30/01/2014 BBC World News

Hello. This is BBC World News. Our top stories: Security forces

surround a government building in Baghdad after it was earlier stormed

by up to eight militants who've taken hostages.

Ukraine's embattled president Viktor Yanukovych goes on sick leave, with

the country's political crisis in stalemate.

A critical year for Afghanistan: the massive withdrawal of troops and

equipment is underway. We've a special report on the hopes and

fears of ordinary people in 2014. And the gay daughter of a wealthy

Hong Kong billionaire businessman makes a public plea to him. Stop

trying to find a man to marry me. The security forces in Baghdad have

sealed off a government building which was stormed by militants. Some

reports suggest that several members of staff are being held hostage in

the building, which is operated by Iraq's Ministry of Transport. It's

believed that the attack was mounted by up to eight armed men. Four are

known to have died, but it's not yet clear what's happened to the others.

In the latest development, four of the attackers have been killed by

security forces while for others remain surrounded in the building,

together with a number of the hostages -- four. The spokesperson

of the Ministry of interior is has said that all hostages had been

released, but this is not true as we have learned there are number of

civilian hostages who are still surrounded with the militants inside

the garage facility belonging to the ministry of transport. Is there a

need -- is there any indication about who is involved and why? There

has not been any announcement or declaration of responsibility as

yet, but as we know, the country is under the shadow of a severe crisis

in the province, where the government said a number of militant

groups, such as the Islamic state, and other Al-Qaeda affiliated groups

are very active in the provinces next to the western borders between

Iraq and Syria. So the obvious accusation would point towards these

people, but however there has not been any confirmation from either

side, the government, or the attackers, as do stands behind the

attack or indeed whether there has been any motive confirmed. After

weeks of protests on the streets of Kiev, the Ukrainian President Viktor

Yanukovych has gone on sick leave. His office says he has a high

temperature and a chest infection. On Wednesday, Ukraine's parliament

approved the latest of a series of concessions to demonstrators, an

amnesty for protestors. It will only happen if the barricades come down,

and if the protesters leave many of the buildings they've occupied.

President Yanukovych has yet to formally sign the bill into law. Our

correspondent Matthew Price has been out on the streets of Kiev gauging

reaction to that amnesty vote. This is the front line outside dynamo

Kiev football stadium. This is the area where several days ago

protesters battled for and essentially won it. They dug in

here. To give you a sense of the geography, parliament is over this

front line, just a few hundred metres behind the trees, and is

there that the amnesty bill went through. The political opposition

said they did not support it and it does not go far enough. Let's ask

around the front lines. Excuse me, the amnesty bill, does it go far

enough and do what you want? You don't accept it? No, not at all. The

president should go back to jail. You want the president to go to

prison? Well, that is the message. This is part of the weaponry. This

is a catapult that they can pull right back, and they put these in

them, cobblestones. Those of course could kill someone. The last few

days they have held off, but all they need is an order and they will

start it all up again if they feel they are not getting anywhere with

their demands. Under the amnesty law, the

protesters have to leave the front line, but they do not have to leave

this, the main Independence Square where they have been based for the

last two months. They have to get out of all of the buildings they

have occupied across Ukraine, apart from free. This is one of those

buildings. -- apart from three. This is one of them, and in here you get

a sense from -- of how organised this revolution is. A very broad

church of society. There are more middle-class people providing

supplies to sustain what is going on, not just the hardliners on the

front line. If you wander through here, you will get a sense of what

is happening. People have been donating drugs, so this is a sort of

hospital, a pharmacy, where the people on the front line come to get

fixed. You really get a sense in here that despite everything the

president is trying to do to change the situation, they are in it for

the long haul. Matthew Price in Kiev. Now to Afghanistan, 2014 is a

massive logistical challenge. Tens of thousands of troops must fly or

drive out. It is the same for hundreds and thousands of tonnes of

valuable military equipment like this, accumulated over 13 years of

conflict. The two preferred access routes are overland, from Pakistan

to the port city of Karachi for onward shipping by sea. But in the

past these border areas have been sealed by Pakistan during political

tension with NATO nations. The other option is to go to the north of

Afghanistan. They use a network of road and rail through Central Asia

to eventually reach the black and Baltic Seas but these are long and

time-consuming route and after a complex negotiation with the transit

countries it is difficult. The current US air bridgehead is Manas,

until it closes in July. This is an airport check line like

no other. After having small amounts of liquid is taken off them, like

any airport in the world, and making sure their pockets are empty and

sorting out all their kit, these soldiers come through and are

allowed to take weapons, unusually. That is as they head back to the

US. Some of these troops have been in Afghanistan for seven, eight,

nine months, as they finish their tour, then they spend a couple of

days here in Kyrgyzstan, as America draws down its forces in Afghanistan

at the end of its longest war. Related to Afghanistan, the RAF's

617 squadron, "The Dambusters", who 70 years ago helped turn the tide of

the Second World War with their daring raids over Germany, have

flown for the last time in Afghanistan before they disband. Our

defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt joined them in Kandahar just ahead

of their final flight. Soaring through the Afghans guys for one of

the final mission -- missions of the Dam Busters. This is one of their

Tornado jets being refuelled by an American tank whilst in the air. A

move that requires precision when travelling at 450 mph. This country

is a beautiful country. There are mountains, Greenlands, snowcapped

hills. In a day when the sun is shining, it's a beautiful place to

look at. The view from my office is one of the best in the world. Even

on the days when the weather is not nice, when things are going wrong

and it's becoming hard work, it's not about what we are doing, we are

supporting the guys on the ground who are in a far more vulnerable

position than we are. Day and night for the past four months, these

aviators have provided cover for NATO and Afghan troops. Now all of

the squadron will move on to new jobs with different squadrons. The

planes themselves will be handed on to the squadrons taking over from

617, but for many women and men in the Dam Busters it is in the end of

an era. It is the last time they will fly these tornadoes and

foremost, if not all of the squadron, it is their last tour of

Afghanistan. -- and for most of. Adam Crocs all is on his third tour

of Afghanistan. Home is now just days away -- Croxall. It's always

good to go home. I'll be happy. It would be good not to come back here

again. These fighter jets have been in service for some three decades.

Future runways are likely to be dominated by unmanned aircraft. But

not for a while. The 617 squadron will be back again when the UK's

newest fighter jets come back into service. Until then, they and

several other pilot it will continue to fly the Tornado jets, albeit with

another squadron. It's a poignant time. We are drawing to an end of

the Tornado era of the Dam Busters but there is a bright future. The

Dam Busters will reformat the end of the decade and 617 squadron will

reform with new aircraft. As the squadron says goodbye, there will be

sadness as they fly their separate ways. Formed for just one task in

1943, the Dam Busters have endured. One day, they will fly again.

And there's much more on the intrernational effort to counter the

Taliban and Al-Qaeda on our website at bbc.com/taliban. Stay with us on

BBC World News, still to come: the BBC obtained documents suggesting

British prosecutors asked Pakistan to trace two individuals suspected

of involvement in the murder of a Pakistani politician in the UK.

Chinese communities across the world prepare to mark the New Year. 2014

is the Year of the Horse and the BBC's Ali Moore has been finding out

how Singapore is getting ready to celebrate. The year of the horse.

You can't miss it. Here in Singapore's Chinatown, the horses

everywhere. 88 of them to be precise, galloping to prosperity

down the middle of the busiest road on the island. It was the year of

the snake, not so hard, snakes are small. The year of the Rabbit, the

rat, the monkey, but the horse, that's a whole different story. And

it is a challenge that fell, as it has the last 14 years, that fell to

Jennifer Lee. Am I right? Was this one of the toughest projects renew

year? The street lighting has always been a tough job for the Chinese New

Year festival, but as the year of the horse, the horse, as an animal,

that is something that the Chinese like. -- as for the year of the

wars. We think it is favourable to the Chinese because it is powerful

and it represents speed. Nobody minded 88 of them coming down the

street? The more the merrier. The theme is really about a thousand

horses galloping down Chinatown, so that is what we wanted to have for

it this year. How many hours of work involved? It took about 15,000 man

hours and we invited 55 craftsmen from China to come down to Singapore

and do the 88 horses on site, right in the heart of Chinatown. So what

does it take to design each of these horses as they galloped down the

street, leaving Bridges as they go? That was the job of a group of local

university students -- leaping bridges. Added to up with this

design? -- how did you come up with this design? The theme was galloping

to prosperity and we wanted to bring out the dynamism of the horse. We

thought that the quality of ribbons brought out that idea. Also we

wanted a lot of horses to be running along, so this idea of racing and

galloping towards success was the inspiration. Every year, organisers

face a nervous wait to find out what local businesses think of the

lights. Good decorations are good for prosperity.

This is BBC World News. The latest headlines: Security forces around a

government building in Baghdad, after it was stormed by up to eight

militants who have taken hostages. Up to 18 people have been killed.

Ukraine's embattled president is reportedly on sick leave. That is

with the country's political crisis in stalemate. Some news just in from

Michael Schumacher's manager saying that Michael Schumacher's sedation

in hospital, where he's in an induced coma, is being reduced to

allow the start of the week up process. She said it may take some

time. This communication has only come through once the process has

been consolidation. Now let's move on. The gay daughter of a wealthy

Hong Kong businessman has made a public plea to him to stop trying to

find a man to marry her. Gigi Chao has written an open letter to her

father, Cecil. He's been offering a cool $130 million dowry to any man

who could successfully woo his daughter. I spoke to Gigi while she

was celebrating Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, and asked her why she

decided to release the contents of her letter. I released this open

letter to daddy because I was receiving a lot of criticism for his

actions, for doubling the so-called dowry or bounty, or his attempts at

buying me a husband. It was attracting a lot of anger. Just

general negative comments from a lot of netizens on the world wide web. I

thought it appropriate for me to set the record straight and let the

world at large know more about our relationship and the strength of the

relationship we have, and how a lot of the misunderstanding really comes

from the differences of my father and I, the age and generations that

we come from. That was Gigi Chao. Documents obtained by the BBC's

Newsnight programme identify two men suspected of involvement of the

murder of a Pakistani politician here in London. Imran Farouq was a

senior official in the MQM political party. He was stabbed and bludgeoned

to death outside his home in North London in 2010. Owen Bennett Jones

reports. An office in Karachi, a college in east London and a murder

in Edgware. The British police are trying to work out possible

connections, and a Pakistani politician is complaining of police

harassment. Al Tuff Husein has lived in North London for over 20 years.

He has been accused of no -- numerous murder cases back home.

When he gives a speech down a telephone line to Karachi, thousands

gathered to listen. It is remote-control politics. As the MQM

leader, he is a hugely powerful figure in Karachi representing, he

says, the secular middle classes. And he's not happy with the

investigation into the murder of one of his party officials, Imran

Farouq. A senior MQM official, he was bludgeoned and stabbed to death

after walking to his home in September 2010. It has been a

massive investigation, more than 4000 people have been interviewed.

And for months now, Hussein has been complaining. MQM officials say they

want to cooperate with the murder enquiry but complain of police

harassment. The only person so far arrested in the case is Husein's

nephew, if Thakkar, who is now on police bail. He was arrested on

suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Police believe the case will be

unlocked in Pakistan. Officially, the police will neither confirm nor

deny that they have asked for Pakistani assistance in the case.

But Newsnight has learned that the UK Crown Prosecution Service has

formally requested that Pakistan give access to two suspects. And

documents obtained from Pakistan named them. The two men flew from

Pakistan to London. The first to come, sired, arrived in the UK in

February 2010. Khan Kamran came a few days before the killing. In the

evening of the murder they flew to Sri Lanka and then on to Karachi,

where the Pakistani authorities picked them up on the airport

tarmac. It is thought they are still being detained in Pakistan. But how

did they get to the UK? The two suspects were meant to be studying

at the London Academy of management sciences in east London. Documents

obtained by Newsnight say the visas were endorsed by a Karachi

businessman who was in regular contact with Husein's nephew

throughout 2010. The visas were then processed by an educational

consultant in Karachi. He told Newsnight he was not an agent of the

college and said he didn't know either of the suspects. The MQM

denies any link with the murder case. This murder of Imran Farouq,

it could be a small old mugging, or it could well be that it some

conspiracy hatched by our political enemies abroad. They are attempted

to slap the blame on us. As well as the murder enquiry, the UK

authorities have three MQM related investigations. One is into

Husein's speeches, and whether these statements amount to incitement.

Then there's the matter of barely half a million in cash found in Mr

Hussein's home and the party headquarters. UK bank accounts are

being closed down and there is an unpaid tax. MQM insiders admit they

face a massive back tax bill. The MQM is under real pressure now and

the question is whether the Pakistan government will give the British

access to the two suspects. Politically, Husein's supporters say

his power base is intact. But his opponents say his grip on Karachi is

loosening. Latest reports from Baghdad suggest the members of staff

are being held hostage in the garage building, which is operated by

Iraq's Ministry of transport, and that they have been freed. According

to Reuters, at least 18 people are known to have died, but it's not yet

clear what has happened to the others. It is operated by Iraq's

Ministry of transport, and that they have been freed. According to

Reuters, at least 18 people are known to have died, but it's not yet

clear what has happened to the others. It's believed the attackers

have been killed. Financial markets around the world have reacted

nervously to the latest move by the US Federal Reserve to wind down its

economic stimulus package. It has cut another $10 billion from its

operation to buy up bonds. Our correspondent has travelled from

small-town America to big-city Indonesia to find out how it could

affect businesses worldwide. January, on Merlin's Eastern Shore.

Like many other places in the United States, this still lies in an

economic deepfreeze. Kind of take one day at a time. Eugene Evans has

been building and repairing boats here for over 30 years. He's hanging

on but has had to let go of most of his workers. What the Fed has done

doesn't make optimistic. I don't really see anything that would

encourage me to go out and borrow extra money to do extra things, to

put extra people to work. I don't see absolutely nothing. This

small-town has everything we've come to expect since the financial

crisis. High unemployment, lots of home foreclosures, and empty main

street. But things have been bad here for a long time. We all know

it's been bad. We can see it, we see it on TV. But when you get down to

us, there was a joke you used to tell around here. If we had a

depression, it would take is ten years before we knew it because

we've been depressed for so long! That's our situation. That is a

situation that has caused the Fed to pump in cash for the past five

years. And now they are cutting back. Even though all of the

attention is on the Fed's tapering, or cutting back, its cash

injections, what matters for the fragile recovery is where interest

rates are headed. Managing that will be the Fed's biggest challenge. If

rates start to rise, people who are struggling could struggle more and

the recovery could be over just as it has begun. For the world economy

the Federal Reserve's actions are watched like no other, especially in

emerging markets such as Indonesia, which are specially vulnerable and

fragile. A measure of fragility is how comfortably a country can manage

its debt. And Indonesia has a lot of it. 4% of GDP is owed to foreign

creditors. With its currency at a five-year low, it now means that

burden is getting harder and harder to manage. The hard at work in this

plastic factory but this country is considered a member of the fragile

five, because it imports more than it exports, so it goes a lot more

than it earns. Still, the government is confident that no matter what the

Fed does, investors will still think they are worth the risk. Our

long-term growth is around 6.5%. While those in the US are around 3%.

In terms of growth, we are offering a better return. I believe the

improving global economy will improve confidence of global

investors to invest in a more risky country. The good times, cheap money

was always going to end. Emerging economies now need to convince

investors to stay put. Actress Scarlett Johansson has quit as an

ambassador for the NGO Oxfam after a row over her support for an Israeli

company. She is brand ambassador for SodaStream, which has a factory in

the occupied West Bank in the Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim. Oxfam

opposes trade from settlements, considered illegal under

international law, but that's something Israel disputes. The

actress's spokesman said she had a "fundamental difference of opinion"

with the humanitarian group. Researchers in Cambridge in Britain

believe they've made a breakthrough in developing a treatment for

children with severe peanut allergies. Scientists say the

success came after feeding their minute traces of peanut protein each

day. They stress this is an experimental treatment administered

in hospital. It must not be tried without medical supervision. More on

the condition of Michael Schumacher now. Doctors treating the seven time

Formula One world champion will begin lowering his sedation level.

That this in order to start the process to wake up. He has been an

artificially induced coma in a hospital in the eastern French city

of Grenoble for more than four weeks. That is after his skiing

accident off-piste in late September in Meribel, when he slammed his head

on a rock whilst skiing off piste. Even though he was wearing a helmet.

Thanks for joining me. Same time tomorrow, goodbye.