27/01/2014 BBC World News

Welcome to BBC World News. Our top story. Syria's peace talks face

tough questions but there is new hope for women and children trapped

by the fighting. Australian police are searching for missing boy

attacked by crocodile whilst swimming. Ukraine's Justice Minister

threatens to declare a state of emergency. With ministries following

in other cities across the country, it seems that the protests are

spreading and not being contained. The robots would like to thank...

And Daf punk get lucky. They are the big winners at the Grammys. -- Daft

Punk. The talks on Syria today look and

one of the toughest questions, the potential transfer of power in a

country at war. Over the weekend, there have been some development in

Geneva. The Syrian government says it will allow women and children to

leave the old city of Homs. Homs is the third-largest city in Syria and

it has played a central role in the uprising. But it is now largely

controlled by government forces. The battle is focused on the old city,

where hundreds of civilians are believed to be trapped. In October,

activists reported severe food and energy shortages in the region. 9.3

million in Syria need humanitarian aid, and a quarter of them are in

areas where access is restricted. The people trapped inside Homs. No

one can get out. -- there are people. We have at least 4000

innocent civilians in the besieged area. Most of them need to be

immediately evacuated. At 600 days in a row, under siege, there has

been no food. Last week, we lost two innocent people, who died because of

the black of food. Our correspondent is in Geneva. -- the lack of food.

Has there been any development? No development yet. We're waiting, and

the convoy of aid is waiting outside. The opposition says that it

cannot... The food convoy should arrive in the cities on the families

who want to leave should have the liberty to decide whether they want

to leave the city or not. They want aid in and not evacuation. On the

broader question, what will happen today? There is a question of

transition of power, something that the Syrian government is not

accepting. Indeed. And the morning meeting is still ongoing between the

two sites. The main topic on the agenda is the forming of the

transitional governing body and the issue of the dispute between the two

sides. But before moving on with this issue, the main concept of the

Geneva communique, endorsed last year, everybody here including the

diplomats and the UN are counting on the government to respond at least

to the humanitarian aid. And then to the release of prisoners. Today,

there is a big question, as if no food convoy is allowed in, that is

not a good sign for the talks to move on. But if the government is

not accepting the original starting point of this idea, what are we

likely to see. What a leveraged to people have? -- was leveraged do

people have? The important thing is what is happening behind the scenes

and the diplomacy that is being played at. Mostly by Russia,

Syria's main ally. They have been pushing for the fermentation of the

first Geneva Communique. Russia is facing the international community,

if the government does not deliver the simplest request of allowing

humanitarian aid. We hear that the opposition are meeting today, in a

last day of waiting, to see the escalation of pressure on Russia to

deliver something will work. In Australia, police are searching

for a 12-year-old boy missing after a crocodile attacked a group of

children in a waterfall. Rangers are hunting for the animal in the Kakadu

National Park in the Northern Territory.

The missing boy is from the small aboriginal community here, west of

the mining town of jackaroo. It is thought that he was snatched by a

saltwater crocodile. Moments earlier, it mauled another

12-year-old. He suffered bite wounds as he fought off the reptile and

managed to escape. There has been no sign of his friend. He had been

swimming in a waterfall in the Kakadu National Park east of Darwin.

Boats have been scouring the area and armed Rangers brought in to

track down the crocodile. We have continued the search last night. In

the early hours, we located two crocodiles, one three metres, and

one of them was 4.7 metres. Both of them were shot and removed from the

area. We looked at both crocodiles and neither of them had anything in

their stomachs. Crocodile attacks in Australia are but when they occur,

they are swift and ferocious. The world's largest reptile is an

aggressive predator and is described by scientists as simply a killing,

eating machine. In Australia, they are a protected species and have

been since hunting was outlawed in the 1970s. Since then, numbers have

increased sharply. That makes swimming in waterways in the

tropical north from with danger. The US military is carried out a

strike in Somalia, targeting a suspected militant leader with ties

to Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab. The strike was aimed at a vehicle in a

remote area of southern Somalia, near a militant stronghold. Our

correspondent is in Nairobi. What we know so far is what we have

had from the residents of the area. The people have been telling us that

a senior Al-Shabaab militant was killed in the attack. The Americans

have not confirmed that and they have not said what the target was,

or if they have got their target. But locals tell us that the man's

driver was killed. He is one of the senior Al-Shabaab figures, a member

of the intelligence committee within the group. He is closely linked with

the leader of the group in Somalia. This is not the first time the

Americans have taken action in Somalia. It is not. It is not the

first time Americans have staged an attack inside Somalia. There was an

attack in Kenya as well in which nearly 70 people were killed. The

Americans have since intensified their attacks. A senior member of

the team that attacked the Kenyan mall was targeted and since then,

American officials have said that they have sent several advisers to

help the African Union mission, to help them fight the Al-Shabaab

group, who have been staging attacks in Somalia.

Ukraine's justice minister has warned anti-government ministers

that she will call for a state of emergency if they do not leave.

These are some of the live pictures coming through where demonstrators

have been camped out in the central square. Some protesters have seized

the justice ministry building, setting up barricades with bags of

snow. Unrest is spreading with activists taking over buildings in

several cities. Matthew Price sent this report. Yet

another ministry has been barricaded up. These are bits of furniture

pushed against the walls. At the Ministry of Justice, of all places.

And heading back through, there is a kiosk here, which is where the keys

are capped. And the workers have not turned up today. Those are the

office keys, all still walked up. There are some stickers here from

this group, basically saying, we're not going anywhere, we are staying

put and other president resigned. The problem is, it is hard to see

that happening. There is a crucial vote on Tuesday at which they are

going to discuss this crisis, but with ministries following, and also

the front doors locked up. -- and those are the front doors. With

ministries following and other cities experiencing problems, it

seems that the process is spreading and not being contained.

Turkey is in the grips of a political power struggle which is

shaking the nation. Corruption investigations and allegations have

forced ministers to resign and hundreds of members of the police

and judiciary purged from office. The Prime Minister has blamed

one-man of being behind the attack. The Telugu and has lived in

self-imposed exile in the United States since the 90s. -- Fethullah

Gulen. He leads an Islamic movement called Hizmet, which attracts

millions of followers beyond Turkey. He has given his first broadcast

interview in 16 years to the BBC. He is one of the most powerful men

in Turkey but he does not live in Istanbul. Rather, this Islamic

cleric lives in small-town Pennsylvania. In almost total

seclusion. Fethullah Gulen has been widely reported to have ordered his

followers to pursue investigations into corruption at the top of the

government. It was not me, he said, it was just the officials doing

their job. TRANSLATION: Be investigating prosecutors and police

do not know that these misdeeds were no longer considered crimes and

paper should this matter. This made the government unhappy, and as a

result, they are talking about these officials being a state within a

state. The Turkish Prime Minister, Erdogan, used to be seen as an ally

but more recently he has attempted to control the influence of

Fethullah Gulen's movement, ordering the closure of the school network

and sacking police officers deemed to be behind him. Fethullah Gulen

has made enemies in the Turkish establishment before. He came to the

US in the 90s at was charged with crimes against the state will stop

judges he was later cleared of. As we have found, from the scale of

this estate, the movement that he now heads leverage is enormous money

and influence. -- charges he was later cleared of. This is why this

struggle matters. If the Prime Minister succeeds in shutting out or

co-opting the Fethullah Gulen movement, there is no other social,

political or economic security force in Turkey that he will mod have

control over, and that drives a dagger through the heart of the

rollers. On the other hand, says the ambassador, if the man who lives in

these private quarters fends off the premise to, there could be a danger

to democracy in an unelected man outside the country dictating

terms. -- fends off the banister. Would he support in the elections?

If I say something, it will be this. Vote for whoever stands for the rule

of law, for whoever is respectful of democracy. Everyone sees what is

going on. Fethullah Gulen is a frail man, we have to stop twice during

the interview so that he could have his blood pressure taken. But his

word, from even 8000 kph way, as the power to shape the political

landscape. -- 8000 kilometres away. Still to come, a ringing

endorsement. The president of the World Bank held the BBC that he is

optimistic about Myanmar's future. Monday is Holocaust Rememberance

Day, and ceremonies will be held to remember the victims of the Nazi

Holocaust during the Second World War. 6 million Jews, 2 million Roma

and thousands of other people were killed in Nazi death camps. There

are now fears that anti-Semitism is on the rise. A recent survey of 6000

Jewish people found that a third had faced physical or verbal abuse.

The issue of anti-Semitism in Germany is different from in other

countries. This synagogue was attacked exactly 75 years ago by the

Nazis. Having said that, Jews are migrating to Germany, including from

Israel. The Jewish community in Berlin is 10,000 strong, and people

don't tend to migrate to countries where they feel hostility. Leaders

of the Jewish community here say that the government of Germany is

absolutely strong on sending the message that anti-Semitism is

completely unacceptable. I think Germany is doing a lot to teach

about Judaism and to fight anti-Semitism. If it is ever going

to be enough is a big question. I see a lot of activities and a lot of

sensibility towards the topic, though. On the latest figures, for a

full year, there were 27 violent attacks on Jews in the whole of

Germany. That's compared with 16 violent attacks the previous year.

So anti-Semitism is rising. Jewish leaders say that the nature of

anti-Semitism seems to be changing. It isn't now just German neo-Nazis.

There are also verbal attacks, in particular, from people of Middle

Eastern background. China's transport system is reported

to be close to full capacity, as hundreds of millions of people start

their journeys ahead of the Spring Festival. Tickets for trains in many

areas have sold out, even with extra rolling stock being made available.

More than 3.5 billion journeys are expected to be made over the holiday

period, the largest human migration to be held on record.

This is BBC World News. The latest headlines: Opposing sides in the

Syrian conflict continue talks, as they and approach the divisive issue

of transfer of power. Australian police are searching for

crocodile which attacked a 12-year-old boy on Sunday. He is

still missing. The World Bank has announced plans

for a $2 billion development programme to help Myanmar. In an

exclusive interview -- interview for the BBC, the World Bank president

said he was optimistic that the country's reform process would

continue. Most of the money will be used for health care and energy

generation. Two Yang Guang's Golden Temple came

a man bearing gifts from afar. He is the first World Bank president ever

to come here. This is a ringing in Dawson for Myanmar's reforms. -- a

ringing endorsement. For years, the government here spent lest of its

government -- lest of its budget here on health than any other

government in the world. The neglect can be seen in this delivery room.

It belongs in a history book. Only the most basic care for having

babies is provided for free. If there is something else, your life

will depend on the generosity of others. Any fully trained doctor

himself, the World Bank president chose a hospital to announce a mix

of loans and grants would be made available to improve access to

health care, and $1 billion targeted at Myanmar's electricity supply.

Large amounts to sink into a country where further reform far from

guaranteed. We need to begin to show that if a country begins to commit

to reforms to the extent this government has, the local community

is prepared to come in and take action on reforms. If we come

together and provide this kind of support, it will create space for

the government to continue and expand reforms. Are there conditions

attached to this money, if the reforms don't continue? Could you

ask for your money back? We will continue to follow the progress as

we go. In terms of the investments in health care, we are committed to

those health care improvement. We will be working very closely with

the government. We will be in continuous conversation with the

government and we will continue touring Courage the reforms. Today,

I'm optimistic they will continue. A closer look at the figures shows

that money the government spends on health is continuing to rise, but

ministers are all too aware that Myanmar may not have a permanent

place in the global good books. Everybody knows this will not last

forever. One day, the window of opportunity will close. Before that

happens, we have to make the most of it. We have to build our capacity.

Myanmar's democratic rebirth is in its early days. Its prognosis is far

from certain. By putting serious money on the table, donors are

hoping to strengthen those who are pushing for still greater freedom.

The head of the Egyptian Armed Forces is being promoted to the

country's highest rank. Mr CC will step up from general to field

marshal. He is seen as the driving force behind the removal from office

of the Muslim Brotherhood president, Mohamed Moustaoui. -- Mohammed

Morsi. There is speculation in Egypt that he will present himself as a

candidate in the forthcoming election.

British Government officials are warning that more terrorist attacks

are likely to occur in Russia in the run-up to or jeering the Winter

Olympics. 88 countries will be competing at the Games in Sochi,

which will begin next week. An assessment says an Islamist group

from nearby Dagestan is the most serious threat. It is important to

distinguish between the threat that they think is taking place in Russia

generally, and the threat inside the actual venue of the Olympics, which

is harder to hit. The threat is coming from the emirate of Caucasus.

They are on a wall with President Putin. Their beef is not with

international athletes or the west, it is with Russia. People are being

warned against all travel to Chechnya and Dagestan, where the

threat is deemed to have come from. There are suicide bombers that the

Russians are continuing to hunt. They fear one of them may have got

inside the secure areas of the Sochi Olympics. It is a 35 kilometre by

100 kilometre ring of steel that they have. 45,000 security officers,

drones, speedboats, mobile phone intercepts... All sorts of measures.

Inside the Sochi venue itself, it is relatively safe, but what the

government assessment is is that it's very likely we will see attacks

possibly elsewhere in Russia, like Volgograd, which was the one in late

December that killed 35 people in a twin bombing, by groups attempting

to mar the Olympics. To be clear, this is from the British government.

They are not saying they think there is a risk within the venue? There is

always a risk anywhere. There was a risk to the British Olympics, but

nothing materialised. What they are saying is that the Winter Games will

take place against a backdrop of violence in the region, that means

the Caucasus region in southern Russia. Attacks are likely to occur

in Russia in the run-up to or during the Games. They will occur

irrespective of the event, particularly in the Dagestan region.

The biggest night in the music calendar, the Grammy Awards, has

taken place in Los Angeles. The French duo Daft Punk, along with

Macklemore and Brian Davies, where the big winners. -- Ryan Lewis. Paul

McCartney and Ringo Starr were given a lifetime award, and perform

together. Music royalty always make a big show

of it at the Grammys. Pink in red, Katy Perry in right. Dance music and

country sharing the same red carpet. It is the music industry's

Oscars. It is about awards, but also about putting on a great live show,

with some of music's biggest names. And it was a great show. Music's

power couple, Beyonce and Jay Z, singing together to open the night.

Then a show stopper from Katy Perry, being burnt at the stake. And Pink,

singing while performing a trapeze act, with a bit of audience

participation. As for the prizes, it was the night of the robots. Stevie

Wonder's sang with Daft Punk. The French duo one Best pop group,

record of the year and album of the year. Speaking for them, Pharrell

Williams, who picked up four Grammys, including best music

producer. And it was an amazing night format one Mac, a 17-year-old

New Zealander who won Song of the year for Royals, and best solo

performance. Then there was the much talked about reunion of Sir Paul

McCartney and Ringo Starr. A lifetime achievement award for the

Beatles, 50 years after they first played America, and best rock song

for support's Cut Me Some Slack. The best newcomers were Macklemore and

Ryan Lewis. We are gathered here to celebrate love and harmony. There

was a mass wedding to show Grammy support for same-sex weddings. Gay

and straight, old and young. Who else would be the wedding singer but

Madonna? That is some party. Before we go,

time to tell you about the Chinese and their space endeavours.

Scientists are saying they have tried to fix their moon rover

because it broke down. The six wheeled Jade Rabbitt suffered a

mechanical control abnormality, caused by the complicated lunar

surface. It is the first setback for China's ambitious space programme,

after several successful manned space