:00:09. > :00:12.This is BBC World News Today with me, Kirsty Lang. Organised armed
:00:12. > :00:15.resistance in Syria. Army defectors launch their biggest
:00:15. > :00:25.attack so far in Damascus while the Arab League debates suspending
:00:25. > :00:25.
:00:25. > :00:31.Syria's membership. The empty chair of Syria in the
:00:31. > :00:34.Arab League. Almost unthinkable. A graphic illustration of how this
:00:34. > :00:37.crisis is shaking the Arab World to its core.
:00:37. > :00:40.Keeping politics out of politics. Italy's new prime minister unveils
:00:40. > :00:44.his technocratic government. Courting controversy by countering
:00:44. > :00:48.China. President Obama announces more US troops are to be based in
:00:48. > :00:52.Australia. Also coming up in the programme:
:00:52. > :00:56.Should smoking in cars be stubbed out? Doctors in Britain say smoking
:00:56. > :01:06.in your own car should be banned. Critics say it would be an invasion
:01:06. > :01:06.
:01:06. > :01:11.of privacy. I think we are penalised everywhere we go, no
:01:11. > :01:16.matter where it is, even outside now.
:01:16. > :01:26.It's all about the image. We look at the importance of design in the
:01:26. > :01:32.
:01:32. > :01:34.hugely influential Manchester music Hello and welcome. A raid by Syrian
:01:34. > :01:37.army defectors on a military intelligence complex in the suburbs
:01:37. > :01:42.of Damascus shows the scale of opposition President Bashar Al-
:01:42. > :01:47.Assad is now facing. Calling themselves the Free Syrian
:01:47. > :01:50.Army the group say their troop numbers are growing. It comes as an
:01:50. > :01:58.Arab League foreign ministers meeting called for urgent action to
:01:58. > :02:05.protect civilians from the regime's brutal crackdown on protesters. Jon
:02:05. > :02:09.Leyne reports. Every day, more evidence emerges
:02:09. > :02:15.from Syria of the government's brutal reaction to opposition
:02:15. > :02:18.protests. These pictures are impossible to verify for certain
:02:18. > :02:23.but appear to show members of the security forces beating up
:02:23. > :02:27.opposition supporters on the outskirts of the capital. Who wants
:02:27. > :02:30.freedom anyway? Says one of the security men. Make sure you shave
:02:30. > :02:38.their heads before you start beating them properly, third
:02:38. > :02:42.another. -- says another. And these pictures appear to show it Syrian
:02:42. > :02:48.government tanks attacking opposition strongholds, despite a
:02:48. > :02:52.pledge by Syria to withdraw its armour from the streets. But the
:02:52. > :02:57.conflict is also edging closer to a full civil war. These are some of
:02:57. > :03:00.the increasing number of army detect -- defectors, taking on the
:03:00. > :03:06.security forces. They say they were involved in the first major attack
:03:06. > :03:10.on a military base last night, with a co-ordinated assault on
:03:10. > :03:13.intelligence headquarters close to Damascus. Once again, the
:03:13. > :03:19.government is encouraging its own supporters out onto the streets.
:03:19. > :03:24.They have been rallying to support President Assad and to denounce
:03:24. > :03:28.international pressure on Syria. Syrian TV have been a run pictures
:03:29. > :03:33.which appear to be of the release of 1,000 political prisoners, one
:03:33. > :03:37.of the few signs of the government bowing to foreign pressure, but
:03:37. > :03:41.Turkey is among countries to have run out of patience. It is
:03:41. > :03:44.threatening to cut off electricity supplies.
:03:44. > :03:49.TRANSLATION: We cannot approve a system that has been committing
:03:49. > :03:55.crimes against humanity. We are currently supplying electricity to
:03:55. > :04:00.Syria. If this trend continues, we may have to revise that decision.
:04:00. > :04:04.And in the Moroccan capital, Arab ministers have been gathering to
:04:04. > :04:08.consider new action against Syria. They are expected to confirm the
:04:08. > :04:13.decision to suspend Syria from the League and possibly impose new
:04:13. > :04:19.sanctions. Syria has angrily decided to boycott the meeting.
:04:19. > :04:23.Here it is. The empty chair of the Syrian Republic in the Arab League.
:04:23. > :04:28.Almost unthinkable and a graphic illustration of the way this crisis
:04:28. > :04:33.is shaking the Arab world. The crisis is moving rapidly forward,
:04:33. > :04:37.both in diplomacy and growing violence on the ground.
:04:37. > :04:42.The commander of the Free Syrian Amy has told the BBC that they did
:04:42. > :04:45.carry out the brazen attack on the intelligence complex in Damascus.
:04:45. > :04:53.Colonel Riad al-Asaad has led the defectors since July, when he
:04:53. > :04:58.abandoned his post in protest. TRANSLATION: The operation did in
:04:58. > :05:03.fact take place and it was precise and it was targeting the
:05:03. > :05:11.intelligence services centre in Damascus. The centre was used as a
:05:11. > :05:17.killing centre for killing innocent Syrians in Damascus. For the past
:05:17. > :05:22.10 days, we have seen an increasing number of defections. Because of
:05:22. > :05:26.what we are doing on the ground, this encourages people to join our
:05:26. > :05:33.battle and the number of our members is increasing on a daily
:05:33. > :05:37.basis. The regime has got to go. We are on the side of the Syrian
:05:37. > :05:43.people, who have full legitimacy. Let's find out more about the Free
:05:43. > :05:46.Syrian Army. The BBC's Jonathan Head joins us live from Istanbul.
:05:46. > :05:54.How does this Free Syrian Army fit into the broader opposition to
:05:54. > :05:58.Assad's rule? They were established about five
:05:58. > :06:02.months ago, the beginning of them were, and they have operated
:06:02. > :06:06.officially rather autonomously. They are army defectors who tried
:06:06. > :06:11.to reform themselves as a coherent military group that can then go
:06:11. > :06:15.back and take the fight to President Al-Assad's forces, so
:06:15. > :06:20.they then go under the umbrella of the Syrian National Council, the
:06:20. > :06:25.main umbrella group, which says it is committed to a non- violent
:06:25. > :06:28.uprising, but clearly they are aiming for the same goal and the
:06:28. > :06:33.Syrian National Council has applauded the actions of the Free
:06:33. > :06:36.Syrian Army. Bear in mind, the unarmed protesters that the
:06:36. > :06:40.National Council broadly represents have been facing pretty heavy armed
:06:40. > :06:46.onslaught from government forces for many months now so I think they
:06:46. > :06:50.feel they are entitled to fight back but this Free Syrian Army is
:06:50. > :06:54.operating autonomously and has set out what it says it will do in
:06:54. > :06:58.their transition, the role it will play in setting up new security
:06:58. > :07:02.forces and crucially, committing itself when there is a change of
:07:02. > :07:06.government, a democratic government, to handing back all authority to
:07:06. > :07:13.the civilian government. Turkey has been accused of
:07:13. > :07:17.providing safe haven to this group by the Damascus regime. Is there
:07:18. > :07:20.any proof of that? There is plenty of proof in that
:07:20. > :07:24.the commander you were just listening to there has been living
:07:24. > :07:29.in Turkey for several months now. The official position of the
:07:29. > :07:33.Turkish government is that they do not shelter the group but they
:07:33. > :07:38.offer asylum to anybody fleeing oppression and violence inside
:07:38. > :07:44.Syria. They have 8,000 refugees who have been living on the border,
:07:44. > :07:48.among them and number of defectors. Turkey distances itself from any
:07:48. > :07:52.official organisation. It says it wants and non-violent solution but
:07:52. > :07:56.it is clearly tolerating them and there are clearly close links
:07:56. > :08:01.between Turkish intelligence and Turkish government officials and
:08:01. > :08:07.those Free Syrian Army officers. They are talking to each other a
:08:07. > :08:09.lot. Thank you very much. Italy's new
:08:09. > :08:12.government has been announced and it's all bankers, company
:08:12. > :08:16.executives and top flight academics with not a single politician among
:08:16. > :08:18.them. The new Italian prime minister, Mario Monti, has been
:08:18. > :08:22.sworn in and said the absence of party politicians would help,
:08:22. > :08:26.rather than hinder, the government's duties. As well as
:08:26. > :08:29.being prime minister, he will also be finance minister. Meanwhile,
:08:29. > :08:33.Greece's new technocratic Prime Minister faced his first democratic
:08:33. > :08:41.test today - a vote of confidence in the Parliament. Mr Papademos, a
:08:41. > :08:46.former central banker, secured a comfortable majority.
:08:46. > :08:51.In a moment we will be going to Athens but first, Alan Johnson
:08:51. > :08:57.joins me from Rome. The markets are very happy with this new
:08:57. > :09:03.technocratic government. Do you think the Italian people of?
:09:03. > :09:07.Right up to the last moment, there was speculation that there might be
:09:07. > :09:11.senior figures in this Cabinet line-up but when the list was read
:09:11. > :09:17.out it was only technocrats. You get the sense that the extreme
:09:17. > :09:20.financial pressure born against Italy from the markets has led to a
:09:20. > :09:24.certain sidelining of democracy in one of Europe's biggest democracies.
:09:24. > :09:30.Having said that, you get the fence that people on the street in Rome
:09:30. > :09:32.are ready to give Mario Monti a chance. They are weary of the
:09:32. > :09:40.failings of their political class and are ready for something a
:09:40. > :09:44.little different. To Athens, Mark, Greece's
:09:44. > :09:48.technocratic prime minister faced his first Test today, the vote of
:09:48. > :09:54.confidence in parliament. Was that a rubber-stamping exercise or was
:09:54. > :09:59.it Sirius was my it was largely a formality.
:09:59. > :10:05.They were always expected to get an easy majority because the National
:10:05. > :10:10.Union coalition government controls 254 out of the 300 MPs behind me,
:10:10. > :10:13.so it was a comfortable but expected win. Probably the only
:10:13. > :10:18.simple tasks that the new government will have. Ahead it
:10:18. > :10:23.faces an extremely difficult task. The urgent priority to ratify the
:10:23. > :10:28.latest bail-out package but in return for that, it will need more
:10:28. > :10:32.austerity measures, are more cost cutting, and austerity is a very
:10:32. > :10:37.dirty word in Greece. It will bring tens of thousands out onto the
:10:37. > :10:40.streets in the next few months, starting tomorrow, when a large
:10:40. > :10:44.demonstration is planned to coincide with the anniversary of
:10:44. > :10:50.the student uprising against a military dictatorship here 38 years
:10:50. > :10:53.ago. We expect a very large protest on the street angry at the
:10:53. > :10:56.austerity measures that the government has said it will pursue
:10:56. > :10:59.in order to secure the next vital instalment of its international
:10:59. > :11:02.known. Mark, thank you.
:11:02. > :11:06.Now, a look at some of the day's other news. Portugal's prime
:11:06. > :11:09.minister is hoping to sell off state assets to a former colony.
:11:09. > :11:13.Pedro Passos Coelho is travelling to Angola to gauge the country's
:11:13. > :11:15.interest in buying shares in some of Portugal's state companies. In
:11:15. > :11:18.an extraordinary piece of role reversal, Angola's economy, which
:11:18. > :11:21.suffered over decades of civil war, is predicted to grow by 12% next
:11:21. > :11:27.year, while the economy of its former colonial master, Portugal,
:11:27. > :11:31.is contracting under the pressure of the Eurozone debt crisis.
:11:31. > :11:41.Here in the UK, the number of people out of work has hit a 15-
:11:41. > :11:42.
:11:42. > :11:50.year high of 2.6 million. -- one in 516-24-year-old Britons are out of
:11:50. > :11:53.work. The Bank of England warns the economy could stagnate until the
:11:53. > :11:56.middle of next year. Judges at The Hague have ordered
:11:56. > :11:59.the former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic to undergo a full
:11:59. > :12:03.medical examination, to see if he's fit enough to stand trial for war
:12:03. > :12:07.crimes. General Mladic, who's 69, failed to attend a hearing last
:12:07. > :12:11.week, saying he was too ill. He's accused of commanding acts of
:12:11. > :12:13.genocide in the Bosnian war, charges he denies.
:12:13. > :12:18.FIFA president Sepp Blatter has claimed any racist abuse in
:12:18. > :12:21.football should be settled by a handshake. He made the comments on
:12:21. > :12:23.his Twitter page. England's Football Association has announced
:12:23. > :12:32.it's to charge Liverpool's Luis Suarez with racially abusing
:12:32. > :12:36.Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
:12:36. > :12:41.President Obama has upset the Chinese by expanding American
:12:41. > :12:45.military ties with Australia. China's state news agency has
:12:45. > :12:50.accused the US president of using his diplomatic ambitions in Asia to
:12:50. > :12:54.detract attention from his economic woes at home. President Obama
:12:54. > :12:59.announced plans to station more American troops in China and there
:12:59. > :13:04.is growing concern in the region about the rise of Chinese power.
:13:04. > :13:11.This report from Sydney. Only four other American presidents
:13:11. > :13:15.have made this journey. One of the United States's oldest allies. In
:13:15. > :13:20.Julia Gillard, the president has the closest of political partners
:13:20. > :13:25.to press home his wider mission, the engaging American foreign
:13:25. > :13:31.policy in the Asian Pacific region. The two leaders announced the US is
:13:31. > :13:35.to increase its military presence in Australia by stationing 2500
:13:35. > :13:40.marines and extra aircraft around Darwin. China was not mentioned by
:13:40. > :13:44.name but the President's security message was clear enough.
:13:44. > :13:54.United States is stepping up its commitment to the entire Asia-
:13:54. > :13:58.Pacific. We are deeply grateful for our alignments of Australia. Our
:13:58. > :14:01.alliance is going to be indispensable to our shared future
:14:01. > :14:07.and the security we need and the prosperity we seek, not only in
:14:07. > :14:11.this region but around the world. America and Australia already carry
:14:11. > :14:15.out military exercises together but and the reinforce represent a much
:14:15. > :14:19.more muscular presence in the region. It is the signalled to
:14:19. > :14:24.allies that they have a reliable friend and to China that it cannot
:14:24. > :14:28.act alone. America has already had its disagreements with China over
:14:28. > :14:32.trade and currency. What it does not want to happen is for that to
:14:32. > :14:36.escalate into anything more dangerous. President Obama said
:14:36. > :14:44.today there is nothing to fear it with China but by linking commerce
:14:44. > :14:49.and security, the US is saying with prosperity comes vigilance.
:14:49. > :14:52.The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, has outlined conditions for
:14:52. > :14:57.allowing American military bases to remain in Afghanistan in the long
:14:57. > :15:01.term. He told a gathering of 2000 Afghan elders and leaders that
:15:01. > :15:06.among its other conditions, American forces must agree to stop
:15:06. > :15:11.carrying out nitrates, which a very controversial in Afghanistan. It is
:15:11. > :15:20.taking place amid high security. The Taliban has threatened to
:15:20. > :15:27.Arriving at the Loya Jirga. It is an Afghan tradition, the gathering
:15:27. > :15:31.of tribal elders and political leaders. President Karzai came to
:15:31. > :15:41.get their backing for a contentious proposal, a security pact with the
:15:41. > :15:47.Americans. He spelled out his terms. TRANSLATION: Note-taking prisoners.
:15:47. > :15:53.Who are they to imprison the Afghan people? We have no right to have
:15:53. > :15:57.jails here, this is our soil. -- they have no right. The return he
:15:57. > :16:02.said the Americans could retain military bases in Afghanistan after
:16:02. > :16:10.combat forces lead in 2014. But the White House may not like the deal
:16:11. > :16:16.he is offering. As the Loya Jirga got under way, a major security
:16:16. > :16:21.operation around the capital. The Taleban have about to attack the
:16:21. > :16:25.delegates who, in a bitter irony, will be discussing reconciliation
:16:25. > :16:29.with insurgents. Security forces here on the highest
:16:29. > :16:33.level of alert. Checkpoints like this one have been reinforced and
:16:33. > :16:37.around the city they are more patrols and more road blocks.
:16:37. > :16:42.Police sources claimed to have foiled a number of potential
:16:42. > :16:47.attacks, but they know there could be others.
:16:47. > :16:52.Many shops were closed today. Many streets, all but deserted. People
:16:52. > :16:57.were staying home, fearing the worst. Loya Jirga can be a
:16:57. > :16:59.dangerous business here. Joining me now live from Harvard
:16:59. > :17:02.University is Michael Semple, a former European Union diplomat in
:17:02. > :17:04.Kabul and author of 'Talking to the Taliban'. Live from Harvard
:17:04. > :17:08.University is Michael Semple, a former European Union diplomat in
:17:08. > :17:11.Kabul and author of 'Talking to the Taliban'. Isn't it a bit late for
:17:11. > :17:19.Karzai to start distancing himself from the Americans is that going to
:17:19. > :17:25.wash with ordinary Afghans? I think he has deliberately selected people
:17:25. > :17:31.who will find it palatable. It is not legally binding in any way, is
:17:31. > :17:35.it? It is not like a parliament? it is a bit like calling a
:17:36. > :17:39.political rally way you want to get lots of people at to line them up
:17:39. > :17:44.in front of you way you state your position and you can claim their
:17:44. > :17:48.support. In subsequent rounds of negotiation, he can say, I have the
:17:49. > :17:52.people behind me and you must listen to me. You are saying that
:17:52. > :17:56.almost everyone in that tent will have been selected in some way by
:17:56. > :18:02.the Karzai administration? Absolutely. That is the way it is
:18:02. > :18:06.done. There is no election to form this gathering. Based at --
:18:06. > :18:10.messages were sent out to the amp - - administration's appointed by the
:18:10. > :18:17.President and they were told to gather a certain number of the book.
:18:17. > :18:22.In your view, this is a sham, is it? The theatre is a far better
:18:22. > :18:27.word than sham, and sometimes theatre does count. A lot of people
:18:28. > :18:34.will be examining the Loya Jirga up to check are the important people
:18:34. > :18:38.there or not. It is one of the ways that Afghan politics is done, but
:18:39. > :18:42.you should remember that there is also a parliament that is elected
:18:42. > :18:46.to try to take decisions on such things. A lot of members of
:18:47. > :18:54.parliament have been unhappy. Apparently security is so bad that
:18:54. > :18:58.we have been told that our own BBC team dare not even going the 10th.
:18:58. > :19:05.-- in the tent where the gathering is happening, which shows how
:19:05. > :19:11.vulnerable the Karzai administration is. I think it shows
:19:11. > :19:15.how the focus has been turned away from the ostensible subject matter,
:19:15. > :19:21.which is what should be the right terms between the duty Afghanistan
:19:21. > :19:24.and the US. It has been shifted to a tussle between some of the
:19:24. > :19:28.insurgents and the Karzai administration to see whether the
:19:29. > :19:32.latter can pull it off without disaster. What do you think about
:19:32. > :19:39.this proposal that Karzai put forward that the Americans should
:19:39. > :19:43.stop night raids? How will this go down in Washington? On the one hand,
:19:43. > :19:50.these are well rehearsed positions. It is absolutely true that some of
:19:50. > :19:54.the aggressive moves of NATO forces are quite unpopular. Karzai it
:19:54. > :20:00.likes to speak to the crowd on this one. But there is also an issue of
:20:00. > :20:03.who is doing him a favour. The way that the speech has been picked his
:20:03. > :20:08.as if the Americans are desperate to keep bases there for some
:20:08. > :20:12.interest they have. Whereas the positions that I have heard from
:20:12. > :20:19.Washington is that if they are going to retain any minatory
:20:19. > :20:26.presence there is to maintain the stability of Afghanistan. Thank you
:20:26. > :20:30.very much. Doctors here in the UK say no-one
:20:30. > :20:32.should be allowed to smoke in a car, even when driving on their own. The
:20:32. > :20:35.British Medical Association argues that a ban should be enforced
:20:35. > :20:38.because people in smoky cars are exposed to very high levels of
:20:38. > :20:44.harmful poisons. Opponents argue that cars are private spaces and
:20:44. > :20:48.that a ban would go too far. Jane Hughes reports.
:20:48. > :20:53.This is a test to measure the level of toxins released when someone
:20:53. > :20:57.smokes in a car. Tobacco smoke contains 69 potential cancer-
:20:57. > :21:01.causing chemicals. Even after a short drive and a single cigarette,
:21:01. > :21:05.the monitor shows those chemicals are well above safe levels in this
:21:05. > :21:10.car. Second-hand smoke in a confined space can do terrible
:21:10. > :21:14.harm: It can cause lung cancer, asthma, respiratory infection, and
:21:14. > :21:19.increase the risk of sudden infant death. Opening the window only goes
:21:19. > :21:23.some way to a lowering the harm, and there is evidence that suggests
:21:24. > :21:27.the toxins stay around long after the cigarette has been put out.
:21:27. > :21:31.Smoking in cars carrying children has already been banned in South
:21:31. > :21:35.Africa, most Australia and parts of the US and Canada. Wales and
:21:35. > :21:41.Northern Ireland are considering the same thing, but the BMA wants
:21:41. > :21:44.more: A blanket ban, even when there are no passengers. Cars are a
:21:44. > :21:48.restricted environment, air gets concentrated in there and if
:21:48. > :21:53.someone is smoking, the people in that car, both at the time and
:21:53. > :21:57.later, will get very high doses of the cancer-causing agents that are
:21:57. > :22:02.in cigarette smoke. Drivers we spoke to in Cardiff were
:22:02. > :22:07.divided about the idea. I think the government penalises us everywhere
:22:07. > :22:11.we go, no matter where it is, even outside now. It is a very good to
:22:11. > :22:15.it stops Bassett -- passive smoking in an area where you get a lot of
:22:15. > :22:20.people. If you are alone, fine, but when you have children, that is a
:22:20. > :22:25.different matter. Some say cars are private spaces and this would be a
:22:25. > :22:30.step too far. If we introduce a ban, all cars, irrespective of who is in
:22:30. > :22:36.that car, it is a very small step to banning smoking in the home as
:22:36. > :22:39.well. It is a very dangerous step to take. Ministers in England and
:22:39. > :22:47.Scotland say there are no plans for a ban, but they are working to a
:22:47. > :22:51.rape -- raise awareness of of the risks.
:22:51. > :22:53.The '80s and '90s was an era that changed the face of British music.
:22:54. > :22:57.The so-called Manchester scene gave birth to bands like the Happy
:22:57. > :23:00.Mondays, Joy Division and The Stone Roses. But it wasn't just about the
:23:00. > :23:02.sound, it was about the image too. That's being celebrated at a
:23:02. > :23:12.exhibition of album covers and posters in London and Kathy
:23:12. > :23:15.
:23:15. > :23:20.Joy Divis and it was the ban that started it all off. -- Joy Division.
:23:20. > :23:30.The band that took 70s punk and turned it into a deeper, more
:23:30. > :23:39.
:23:39. > :23:49.This is the cover of their debut album, Unknown pleasures. It is a
:23:49. > :23:50.
:23:50. > :23:54.dark, stark and seething with energy. Bans were making owned --
:23:54. > :24:00.their own music on their own terms. They genuinely did not care whether
:24:00. > :24:10.people like to them or not. They had a strong vision. It was their
:24:10. > :24:11.
:24:11. > :24:17.With the suicide of the lead singer, Joy Division reformed into a new
:24:17. > :24:22.order. Both bans, as well as many others, were assigned to Factory
:24:22. > :24:27.Records, one of the most influential labels of the era.
:24:27. > :24:30.Factory Records was the Manchester sound under one roof. It was
:24:30. > :24:40.factory Records who also created the image. The label had its own
:24:40. > :24:42.
:24:42. > :24:47.design team and came up with For fans of the Manchester scene,
:24:47. > :24:52.the place to experience it in all its glory was the Hacienda club. A-
:24:52. > :24:56.night out there was claimed to be a life-changing experience, not least
:24:56. > :25:03.because with their music came the drugs and this was all about
:25:03. > :25:09.Ecstasy. And nothing said more about the spirit of the Hacienda
:25:09. > :25:16.than this iconic poster. It was very intense. Lots of people up on
:25:16. > :25:22.podiums, lots of people dancing, dry ice everywhere, lighting, and
:25:22. > :25:27.this incredible music, this techno music that was happening. So, in
:25:27. > :25:35.some ways, this is a way of trying to express that feeling in a visual
:25:35. > :25:39.way. The Happy Mondays were the poster
:25:39. > :25:42.boys of the scene in the late 80s and they were the ones who made the
:25:42. > :25:47.Manchester sound into Nat -- international with several were
:25:47. > :25:57.tours. By then, it was all about house music and rave culture and a
:25:57. > :25:58.
:25:58. > :26:03.The influence of the first Summer of Love was most obvious in the
:26:03. > :26:08.music of the Stone Roses who mixed 60s garage pop with the 80s garage
:26:09. > :26:13.beat. Their self-titled album has been described as one of the
:26:13. > :26:18.greatest of all time in the UK. The band recently announced that they
:26:18. > :26:27.are reunited with a world tour planned for 2012. The first stop,
:26:27. > :26:29.Manchester of course. A reminder of our main news. The
:26:29. > :26:32.Syrian opposition stepped up its armed operations with an overnight
:26:32. > :26:35.attack on military and intelligence bases near Damascus. Meanwhile, an
:26:35. > :26:40.Arab League meeting in Morocco has been fiercely critical of Syrian
:26:40. > :26:49.violence against anti-government protesters.
:26:49. > :26:53.The Italian prime minister, Mario Well, that's all from the programme.
:26:53. > :27:03.Next the weather. But for now from me and the rest of the team,
:27:03. > :27:06.Seeing a bit of cloud tonight. It has been fairly wet today in
:27:06. > :27:10.Cornwall. The rain will move through overnight tonight so by
:27:10. > :27:15.tomorrow, although it starts cloudy, it will become bright up to the day.
:27:15. > :27:18.Here is that weather front, the heaviest of the main living through
:27:18. > :27:22.Northern Ireland and up to Scotland by the end of the night. With the
:27:22. > :27:26.remains in Scotland tomorrow morning, cloudy and damp. Some
:27:26. > :27:31.cloud in the south-east corner, but things should brighten up nicely
:27:31. > :27:36.through northern England. Sunshine by 3pm. Temperatures around 11
:27:36. > :27:42.degrees. The cloud will linger through East Anglia, parts of Kent,
:27:42. > :27:45.with some spots of light rain. Some sunshine along the south coast. The
:27:45. > :27:49.cloud later in the afternoon will thicken again through Devon, but
:27:49. > :27:55.for much of daylight hours, it will be tried with highs of 13 or 14
:27:55. > :28:00.degrees feels --. Wales should remained dry. The brain will return
:28:00. > :28:05.for Northern Ireland and it could be heavy. It will be accompanied by
:28:05. > :28:09.strong winds as well. A bit of rain moving into the south-west corner