15/12/2011 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today, with me Zeinab Badawi. Mission ended,

but is it mission accomplished? A formal ceremony in Baghdad marks

the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq - were there any gains?

This is a time for Iraq to look forward. This is an opportunity for

Iraq to forge ahead on the path to security and prosperity. Disgraced,

but not in prison - France's Jacques Chirac is found guilty of

corruption gets a suspended jail term. Putin faces his public during

his annual phone-in he says he's pleased young people protested over

the election results. Also coming up in the programme: the small

piece of writing by a teenager that's fetched more than a million

dollars at auction. A manuscript, written by British author Charlotte

Bronte when she was just 14 is sold to a French museum. And taking

Hollywood by storm - the silent era film The Artist tops the list of

contenders for the Golden Globes Hello and welcome. Nearly nine

years of United States military involvement in Iraq is over. At a

symbolic ceremony in Baghdad the American military standard was

lowered, formally marking the end of a hugely controversial conflict.

The US Defence Secretary, Leon Panetta, said it was mission

accomplished, and worth the enormous cost, in both dollars and

lives. Our World Affairs Editor, John Simpson, reports from Baghdad.

A quiet, down beat ceremony marks the end of an occupation which

lasted 1 hundred months, cost the lives of 4,500 Americans and of an

unknown number of Iraqis. This is a time for Iraq to look forward. This

is an opportunity for Iraq to forge ahead on the path to security and

prosperity. Welcome to Sadr City, a sprawling working class Shi'ite

suburb of Baghdad. The occupiers are going, says the poster, thanks

to our Government. But things have changed here out of all recognition.

The last time I was here in Sadr City was about three years ago and

I have to say I was nervous. Kidnapping was rife and there were

bombs here justy day. Now, well, you can see for yourself how

relaxed everything is. But not everything is necessarily better.

There are power Kuti day here and in every where in reek. -- power

cuts. -- in Iraq, the Americans never fixed the electricity supply.

They put in water supplies, but that has been forgotten. Instead,

people remember the American atabs on the city. This man keeps the

pictures on his mobile. -- American attacks. These are pictures from

the internet and that is American laughter. At the meat market, you

don't find any love for the United States. The butchers of Baghdad are

happy to see the back of the Americans. The chicken seller sairs

they brought poverty and killed our children. According to the man who

sells cow hearts, they destroyed our country. And the Searl of

sheeps' heads thinks things were better under Saddam. But the United

States has done a good job of training the security forces here.

These check points are every where and are the front line of the civil

war. There are attacks ony day. There were 79 bomb attacks last

month. This one targeted the Prime Minister. Still in 2007, there were

1,000 bombs a month. The suffering doesn't stop, but the insurgency is

vizibly winding down. For 40 years not just the eight of the American

occupation, Iraq has known little more than dictatorship, war and

isolation. Now, people are daring to hope that their luck may finally

be changing. We hope to have more thon that ceremony in Iraq later.

Now claims of fraud, protests and calls for him to step down have

made one of the more testing months of Vladimir Putin's political

career. Today he was giving his annual televised phone in. It

lasted more than four hours, and he accepted that the demonstration a

that have been taken place in Russia were lawful, but he accused

the organisers of trying to weaken the country at the behest of

western powers. Here is our Moscow correspondent. Vladimir Putin holds

a live question and answer session on television each year. This year

after the protests in Moscow, everyone was looking for signs of

weakness to the -- or concessions, but there are not any. He entered

the studio as confident as ever. He was Russian ya's president for

eight years and had been Prime Minister for four. But now he is

facing his biggest crisis. In the first few questions he dealt with

the Parliamentary election results. TRANSLATION: I have no doubt that

the result reflects the real balance of power in the country.

Five days ago thousands of people took to the streets of Moscow to

protest against those results. He said he was glad is many young

people had become politically active, but suggested that some of

the opposition were being paid by foreign powers. TRANSLATION: There

are of course people with passports of the Russian confederation but

are working for the foreign powers. We will try to win those people

over. It made me furious... Evidence that the election was

rigged is aCombe lating. This man was a about an observe ein a

polling station, but the result he witnessed was changed when it was

entered into the national data banks. The number of votes given to

the ruling party was double the original counts. Blen you see it

with your own eyes so play Tantly and... -- blatantly and

unsophisticatedly done, I felt betrayed, I felt infuriated. I felt

very angry at the people who did it to me and who did it to people like

me. That story is far from unique. We have been sent examples from

across the Russian Federation, where the number of votes received

by United Russia went up from the initial certified results to the

results entered in the official computer. But all that was swept

aside as Vladimir Putin gave a bravura performance lasting over

four and a half hours. He head no - - made no concession that there was

cheating. He said that is what opposition parties claim every

where in the world. And he also attacked the west. He said he would

like to be an ally of America, but that sometimes it seemed to me him

that America isn't looking for allies. Now a look at some of the

days other news. A US-based rights group has named Syrian military

commanders whom it accuses of ordering soldiers to shoot-to-kill

during the anti-government protests. Human Rights Watch says 74 senior

government officials and military officers are directly involved in

crimes against humanity. The findings are based on testimony

from Syrian army defectors. At least 140 people have died, after

drinking contaminated alcohol in India. The district hospital near

Calcutta where most of the patients are being treated is said to be

full to capacity. The illegally- made cheap liquor contained toxic

methanol and was sold in a village shop. Seven people have been

arrested. The Governor of the Bank of France said the British debt

should be downgraded before French debt. He said Britain was in a

weaker position than France. The police in South Africa are

investigating allegations that illegal filming took place outside

Nelson Mandela's home. The former president, who is 93, has now

retired from public life and lives in the Eastern Cape region. One of

two international news agencies being investigated has denied

spying on the former president. The country singer, Billie Jo Spears,

has died at her home in Texas. She was 73. Her hits included Mr Walker,

It's All Over, What I've Got in Mind and Misty Blue. But she'll be

best remembered for her song Blanket on the Ground, which was

number one in the country charts in the US in 1975. The former French

president, Jacques Chirac, has been convicted on corruption charges and

given a two-year suspended sentence, after being found guilty of

creating fictitious jobs for members of his party when he was

mayor of Paris. Mr Chirac is the first former French head of state

to be convicted since the wartime collaborationist leader, Marshall

Petain. He says he won't appeal, because he no longer has the

strength to fight. From Paris, Christian Fraser reports. It is the

only time since Marshal Petain and before him Louis 16th that the

highest office in is in land has faced justice. Jacques Chirac was

convicted and sentenced as a common criminal. The 79-year-old was found

guilty of paying friends and allies with public funds between 1977 and

1995 while the mayor of Paris. In effect he used the civic payroll to

support his campaigns. The collusion, embezzlement and abuse

of power, he was handed a two-year suspended sentence. Escaping jail,

but shamed nonetheless. TRANSLATION: For the family it's

very painful, but we must accept it. I think the decision is much too

severe for him. At no point in the trial did Jacques Chirac give

evidence. He is suffering from a condition linked to Alzheimer's

triggered by a mini-stroke. Generally, opinions were divided on

whether the former president should have faced trial. There is still

affection for a man whose values are seen as very French. He is more

popular than the man who replaced him A two year sentence may appear

lenient. But the real punishment is the verdict. It an unfortunate foot

note to 12 years in power and one that sheer sheer fought to avoid. -

- sheer sheer fought to avoid. -- Jacques Chirac fought to avoid.

Agnes Poirier is a French journalist living in London. She's

been following the Chirac case and joins me now. A lenient sentence I

think most people are thinking. But that was no surprise? Actually it

was a surprise. Nobody thought that he would ever get convicted.

Because the first French president since Marshal Petain I think, which

is a long time ago, to be convicted for abuse of trust. And illegal

conflict of interest. Nobody thought he was going to be found

guilty in France? Well no, yes, not, because I mean, it is a long case.

He was the mayor of Paris between 1977 and 1995. That is almost 20

years. And this took place for a long time. He did reimburse all the

fake salaries, or the real salaries for the fake jobs and the town hall

was actually not pressing any charges. But the fact, the fact he

has been found guilty now, but he has got a sentence, what do you

think people make of that? He is a very old man and he is frail. A lot

of people rejuice at the sentence, because it proves that justice can

be independent. -- rejoice. And a president can be found guilty. On

the other hand, a lot of people say it comes too late. Why, perhaps we

should scrap that immunity that French presidentsen joy. What is

what he cited as he was serving as a president? Yes, it could have

happened just a shortly after he left power. Now, he is a frail man.

So ewe rejoice without rejoicing. Is it a big stain on his legacy.

There are no other political implications? Yes it is a stain. In

a way Jacques Chirac serve Foard long time and he was a minister --

served for a long time and he was a minister ten years before I was

born. He had a long and career and he was he was very appreciated on

the world stage. He said no to the war in Iraq. He did achieve many

things. He was also the man the French left loved to hate. But

nobody hates him any more. And this has brought the curtain down in an

Back to the top storey of the end of US involvement in Iraq. Joining

us from New York is Matthew Sherman, a former State Department official

-- official who spent three years working in Iraq. Was it all worth

it in terms of dollars and the lives lost? I still think it is too

early to tell. What today does mark is an important milestone in the

evolving relationship. With the US military gone, the politics of Iraq

changes because they played such an important role and now you have an

opportunity for the Iraqi political environment to stabilise which

means it will be a different US and Iraq relationship and the type of

political relationship in Iraq but also a different relationship with

how Iraq used itself in the region and on the world stage. -- views

itself. While the military mission is at an end there is a challenging

diplomatic mission ahead. Under lot of people are saying that the irony

of the mission to go into Iraq is that it has delivered one of

America's big enemies in the region, Iran, a much stronger hand because

it has a lot of influence now in post Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

would have to disagree with that slyly. What is important for us to

remember is the strength of Iraqi nationalism. I don't think Iraq

wants to be a client state for anyone, beat the international

community, Iran -- be it the international community, Iran, any

country. It will be important for us to see how Iraqi nationalism

involves the -- have also the next coming months and years. That will

be the true test inside the country. But you cannot discount what the

critics say when they say Iran does have influence in Iraq. The Prime

Minister himself has spent time in Iran. They are co-religionists in

the sense that they are all Shia Muslims. But now the mission has

transformed Iraq into a Shia Muslim majority country run by a Shia

Muslim government. Again, I would have to say that you need to take

into mind something that brings together all Iraqis, and that is

nationalism. It is also important not to forget the history Iraq has

with Iran. Having been there for so many years and having engaged with

these leaders on many issues, it is that nationalism that runs through

Iraq and even in the government while Iran it will play a role

within Iraq, Iraq also has to deal diplomatically with its neighbours.

We have to be mindful of that as we move forward in the months and

years to come. Briefly, from the American perspective, a lot of

people will be glad to see this chapter closed. It was a war which

Barack Obama as a senator said was a dumb war. It is bad to categorise

any of these things with simple statements such as that. This is a

very complex type of situation. It has been complex for the nine and a

half years we have been there and complex for the soldiers and

statesman on the ground. But what we need to look as well is to the

future and be able to look at how we can utilise the remaining

strategic influence to help stabilise Iraq to be independent of

Iran which means helping diplomatic relations with in the region and

also being able to help Baghdad become a stronger player on the

international stage. Matthew Sherman, thank you for joining us

from New York. It's half the size of a credit card, has 19 pages and

4,000 words, and today it sold for nearly �700,000. This tiny

manuscript was written in 1830 by the British author, Charlotte

Bronte, who wrote Jane Eyre and Emma amongst other great novels. To

the disappointment of British collectors, it's on its way to a

museum in France, as Ed Thomas reports. So small you need a

magnifying glass to read it, but every page is crafted with short

stories. It details an imaginary world written by Charlotte Bronte

for her brother's toy soldiers. It has not been seen in public for

over 60 years until its owners, a German family, sold it at auction

today. Its new home will be a museum in France, a disappointment

for many when you consider how important this tiny manuscript

eased to English literature. This is the first time it has been seen

in living memory. It has not been known about. Modern scholarship has

not seen it, so it's an exciting opportunity. That significance is

not lost here in the village where the Bronte sisters grew up. The

family home is now a museum and the trustees were outbid at auction.

They wanted it to complete the set, because all six of the many

manuscripts were written here. And it was in this room that Charlotte

Bronte would talk about her story ideas with her sisters and with a

brother. And it is on this table that her classics were written like

Jane Eyre. He said that every now and then they glided from his eyes

to his brain where a immense fire was burning. And when you listen to

Charlotte Bronte A's words of the manuscript you might recognise

similar passages in Jane Eyre. For many this goes some way to explain

how her genius developed. It is significant because this teenager

became one of the greatest novelists in the English language.

And it is because -- significant because this particular book has

the seeds of Charlotte's greatest work, Jane Eyre. The manuscript may

not be coming home, but there is one edition missing, and with it,

more Bronte story has yet to be told. -- Bronte stories yet to be

told. The Golden Globe nominations have been announced and this year's

leading contender is "The Artist" which tells the story of the demise

of the silent era in Hollywood. Other films in the running include

George Clooney's film "The Descendants"; "The Help" about

African-American maids in 1960s Mississippi, and Stephen

Spielberg's "War Horse". In a moment, I'll be discussing all of

this with film critic Jason Solomons, first let's take at look

If Jason, you either love it or hate it. I think it has six

nominations at the Golden Globes, so obviously somebody loves it.

What about you? I think every one that sees it loves it. Seeing a

small club does not do justice -- justice. Anyone seeing it

surrendered to its beauty and daring and the swooning love story

and a very fact it is a silent movie. You have to know what you're

doing. It will be the first French may be to win Best Picture at the

Oscars and the first silent-movie for 80 years. Why is this old

fashioned thing taking people by storm? Because it is really good.

It is brilliantly done, it is lovely and I suppose it is about

storytelling and tells you that you are away from the pyrotechnics of

these days to what we like about The actress her name is peppy

Mellor, and it is a peppy film. Clearly you like it, and I haven't

seen it. Tate it for me it is good. J son, you're usually right. What

about The Help, set in the 1960s in Mississippi? Before we talk about

it here is a clip. Hold on. She looks like the winning horse at the

Kentucky Derby. That has paprika on. Forgive me Lord, but I don't have

to kill that woman. Now she's dead put some marks on the toilet paper.

But I carried the papering from my own damn house. So that is

basically about African American maids working in a White House told.

The maids are meant to confess in the -- made to confess her horrors

of their lives. This film was very popular in America, but I think

that has this many nominations is terrible. I found that film

extremely problematic. Just backlit, watching the old stereotypes being

reinforced, and I know with the distance of age, but we are looking

black characters playing rolling eyes maids in the back of the

kitchen. I don't think we have progressed any further. This film

is a hugely retrograde step. Whereas The Artist is a forward

step even though it is going back into nostalgia, but this film is

not really changed. It is not told from the black standpoint. For me

this film is a sort of embarrassment and not the sort of

film I would expect Hollywood to be lauding. I don't think it will make

it through to the Oscars. But it might do. The actress does have

extreme dignity in the role, but I find the film uncomfortable to

watch from the off. What about some of the films that have not made the

list? Some highly acclaimed films like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

I was very upset to see the film shut-out. It has a fantastic cast

and a brave performance by Gary Oldman and looks fantastic. Colin

Firth is in it. A great British cast. It seems that film, which has

been popular in Britain, has not quite translated to America. I am

worried it will be shut out of the awards and I think it is one of the

most clever and stylish and interesting works of film of the

year. It may get their revenge with BAFTA claiming the back. But

somehow the Americans, so far, seem to be shunning it. And also the

Tree of Life, Terence Malik, that has been shunned. It won the Cannes

Film Festival award. It has been completely shut out by the Golden

Globes. They don't want any of that hippy nonsense! But The Artist,

given their props, a good choice. You don't sound a happy man really,

apart from The Artist. Thank you for that. After almost nine years