02/12/2011 World News Today

This is World News Today with me, Zeinab Badawi. Repression in Syria

is condemned by the UN's top human- rights body as protests inside

Syria continued. Is the stage now set for further tough action by the

United Nations? To the Syrian government, the time has come to

end the violations of the human rights of your people and to step

aside so that Syria can transition peacefully and democratically.

Germany's Chancellor warns it will take years to resolve the eurozone

debt crisis. An Afghan woman jailed for being

raped is freed by President car side. A human rights activist tells

us that the plight of Afghan women is abysmal.

Also coming up, a test of popularity of Russia's ruling party.

As the country prepares for Sunday's elections, we have a

special report on corruption in public life there.

Now warming temperatures have lent less sea ice. And the giant of

Britain's Natural History of Broadcasting ways into the debate

on global warming. -- wades into Welcome. The United Nations Human

Rights Council has voted to condemn the gross and systematic abuses in

Syria. Their record 37 countries voted in favour with just six

abstentions and four against. This comes as America's by President Joe

Biden praised the role that Turkey has been taking to put pressure on

the Syrian regime to stop the A stand-off in north western Syria.

For the moment, there is no shooting. They chant, we do not

fear your soldiers or your militias. There was a similar scene in other

towns. In Homs, in Deraa, and other places. They are calling for more

international help, for protective buffer zones. Nine months into the

uprising, President Assad's opponents cannot oust him. His

efforts have exacted a heavy human cost. The commission's report

documents widespread systematic and gross violations of human rights

and fundamental freedoms by Syrian authorities by actors such as a

killing of children, beating, shooting during demonstrations,

arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment. At an emergency

session of the UN Human Rights Council, delegates were given a

chilling report. Our message is firm and clear. To the people of

Syria, the world stands by you and we will not ignore your plight in

the face of ongoing violence. To the Syrian government, the time has

come to end of the flagrant violations of the human rights of

your people and to step aside so that Syria can transition

peacefully and democratically. council passed a resolution

condemning the abuses. The High Commissioner wants them referred to

the International Criminal Court. The report was dismissed by Syria's

representative. TRANSLATION:, it lacked objectivity, he said. The US

is leaning heavily on its ally Turkey to push for change in Syria.

Vice-President Joe Biden was in the Turkish capital today paying his

respects to an area leader who helped this country to modernise.

And piling praise on his Turkish hosts for the example they offer to

the rest of the Middle East. Turkey has its own dilemmas over Syria. It

fears further chaos there will destabilised their long border and

dried waves of refugees to join the thousands who have already fled

here. Intervention by Turkish troops, even to protect -- protect

civilians, is leaving ruled out for now. Events could change the policy.

As pressure mounts on the Assad regime, the alternatives to his

role are being considered more seriously. The head of the main

opposition, the head of the Syrian National Council, Dr Burhan

Ghalioun, has said that he would revise Syria's relationship with

Iran. He said he regards to Nessie as a model and refutes claims that

there is civil war in Syria. -- he regards Tunisia as a model.

Let us talk to Bilal Saab from the Monterey Institute of International

Studies. It is no longer fanciful to think of a post Assad Syria.

There could be a serious realignment of foreign policy

there? That is very true. His statement is quite puzzling to me.

I am not sure why he felt of the need to go publicly with this

statement saying that, should a new government emerge in Damascus, we

will see a very different Syria, a Syria that no longer has a special

relationship will Iran, a Syria that no longer offers military

assistance and political sponsorship to has by laugh. It is

puzzling to me why he went public with this statement. It has been

interestingly read by allies in Washington. Do you think it has

been co-ordinated somehow by Joe Biden's visit to Turkey? Obviously,

it would be in America's interests if Syria did we orientate itself

away from Iran. I do not know about any efforts of co-ordination. I

think it is fair to say that what he said could reflect his own

personal convictions and that is fair. I hope it is shared by other

members of the Syrian National Council. Is that music to the ears

of Washington? Absolutely. To what extent have these statements speak

ordinated -- been co-ordinated? I cannot say. Syria's population it

is traditionally Sunni. It has been governed by an offshoot of Shia

Islam. It would make sense, wouldn't it, if post Assad Syria

went more towards the Arab Sunni majority? It does make sense,

absolutely. We have been arguing for this for a long time. It is

quite refreshing to see it being spoken publicly. We have all

assumed that if Syria has a majority Sunni population, it would

have a government that would be dominated by Sunni, and it would be

a very different Syria. It reflects the geopolitical realities of the

region. Syria has quit given a great deal of support do Hezbollah,

at a Shia operation in Libya. A lot of people would say, what has that

done for us? That is very trip. Hezbollah is going to be a very

different actor should the Assad regime collapse. It would be a

politically isolated entity in Beirut. We are already seeing that

given that they have agreed to fund a special tribunal to Lebanon which

they see as an entity used by the United States and Israel to defeat

it. It is planning to me that we are seeing changes in the behaviour

of Hezbollah. Thank you very much. Let us go to Egypt now. Within the

last hour, the country's electoral authorities have begun as a result

of the first round of parliamentary elections there. The Muslim

Brotherhood is predicted to win most votes in the election. However,

a more radical Islamist party is also expected to do well.

Live to Cairo. Give us some idea what -- idea of what the early

results are sharing. It is a little bit complicated. We have got not

many details yet. Broadly speaking, we believe the Muslim Brotherhood

are going to be the big winners, in the sense that they will get around

30% of the votes. They are in a coalition with a couple of secular

parties. There coalition will get over 40%. The Muslim Brotherhood

of's share of that will be about a third of the vote. Unfortunately,

they haven't yet announced the details because that is part of a

proportional system which they are not announcing to the end. They

have given us a very small chunk of the results. So far as one

understands, the Muslim Brotherhood will have around a third, another

block of the more radical Islamists would we think, we are not sure,

but we think get up to 20% of the vote in this first round of voting.

They are vying for second place. Vying for second place with the

more liberal secularist party. There have only been about four

winners, clear winners, so far. All of those are independents. It seems

as if the Islamists are going to be the largest single block in the new

parliament. Lots of different variety of the Islamists. The

Muslim Brotherhood are seen as being relatively moderate. They are

not talking about banning alcohol or imposing a dress code. The more

radicals are doing strongly in second place. It is a complicated

process, as you said. Elections will go on for some time. Remind us

again of that. There are three... There are two Houses of Parliament.

There are three rounds within the people's Assembly elections. The

last one is not until January. Each of the three rounds also has a run-

off. In case that was not complicated enough, there -- they

are voting on to substance. There is the first-past-the-post that we

use and in the United States. There is also a proportional system so

you vote for a list and a coalition of parties. Two separate voting

systems. Two separate houses. Six rounds of voting in all. Simple

enough. A the I am glad there is someone who understands all of

that! Other Nears. The Iranian embassy in

London now stands empty after its diplomats were expelled from

Britain. Removal men cleared the west London address and later

Iranian diplomatic staff and families throw out -- flew out of

Heathrow. William Hague has ordered the closure after the British

diplomatic compounds in Tehran were stoned on Tuesday.

The former military American headquarters near Baghdad has been

handed over to Iraqi control. Baize was certainly grounds of a huge

palace complex built by her Saddam Hussein. It was once home to 50,000

US service personnel. Hillary Clinton has met Burma's

pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, for a second time. They met in

Rangoon where Aung San Suu Kyi was kept under house arrest until her

release the year ago. After talks, Aung San Suu Kyi said she was

confident about the prospects for democratic reform in Burma.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ended the week on a somewhat

downbeat tone saying it will take years to resolve the eurozone debt

crisis. She also told the German parliament that work had begun to

create a fiscal union which would provide greater stability among

countries using the European single currency. Meanwhile, President

Sarkozy of France has been meeting the British Prime Minister David

Cameron to discuss the Franco- German rescue plan.

Talk of a treaty change was in the air as the car carrying the lead up

of Britain's biggest non- eurozone economy came into the courtyard of

the lease a palace. They were getting together again for talks.

Mr Cameron would have wanted to hear what his friend has meant when

he talked of the French and Germans creating a revised treaty. Mr

Cameron once the crisis resolved quickly but not at the expense of

British influence. When you look at the crisis in the eurozone, the

need is for the institutions of the eurozone to get behind the current

sirens -- currency. The second fundamental thing is real

competitiveness throughout the eurozone so that it works properly.

Neither of those required treaty change. I am very clear that if

there is a treaty change, I will make sure that we further protect

and enhance Britain's interest. truth, this was where the real

focus on the eurozone crisis was today. From Europe's biggest

economic power and its key leader, the latest message that it is time

to think they can work towards fiscal Europe's -- fiscal union.

She also warned that it will be a long haul. TRANSLATION: There are

no easy and fast solutions, especially not, as some people

insist of saying head off any summit, the apparent one last push.

That is neither my kind of language or my way of thinking. The

resolution of the euro crisis is a process and this process will take

years. Despite that forecast, in Frankfurt the market reacted

positively to the news that France and Germany are working on new

joint proposals. There is still a nervousness that next week will be

another important week and are France and Germany really talking

the same language on greater integration and discipline in the

eurozone? On Monday, the ozone's bid to will have their latest get

together to thrash out their ideas. Angela Merkel may have brought

about years, but the focus right now is on a crisis calendar that

will lead to a Brussels again at the end of next week and the latest

grunge EU summit. -- the latest crunch EU summit.

The plight of women in Afghanistan and the rough justice they are

often subjected to forced supposed sexual transgressions hit the hen

nights from time to time. One case that has attracted a lot of tension

is that of Gulnaz. She was jailed for being raped. When she appealed,

her sentence was increased from two to 12 years. Then she was given the

choice of marrying the man who wrote tap and made her pregnant or

of serving a jail sentence. But she I appealed the first time my

sentence was two years. The second time it became 12 years. I didn't

do anything. Why should I be sentenced for so long? Today,

President Karzai of Afghanistan intervened and gave Gulnaz a full

pardon. She won't have to marry the man who raped here. It is possible,

as in Afghan culture it would restore her family's honour. This

is what her lawyer said about that. Gulnaz is going to be released with

no conditions. She does not have to marry her attacker. She has been

pardoned and also granted early release by President Karzai, with

no conditions. If she so chooses to marry him, that is her decision. I

received that from the President shall palace, so I could have

better clarification on what exactly her situation was.

lawyer there for the woman simply known as "Gulnaz." Abuse against

women in Afghanistan is monitored by Human Rights Watch. Heather Barr

is with the organisation in Kabul. She told us why this case has

attracted such international attention. I think it is really a

shocking story. It's a shocking story in Afghanistan. It is a more

shocking story to people who are not familiar with the challenges

women face here. It is a shocking story because it comes at the

moment when we're about to mark the tenth anniversary of the conference

which marks the end of the Taliban Government and what was meant to be

a new dawn for Afghan women. Do you think this denial of women's rights,

discrimination, sexual violence against them is something which is

more common in Taliban-held areas in Afghanistan? Well, I think that

what Gulnaz's case really demonstrates is that while life is

terrible for women under the Taliban, life is not good for women

under the Afghan Government either. It's the Afghan Government's formal

justice system that put Gulnaz in prison. So, while it's certainly

true there has been significant progress made for women since the

fall of the Taliban, this really demonstrates that progress has been

far less than Afghan women had the right to hope for. And the sad

thing is, Heather is there is a kind of conspiracy of silence

because the women themselves are just too scared to speak out,

aren't they? We had that case in 208, when a female Lieutenant

Colonel in the Afghan police force, trying to document abuse against

women was shot dead in her car. This sends a clear message - if you

are being victimised, sexually assaulted, forced into a marriage

against your will, don't go looking for hellch it is likely you'll be

victimised again by being -- looking for help, it is likely

you'll be victimised again by being stigmatised. It is a bleak

situation you describe there, Heather. What can be done to

prevent such suffering continuing on such a large scale in

Afghanistan? Some of the things which can be done include making

sure that shelter is available for women facing violence or forced

marriage. Making sure shelters are protected. Pushing back against

forces that want to close down shelters, who see women as property

of men and don't think they should have the right to flee abuse. The

Government can do a lot to make sure women have access to shelter.

Donors can do a lot to pay for those services. There has been some

progress. There are 14 shelters in Afghanistan. That does not meet the

need in a country where violence against women is endemic.

Heather Barr from Human Rights Watch talking to us from Kabul. The

parliamentary election campaign in Russia is coming to a close as

voters prepare to go to the polls on Sunday. The key question is; how

far the ruling United Russia party will hold on to its huge majority

in the State Duma. The United Russia party is chaired by the

Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin and has dominated legislators for the

best part of a decade. It controls 315 of the 450 seats in the du ma,

which gives it the two-thirds majority it needs to pass changes

to the Russian constitution if it wants to. The rest of the seats are

held by the Communist Party, the national and Liberal Democrats and

the Social Democratic Fair Russia. Like his party, Vladimir Putin has

dominated politics in Russia when he became President, he said he

would clamp down on the oligarch, that is the small group of

businessmen who control much of Russia's wealth. A decade on,

Russian public life is still riddled by extensive corruption.

Our Moscow correspondent has been investigating.

In a Moscow graveyard, the tomb of a young corporate lawyer who died

in prison after a severe beating and months of medical neglect. He

had been investigating a tax fraud of over �100 million. The tax

officials and policemen he accused of organising it turned the tables

on hip and had him arrested. Within a year he -- on him and had him

arrested. Within a year he was dead. This woman's family became multi-

million yeahs soon afterwards. Her mother-in-law is the owner of this

ultra modern house worth �10 million. Her husband bought villas.

She claims the money came from her husband's business. The tax returns

show a joint income of only �20,000. It's terrible. I don't know how

these people live with themselves. They have no conscience. I find it

very difficult to come to terms with that. For many observers the

death of the man epitomises some of Russia's biggest problems. Out of

control officials, enriching themselves and nobody to bring them

to account. Outside Moscow, behind huge fences, dozens of secretive

luxury estates have sprouted up. These �10 million houses should be

way out of the reach of any public servant, but they're not. 60% of

the buyers of housing in Russia, top end housing in Russia are

Russian Government employees. ferry the new elite around,

thousands of luxury cars have been bought, can taxpayers' money. Top

of the range mersaisys, Audi and BMWs. This scandal was discovered

by this man, a former KGB officer and one of the few voices in the

Parliament against the rampant corruption. Our bureaucrats did not

save any money. They spent a lot, just for their luxury, just for

their pleasure. The corruption is spiralling

because the Parliament has become a toothless tiger. During this

session on fraud, it was half empty and no-one was listening. In fact

the deputies themselves were cheating, running around voting on

behalf of colleagues who had not turned up.

Fascinating! He's the face and voice of natural history

broadcasting in Britain. His extraordinary career spans almost

60 years. Now Sir David Attenborough has spoken out on

climate change, as his latest Frozen Planet series comes to a

climax, he is warning in his view the speed of the ice melting has

implications for us all. It is smothered by the world's greatest

ice sheet. It is a journey of breathe of taking journey, to polar

regions w audiences in their millions, guided by the giant of

natural history broadcasting, David Attenborough. The last of the

series next week is a highly personal view. The Adelie penguin

is the most southerly nesting of all penguins. Like the polar bear,

up in the north, their lives are dependant on the sea ice.

His big concern is the effect of rising temperatures. Here a huge

iceberg breaks away from Greenland. This does happen naturally, but the

melting could accelerate if the Arctic and part of Antarctica

continue to warm up. When I met David Attenborough for

an interview, he explained it was the speed of change that was most

striking and worrying. This change is extremely shift. It

is happening within our lifetime. We've seen it happening. That is a

- in geological terms, in biological terms, it is hugely

swift. So, to adapt, you can adapt to slow change. Quick change is

much more difficult. One of the great features of the

Antarctic coast, the Wilkins Ice Shelf is scene breaking up. The

crew filmed fissures. It fits into a pattern of change. It's not

beyond possibility that warming will actually cause sea level rises,

which could threaten the wildlife. Is there a risk of sounding too

alarmist about this? I try not to. The fact is that we know these

changes are happening. The evidence for that is incontro vertible. As

far as we can see ahead, if they go on they will have catastrophic

effectsen the human race. Be-- effects on the human race. Behind

this is the life-long passion for what he is known - wildlife and his

delight in his favourite polar creature.

I think a caterpillar, a caterpillar that lives for 14 years

and is frozen solid, frozen solid to its core, 14 times, which takes

14 years to accumulate enough food to allow it to grow into a moth.

That's amazing! But what about the future? Well

scientists can not be sure about the rate of melting. We do know

that distant regions that once seemed irrelevant feel much closer

to us now. Got to go. Goodbye. Enjoy your

Hello. There is rain tonight with England and Wales seeing the bulk

of that. For all it will be windy. The windy weather stays with us for

the weekend. With that, with plenty of showers for north-western areas.

Low pressure to the north of the UK. This will push weather fronts over

us with the rain. Quickly in the morning it will clear from the

south. We keep a lot of cloud during the day.

These showers are on brisk winds. By 3pm the showers keep on coming

into north-west England. To the east of the Pennines, mainly dry

with sunny spells. That is the picture for the East Midlands.

Southern counties of England though, we keep a lot of cloud. One or two

showers around here. It is mild, 11-12 Celsius, but it is windy so

we lose the benefit. In Cornwall there could be spells of rain on

and off. In Wales, brighter skies the further east you are.

Showers to the north and west of Northern Ireland. The further

south-east you are the more likely you will stay dry. Showers wintry

on hills. Strong winds to begin the day in northern Scotland. They will

ease down a little bit during the day. Showers on Saturday night