20/09/2011 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me, Philippa Thomas. The global

economy has entered a dangerous new phase - the International Monetary

Fund raises the alarm over weak growth in the US and Europe. The

fund calls for strong leadership to reduce the risk of economies

falling back into recession. A former Afghan President is killed

in a bomb attack at his Kabul home - officials say he was meeting with

the Taliban at the time. As the Palestinian leader presses

ahead with a bid for UN membership, Israel's Prime Minister says he's

Going into battle with song. The women whose voices consoled the

troops on the frontline of the Boat can. One of the most

influential global institutions, the International Monetary Fund is

predicting two more years of sluggish economic culture in much

of the Western world. The top economists singled out the euro-

zone as a major source of worry, saying that Europe needs to get its

act together and deal with the crisis or risk going back into

recession. We had this report from Washington.

The global economy is in trouble, that is the stark warning from the

International Monetary Fund. global economy has entered a

dangerous new phase. The recovery has weakened considerably. Down

sideways have increased sharply. Strong policies are needed, both to

improve the outlook and to reduce the risks. What are the findings of

the IMF's report on the global economy? The United States is

expected to grow just 1.5 % this year. The euro-zone will expand 1.6

%, and emerging economies like China are still seen robust

economic activity. If we don't act, that burden will ultimately fall on

our children's shoulders. If we don't act, but growing debt will

crowd out everything else. Grappling with America's debt

worries, Barack Obama revealed his plan for bringing down the deficit

this week. The IMF warns that too much austerity to sue and could

threaten recovery. A fiscal consolidation cannot be too fast.

It would kill growth. It cannot be too slow. It would kill credibility.

The speed must vary across countries, and the key continues to

be credible, medium-term consolidation. Worries that Greece

may default on its debt and destabilise the region led to a

gloomier forecast for Europe, a point underlined by the credit

rating downgrade for it to leave. As gloomy as the report from the

IMF sounds, it makes the point that policy makers have it in their

power to avoid the worst they take the right steps.

The wake-up call from the IMF comes on the day about Italy's or

creditworthiness downgraded by the Standards Agency. Silvio Berlusconi

dismissed the move has influenced by media stories rather than

economic reality and said that the main economic growth was because of

the governing coalition not dealing decisively with the country's

economic problems. David Lane, it to the Finance Correspondent for

the Economist magazine is with me now. -- The et Finance

Correspondent. Why does it any matter so much the two the rest of

us? The Italians are a major European economy, and it is the

third largest public sector debt in the world. It is pretty enormous.

What happens to the Italians matters to all others. That dwarfs

problems with Greece and when you look at the Italians, what they are

saying today as they do not have confidence in the Prime Minister,

Silvio Berlusconi. Over the summer, Silvio Berlusconi and his

government were behind the curve of. They reacted slowly and

insufficiently to the needs of dealing with public sector debt.

The Government lacks credibility. You could also say because of

Silvio Berlusconi being embroiled in sexual scandals and on trial for

judicial corruption, and a man who after all, was overheard saying

about he is a part-time Prime Minister, at a time when there is a

global financial economic crisis. He says that the attacks are

political as not economic saying that we have got it all as a

prospective. Far from it. The Italians are modest, their growth

is modest, in the last decade, so the Berlusconi has been in office

for eight-and-a-half years, the growth is less than 0.2 %. This

year, if all goes well, it will probably be around 0.7 %, which is

very weak growth. Is the advice is to cut more austerity, because that

is the problem with countries struggling at the moment, if you

cut, you reduce prospects further. This is the major problem

everywhere. One of the things about the Italians, with its huge debt

and the concerns on the deficit, spreads of Italian government bombs

against the German government bonds have widened. -- government bonds.

A member of government said that if Silvio Berlusconi was to go, the

spreads would shorten by about 1%. David Lane, thank you for talking

to us about the Italians and their prospects, had we can go to

Washington now, and our economics editor, to broaden the picture.

Let's look at the World economic Outlook published by the IMF, very

gloomy reading, at the same time that they are saying confidence is

key? Yes, that is the difficult balancing act that policy makers

and the IMF are having to strike. People spoke a few years ago about

why did nobody see the financial crisis coming? The IMF doesn't want

to be caught out again, they are raising the alarm about the state

of the global recovery and saying that policy makers need to act now

to avoid what they would call at downsize scenario and possibly not

just a period of slow, long slow growth, and issues in the US and

Europe. People need to avoid what you might call catastrophic

outcomes, but it is interesting to note that even the forecast they

have, when everything goes right, it is pretty bleak, compared to

past recoveries. Almost no country will grow, none of the advanced

major economies will grow by more than 2%, this year or next year.

After such a deep recession, that are deeply Prosser, and that seems

to be their rosy scenario, ate everything goes well. -- that is a

deeply bad prospect. They would like to think they have a crisp

answer on not just throwing up their hands and what they say is,

they do not want policy makers to say this is too difficult. They say

clearly, there are countries that have problems, although it is

regrettable, they have to go ahead with cutting the deficit, but that

makes it more important for countries like Germany and possibly

some others that have room to go bit more slowly with the death as

it cuts, to do that, and maybe have some stimulus to their economy. The

trick that they suggest, which is in line with what Barack Obama has

been suggesting in the United States is to propose long-term

reforms to entitlement programmes, pension programmes, benefit

programmes, but keep rising year after year. If you cut those, he

was saving money into the future and if you say you will do that, if

you put on to the books into law, reforms to those kinds of things,

then you buy some room to spend money on the economy, and that is

what they want the United States to do. They think some countries in

Europe can do that, but not countries like Italy. The bottom

line seems to be if countries do not take these actions and get

calibration is right, there is a fear of a lost decade ahead? --

calibration Crewe right. The more you talk about the lost decade, the

big risk is people get so depressed about the future, businesses and

consumers are already feel pretty low about the Rev slowdown recovery,

if they slash spending, because of a dismal future, that will bring on

the big risks that the IMF hopes to avoid. Thank you.

A former President of Afghanistan, President Burhanuddin Rabbani, has

been killed in a suicide attack on his home in Kabul. He was head of

the country's High Peace Council, a body trying to negotiate a

political end to the conflict in Afghanistan. Officials said that at

the time he does meeting members of the Taliban in his residence to us

to the US embassy. -- close to the US embassy.

President Burhanuddin Rabbani was an Islamic scholar that went on to

become a leading figure in the resistance to the Soviet invasion

of Afghanistan, and Bennett's President. His home, where he was

killed in today's bomb attack, was in the main to put back its own in

Kabul close to the US embassy. -- the main diplomatic zone. Roads

were blocked off by the police. He was meeting two members of the

Taliban at the time, and one of them had explosives concealed in

his turban. He was President from 1992 until 1996 when he was forced

to leave Kabul because of the Taliban takeover. In recent years

since the fall of the Taliban, he continued as head of his party

seeking a broad-based government. But President Karzai had passed him

with the heading be High Peace Council, having negotiations with

the Taliban. When the council was established, President Karzai said

it was the greatest hope for the Afghan people and wanted to bring

peace to Afghanistan, but the efforts to bring the Taliban into

negotiations have been fought with difficulty. Shortly after the news

of his killing, President Karzai met President Obama in New York.

is tragic and we want to extend our heartfelt condolences to you, his

family and the people of Afghanistan. Mr President, we both

believe that we will not be deterred from creating a path were

by a Afghanistan can live in freedom, safety, security and

prosperity. I do not think we can fill his pace easily. He was one of

the few people in Afghanistan with the distinction that we cannot

easily find in society. It is a terrible loss. As you rightly said,

this will not deter us from continuing on the part that we have

and we are determined to succeed. And the fact that President

Burhanuddin Rabbani was killed here in one of the most security the old

parts of the ball, it underlines the vulnerability of the capital.

Just days after the Taliban took over high-rise building overlooking

the US embassy and other prominent buildings, and held out for 20

hours. Let's look at our correspondent

outside the United Nations headquarters in New York. -- let's

speak to our correspondent. This comes just after Barack Obama spoke

about reducing America's death, bringing back money and troops from

Afghanistan, so how can they help Afghanistan at this point? That was

supposed to be very much the focus of the meeting with the President

Karzai, and I am sure they discuss the plan to hand over security to

the security forces in Afghanistan and remove troops by 2014, or at

least, most of them by 2014. You saw in his reaction to the

assassination of President Burhanuddin Rabbani that they would

not move from the plan and that they would continue with the chorus,

but it is a blow to the political part of it, the political strategy,

to draw up a Taliban in through this Peace Council. He Benfell,

NATO and the United States say that violence is decreasing, be seen to

be attacking at 12. -- even though. BBC reporters say that there is a

war in Kabul and the Taliban are winning out. If we look at to Libya,

we heard from the United States and other countries about more aid and

recognition for Libya. Yes, this is a week for Libya, really, it's

success in the NTC, and leaders speaking about the NTC, and the NTC

addressing the General Assembly, they have a new flag that has been

put up, and although the conflict is not over in Libya, the emphasis

at the United Nations is about post conflict, calling this success,

highlighting and planning for the next stage, and in all of the

speeches, that is what we saw. I spoke to one ambassador he said, I

think they all wrote the same speed. Thank you for keeping us up-to-date.

In Libya, dozens of families are fleeing Colonel Gaddafi's home town

as fighters loyal to the country's interim council prepared to launch

a fresh assaults to finally They are well drilled for civilians

and certainly have the firepower. Their shells are bombarding the

desert Gate's of Sir, striking the pro-Gadaffi positions -- searched.

Up at the front lines, they have taken control of another village on

the long, hard fought road. We pushed ahead to the edge of the

We have gone along this road a bit further and the National

Transitional Council forces here have been fighting just over this

hill and a few minutes ago, a couple of rockets came in so

everyone is very nervous. There is obviously a strong defence coming

back from the pro-Gadaffi lines forced. Every time they capture --

every town they capture needs meetings with the elders. Big

expectations after four decades under dictatorship. This was their

New Town being built by Gaddafi before the resolution. They have

made a switch of loyalty. Many people like Abdullah came here to

flee the fighting. Who are due support, the new people or Gaddafi?

Everybody. But something was not quite right. She used the old

salute. Gaddafi, no. They were probably saying rebels, no, just a

day earlier. We met another Abdullah who explained the reality

and his fears in a new era. time is really related to Gaddafi.

I cannot deny that. Is this why you get good houses? You can say that,

yes. I need those people to forget everything and forgive us. Every

day brings progress, but beyond the war, reconciliation will be key. If

revenge fills the vacuum, the new freedom may be short lived.

Now, look at some of the day's other news. Witnesses in the Yemeni

capital Sanaa say the city is now calmer following three days of

clashes between supporters and opponents of President Saleh. There

are reports that a cease-fire was negotiated by Yemen's vice-

president and Western ambassadors. Earlier, at least ten people were

killed during violence near the city's so called "Change Square".

As many as 60 people have been killed since Sunday.

Prosecutors in Turkey say an explosion that rocked the capital

Ankara today was a terrorist attack. Three people were killed and at

least 35 injured when a car bomb went off near a school in the

centre of the city. The explosion set a number of cars on fire and

damaged nearby buildings. The European Court of Human Rights

has ruled that the Russian government violated the rights of

the former oil giant, Yukos, when the company was liquidated in 2006.

Former Yukos managers are seeking $98 billion in compensation. The

judges said Russia violated property laws but cleared the

government of deliberately putting the firm out of business.

Japan's defence ministry has ordered an immediate investigation

into cyber-security after the country's biggest arms-maker

confirmed it's been targeted by hackers. Mitsubishi Heavy

Industries says at least eight separate viruses have been found in

its computer systems since the cyber-attack last month. It denies

any sensitive information has leaked.

It was a Cold War conflict that lasted two decades. The Vietnam war

left millions dead and ultimately ended in failure for the American

forces who tried to crush the Communists. But what about the

ordinary people caught up in the war? Batters the focus of Drought

and Rain, a dance study about the women who sang.

An unforgiving War - 20 years of brutal and bloody onslaught. These

are the men who risked their lives in the fight against communism. And

these are the women on the other side, whose stories were buried in

the chaos of conflict. The women who sang to consult their War ended

-- bear wounded fighters, bringing comfort with their voices. In this

work, the subject is about the memory after War. People told may

that the nature of human being is like this. We leave and we destroy

and we fight and they say that is the nature of human being which I

really do not believe. But these performers are not professional

dancers. They are the women themselves, from tiny villages in

the north, farming communities, steeped in the tradition of song.

TRANSLATION: We were very happy and eager to support the soldiers,

without any doubt and no regret. We were young then. We cared about

their soldiers. We had a lot of feeling for them. It is hard to

describe this as dance in the traditional sense. There is a great

economy of movement. But with every flick of the hand, every sweep of

the arm, is a great emotional intensity. Against the noise of War,

this stillness, this quietness, is very powerful. The enduring anguish

for these women who witnessed the horrors of the conflict first hand,

is plain to see. But so is the sense of duty. TRANSLATION: At our

people paid with tears, sweat and even blood so that we can have the

life that we lead today. I think of them with profound gratitude.

it was all over, when Saigon fell in 1975, it is said that almost

every family in Vietnam had someone to mourn. That was nearly four

decades ago but for these women, the horrors of that war will never

be forgotten. Chinese officials say 57 people

have died, more than one million have been evacuated from their

homes after torrential rain swept three provinces in the interior of

the country. A week of unusually heavy downpours

is wreaking havoc across central China. One in 12 million -- more

than 12 million people have been affected by the latest round of

torrential downpour. Flooding is believed to be the worst since

records began in 1847. In all, dozens of people across three

provinces have died. Many others have gone missing. One of the most

severely affected areas is a district of sick one province. It

endured 100 people. China is used to handling disasters on this scale.

China's weather Bureau is expecting even more rain fall in the coming

days. Asocial scourge more commonly

associated with Britain has hit France, binge drinking. Authorities

are particularly concerned about the under 25 year-olds who they say

are drinking to get drunk. A combination of lax parenting,

under-age parties and cheap booze is being banned. In Lille, the sale

of alcohol in shops has been banned after 10 o'clock in the evening.

The genteel cafe culture which has long defined the French way of life.

Yet, this more convivial drinking atmosphere that has dominated the

squares of French towns and cities has been rejected and replaced by

this: The barman might hold his liquor but the evidence suggests

more and more French young people love to get drunk.

It leads to violence, vandalism and increasingly, the kind of lewd

behaviour more commonly associated with a British town centre. The

French call it binge drinking. It is a British term for a growing

French problem. Previous generations here would drink to

socialise. The new younger generation drinks to excess. I have

already received a number of letters. The deputy mayor says

already they have pulled drunk people from the Rhone river, they

have had people who have drunk themselves into a coma and no end

off complaints from local residents. Compare the situation from today

and 1990. There is now twice more vehicle accidents, violence and

health problems associated with alcohol. They discovered the worst

behaviour comes from those who buy their alcohol at late-night

convenience stores so they have banned the shops from selling wine,

beer and spirits after 10 o'clock. TRANSLATION: How are we supposed to

pay the bills? Look at how much alcohol I have sitting here on the

shelves. The council makes no apologies and they have given the

police every power they need to reinforce the ban. But, if binge

drinking is one of the more obnoxious imports from Britain, it

appears it is here to stay. Across Leon, there is no shortage of cheap

spirits and beer and it will require more than a ban on the sale

of over-the-counter alcohol to keep late-night drinkers on the straight

and narrow. That is all from the programme.

Next, the weather. From me, Philippa Thomas and the rest of the

Hello. We have had a mixed bag of weather across the UK today. Rain,

showers and also some sunshine. Tomorrow, there will be some

sunshine but watch out for the chance of some blustery showers,

particularly in the north. It is all because of this weather system

pushing its way from the West tonight. It will be their first

thing in the south-east. After it clears the through, things should

brighten up nicely. It will be a fine day for much of the Midlands

and central southern England, dry, bright start and eventually for the

South East of England, the last of the rain will clear through. For

the south-west of England we start off on a dry bright note. Across

Wales, a fine morning across the afternoon. Across Northern Ireland,

a cloudy, wet and windy start, then that clears in the afternoon which

is dominated by showers. Further blustery showers pushing through