. > :11:46.reassure the Americans that their privacy will not be invaded, but
:11:47. > :11:51.also that security agencies have the powers they need to keep the country
:11:52. > :11:57.safe. An explosion at a gathering of
:11:58. > :12:02.anti-government protesters in Bangkok has injured at least 28
:12:03. > :12:06.people. The man who has organised the demonstrations was there but is
:12:07. > :12:11.not thought to have been heard. I was speaking to our correspondent a
:12:12. > :12:16.short time ago, who gave me more detail on what had happened.
:12:17. > :12:21.It was quite a bold attack, the protesters have been throughout this
:12:22. > :12:26.week moving rallies around the central streets, quite close to
:12:27. > :12:31.where I am, their leader, who is inspirational, has usually been at
:12:32. > :12:36.the head of the rallies, this is the attempted shutdown of the city, he
:12:37. > :12:42.was moving about a kilometre or so to the left of me when somebody
:12:43. > :12:48.through what appears to be a grenade into the rally. It was a short
:12:49. > :12:52.distance away from him. He was unhurt, a number of people were hit
:12:53. > :12:56.by shrapnel. There was another confrontation just north of the
:12:57. > :12:59.city, protesters had surrounded a government building. These are bold
:13:00. > :13:05.attacks, suggesting a worrying trend. We have had night-time
:13:06. > :13:09.shootings, and there has been violence on both sides. Earlier this
:13:10. > :13:12.week, a group of undercover policemen were captured by the
:13:13. > :13:17.guards and held for several hours and tortured -and badly beaten and
:13:18. > :13:22.hospitalised. These levels of violence are growing because of the
:13:23. > :13:26.impasse, the protesters still hold these streets, the government is
:13:27. > :13:30.still pushing ahead with its plans for the election, it says it has no
:13:31. > :13:34.other option, and the two sides are growing increasingly tense, there
:13:35. > :13:40.are hardline groups on both sides who are willing to escalate it. This
:13:41. > :13:43.appears to be attacked on the protest leader, although they missed
:13:44. > :13:49.him this time. Stay with us, coming up in a moment,
:13:50. > :13:52.the French president faces further questions about his private life
:13:53. > :13:58.after more details of his alleged affair hit the newsstands.
:13:59. > :14:02.And, more stream weather at the Australian open, but plenty of
:14:03. > :14:09.tennis as well. We will have the winners and losers for you.
:14:10. > :14:14.Home-grown vigilantes in Mexico are taking the law into their own hands
:14:15. > :14:18.to wrest control of their local area from powerful drugs cartels. Armed
:14:19. > :14:26.groups are taking control of large areas of the state of Mikko account.
:14:27. > :14:30.Welcome. The entrance to the village still bears the scars of the
:14:31. > :14:35.fighting between the vigilantes and the Knights Templar. The vigilantes
:14:36. > :14:40.one. They wrestle back control of its streets and pastures from the
:14:41. > :14:43.drug cartel and are now the new authorities in town. But their
:14:44. > :14:48.leaders insist they have no intention of taking on the role of
:14:49. > :14:55.the state on a permanent basis. TRANSLATION: When all of this is
:14:56. > :15:01.over, we are going to return to our communities and our normal lives. It
:15:02. > :15:04.so much uncertainty, the entire village has turned out to find out
:15:05. > :15:08.what the change in power will mean for them. There is far from
:15:09. > :15:16.universal support for the self defence forces. They are so tired of
:15:17. > :15:18.its people paying for the extortion of drug cartels that they are
:15:19. > :15:29.supporting the movement at this stage. Despite their popular
:15:30. > :15:33.backing, most people in Michoacan agree that relying on armed militias
:15:34. > :15:39.is no way to run a functioning state, but years of brutal rule by
:15:40. > :15:44.drugs gangs has left many public institutions in tatters, corrupted
:15:45. > :15:52.and compromised. Now the church is entering the fray. The church has
:15:53. > :15:57.called Michoacan a failed state in the past and the bishop has
:15:58. > :16:01.published an open letter. TRANSLATION: Often we cannot find
:16:02. > :16:05.any guarantee among our local authorities because they are
:16:06. > :16:09.compromised by the enemies of peace. The government resents the
:16:10. > :16:17.implication that Michoacan has spiralled out of control.
:16:18. > :16:23.TRANSLATION: The government is stable. I do not share this point of
:16:24. > :16:28.view that the state has been lost. For most ordinary people, it is
:16:29. > :16:32.academic whether Michoacan has become a failed state or not, as
:16:33. > :16:45.normal life is suspended amid the chaos, they know if it is not won
:16:46. > :16:51.yet, it is perilously close. You are watching BBC World News. The
:16:52. > :16:56.latest headlines: The Army and rebels in South Sudan have both been
:16:57. > :16:59.accused of a the Tees by the UN, with the urban centres of Bor and
:17:00. > :17:01.Bentiu being described as ghost towns.
:17:02. > :17:04.The Syrian government has asked Russia to organise a suspension of
:17:05. > :17:12.hostilities in Aleppo, and has also said that it's ready for a
:17:13. > :17:15.cease-fire with rebel fighters. If the French President Francois
:17:16. > :17:18.Hollande had hoped the fuss about his private life might have died
:17:19. > :17:22.down by now, he'll be disappointed this morning. The magazine which
:17:23. > :17:25.broke the story of his alleged affair with an actress nearly 20
:17:26. > :17:29.years his junior, has published more details. It claims his relationship
:17:30. > :17:33.with the actress Julie Gayet may have been going on for up to two
:17:34. > :17:37.years. So, what do French voters make of the scandal? Chris Morris
:17:38. > :17:43.has been to the town of Tulle in Southern France, where Francois
:17:44. > :17:49.Hollande's career began. The rhythm of life in Tulle has
:17:50. > :17:53.barely been disturbed by Francois Hollande and's domestic dramas. In
:17:54. > :17:58.the town where he forged his political career, this is the last
:17:59. > :18:01.factory in France which makes handcrafted accordions. Attention to
:18:02. > :18:07.detail is everything and that is what they want from the man at the
:18:08. > :18:11.top, fix for an economy in trouble. TRANSLATION: France has got an
:18:12. > :18:17.obvious problem, it is not competitive enough. I have no doubt
:18:18. > :18:20.the president wants to improve the economic situation but this is a
:18:21. > :18:26.complicated world and he cannot just do what he wants. At a restaurant in
:18:27. > :18:32.the centre of town, a shrine of sorts, the table where Francois
:18:33. > :18:38.Hollande sat down for a meal on the eve of his electro and -- election
:18:39. > :18:42.victory two years ago. Now he has announced a plan of economic
:18:43. > :18:50.reforms, cutting taxes on business and reducing the size of the state.
:18:51. > :18:53.TRANSLATION: It is not the President's personal life that
:18:54. > :18:57.matters, it is all about the economy. I like what he is
:18:58. > :19:03.proposing, reducing the cost of Labour. I hope it happens soon. On
:19:04. > :19:07.election night, they turned out in their thousands to greet him here,
:19:08. > :19:11.to greet him when he won with Valerie Trierweiler by his side.
:19:12. > :19:17.Things have changed but in Tulle they still believe. TRANSLATION:
:19:18. > :19:21.There was massive euphoria that night because we have known the man
:19:22. > :19:25.for years and he is still popular here, he has still got support. But
:19:26. > :19:31.in the end it is about whether he can deliver for the good of the
:19:32. > :19:35.country. The view from Tulle is broadly echoed right across France.
:19:36. > :19:39.The economy is the issue on which Francois Hollande's presidency will
:19:40. > :19:43.be judged. The challenge for the president is as we have seen
:19:44. > :19:47.elsewhere in Europe, reform hurts. If France really wants to realign
:19:48. > :19:53.its economy more closely with Germany, then living standards here
:19:54. > :19:56.are probably going to have to fall. Even in a town where Francois
:19:57. > :20:03.Hollande remains a famous son, that will not be popular.
:20:04. > :20:06.Thousands of Ukrainians have gathered in central Kiev to protest
:20:07. > :20:10.against new laws aimed at cracking down on anti-government
:20:11. > :20:14.demonstrations. Ukraine's parliament has passed eleven new laws that, if
:20:15. > :20:21.broken, come with heavy fines or prison time. The ban includes a
:20:22. > :20:26.measure against setting up tents in public areas and blocking buildings.
:20:27. > :20:29.It's been another day of extreme weather at the Australian Open
:20:30. > :20:34.tennis in Melbourne, which has seen temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius,
:20:35. > :20:36.but also play delayed by rain. Men's defending champion Novak Djokovic
:20:37. > :20:41.began his match against Dennis Istomin a short time ago. While the
:20:42. > :20:44.women's top seed Serena Williams has achieved another record in her
:20:45. > :20:48.illustrious career, as Rob Heath reports.
:20:49. > :20:52.As the heatwave continues in Melbourne, young fans are coming up
:20:53. > :20:58.with more innovative ways to stay cool. Among the record temperatures
:20:59. > :21:06.came a new record on court. Women's top seed Serena Williams winning her
:21:07. > :21:14.61st match at the Australian open, beating Daniela Hantuchova in
:21:15. > :21:19.straight sets. In sports I am old, but for whatever reason I feel I was
:21:20. > :21:22.never able to reach my full potential and I feel like recently I
:21:23. > :21:30.have been able to do a little better. I have to keep trying to
:21:31. > :21:34.improve on everything. Last year's runner-up Li Na found things more
:21:35. > :21:38.difficult. The fourth seed had to save match point in a gruelling
:21:39. > :21:45.contest against Lucie Safarova before finally advancing over 2.5
:21:46. > :21:49.hours. The heat proved too much for her Chinese compatriots who had her
:21:50. > :22:05.blood pressure checked and suffering a dizzy spell. Ninth seed Angelique
:22:06. > :22:14.Kerber reached the third round. In the men's draw, David Ferrer is yet
:22:15. > :22:23.to drop a set. He beat Jeremy Chardy France. David Ferrer has reached the
:22:24. > :22:31.final of the grand slam -- every grand slam.
:22:32. > :22:35.The Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips has given birth to a baby
:22:36. > :22:40.girl at Gloucestershire Royal hospital. Her husband, the former
:22:41. > :22:49.England rugby international Mike Tindall was present at the birth.
:22:50. > :22:53.The child is the 16th in line to the British throne.
:22:54. > :22:56.In Park City in Utah the Sundance Film Festival, the world famous
:22:57. > :23:00.showcase for independent cinema, has just got underway. Over the next ten
:23:01. > :23:05.days, some 120 independently produced features will be screened.
:23:06. > :23:08.The festival, which is currently marking its 30th anniversary, is
:23:09. > :23:18.seen as an antidote to commercial Hollywood cinema. Tom Brook reports.
:23:19. > :23:21.The Sundance Film Festival is now officially underway. For its founder
:23:22. > :23:28.Robert Redford, independents and Amar is just as important as ever.
:23:29. > :23:37.-- independent cinema is just as important as ever. Our job and our
:23:38. > :23:42.role is to create space for independent films. But they won got
:23:43. > :23:49.off for a disappointing start. He had been expected to get an
:23:50. > :23:55.Oscar-nominated for his widely praised performance for a man lost
:23:56. > :24:00.at sea. Would it have been wonderful to have been nominated? Of course.
:24:01. > :24:09.But I am not disturbed by it or upset by it. I am really happy about
:24:10. > :24:13.it and I will stay happy about it. The Green Prince is one of the
:24:14. > :24:19.opening day attractions. It tells the story of a Palestinian man who
:24:20. > :24:26.became an Israeli spy. When I went to visit my mum, she said the
:24:27. > :24:29.Israeli forces came to my house. What is compelling is it is a true
:24:30. > :24:34.story and it is remarkable and he is willing to tell it. You hear about
:24:35. > :24:38.these things going on but this is a person who is actually telling you
:24:39. > :24:44.the story and he recreates its you go through it in a really dramatic
:24:45. > :24:49.way. Also getting its share of opening
:24:50. > :24:56.day in exposure was Lilting, a British made film, the story of a
:24:57. > :25:05.Chinese woman mourning the loss of her gay son. He was my life. For the
:25:06. > :25:12.director having his film show at Sundance was a big deal. You do not
:25:13. > :25:22.dare to say it, it is phenomenal. I hope that maybe Lilting can have a
:25:23. > :25:26.life. With the Cambodian director, Chinese leading lady and British
:25:27. > :25:35.man, it is a good example of the Cross cultural film that Sundance
:25:36. > :25:39.embraces. The Oscar-nominated may have eluded 77-year-old Robert
:25:40. > :25:43.Redford but in the past he has implied that it is Sundance which
:25:44. > :25:47.has been particularly important for his career because it serves as a
:25:48. > :25:52.platform for cinema which raises a host of social issues which he
:25:53. > :25:58.believes are important. I want to show you this picture
:25:59. > :26:04.which takes you back to 1974. The Second World War had been over for
:26:05. > :26:11.29 years but only now does a Japanese soldier finally surrender.
:26:12. > :26:18.It has been announced today that Hiroo Onoda has died in Tokyo aged
:26:19. > :26:23.91. He and a small group of troops were cut off on the Philippine
:26:24. > :26:28.island of Lubang but he had his orders, do not surrender and do not
:26:29. > :26:33.take your own life. For the best part of 30 years he stuck to that
:26:34. > :26:38.until his former commanding officer was flown in to rescind his orders
:26:39. > :26:44.in person in 1974. He was in a tattered army uniform by this time.
:26:45. > :26:48.He saluted the Japanese flag, handed over his samurai sword and came back
:26:49. > :26:56.to Japan where he was treated as a hero and a celebrity. At the age of
:26:57. > :27:00.91 he has died. That is it for now on the BBC. Thank you for watching.