:00:10. > :00:13.This is BBC World News Today. I'm Zeinab Badawi. The Syrian
:00:13. > :00:18.authorities say they will strike back with an iron fist, after an
:00:18. > :00:22.apparent suicide bombing in Damascus. Syrian media claim dozens
:00:22. > :00:27.are dead or injured, and blame terrorists. But how credible are
:00:27. > :00:30.those claims? There was a very strong sense that
:00:31. > :00:33.the Syrian authorities wanted to display what had happened. There
:00:34. > :00:37.were crowds of people chanting pro- regime slogans in support of Bashar
:00:37. > :00:40.al-Assad. The British government says there's
:00:40. > :00:48.no urgent need to remove sub- standard breast implants but it
:00:48. > :00:51.will cover costs for women who had their surgery under the NHS.
:00:51. > :00:56.A key moment for Turkey - its former army chief is arrested over
:00:56. > :00:59.an alleged plot to topple the government a few years ago.
:00:59. > :01:03.Also coming up in the programme: The African National Congress marks
:01:03. > :01:13.its centenary. As South Africa's ruling party prepares for a weekend
:01:13. > :01:17.
:01:17. > :01:27.of celebrations, we ask where next And the new sound of 2012. We meet
:01:27. > :01:34.
:01:34. > :01:36.the winner of the BBC's search for Hello and welcome. It's difficult
:01:36. > :01:39.to verify events in Syria, because journalists can not operate
:01:39. > :01:42.independently, but according to the Syrian Interior Ministry around two
:01:42. > :01:49.dozen people and many more were injured in a suicide bombing in
:01:49. > :01:52.Damascus today. The bombing comes two days before the Arab League is
:01:52. > :01:57.due to consider the initial report of its monitoring mission in the
:01:57. > :02:00.country. The Syrian opposition claim the authorities staged the
:02:00. > :02:09.bombing to bolster their claims that terrorists and armed gangs are
:02:09. > :02:13.behind the killings in Syria. Mike Wooldridge has more.
:02:13. > :02:18.Another scene of devastation in the centre of Damascus. The wreckage of
:02:18. > :02:28.a bus said to be carrying a policeman. Other vehicles with
:02:28. > :02:32.shattered windows, multiple Syrian state television and
:02:32. > :02:35.breaking the news, the reporter says the blast happened in an area
:02:35. > :02:41.heavily populated, especially before Friday prayers with people
:02:41. > :02:46.going shopping. They were targeted in addition to security personnel.
:02:46. > :02:51.The television calls it the work of a suicide bomber, a terrorist
:02:51. > :02:56.explosion. Anger at the scene in the aftermath. The interior
:02:56. > :03:02.minister said a suicide bomber targetted cars and pedestrians and
:03:02. > :03:06.detonated explosives to kill as many people as possible. It comes
:03:06. > :03:11.two weeks after the authorities say there was an attack by suicide
:03:11. > :03:16.bombers in Damascus on buildings associated with security forces.
:03:16. > :03:22.The attack killed 44 people. The government blamed Al-Qaeda,
:03:22. > :03:27.opposition say the regime was behind it. It shows the escalation
:03:27. > :03:30.of the violence in Syria and its changing nature. Whether today's
:03:30. > :03:35.explosion will lead to similar claim and counter-claim is not
:03:35. > :03:38.clear. The main armed group fighting the government indicates
:03:38. > :03:42.it was not involved. It coincides with increasing controversy over
:03:42. > :03:49.the effectiveness of the Arab League observer mission currently
:03:49. > :03:52.in Syria. The President's government is accused of misleading
:03:52. > :03:57.the Arab League monitors by not taking them to some of the most
:03:57. > :04:00.vocal anti- government areas. On Thursday, a group of observers to
:04:00. > :04:06.break away from the government minders to visit a suburb in
:04:06. > :04:10.Damascus. These pictures filmed by BBC Arabic show the monitors in
:04:10. > :04:17.orange vests being encircled as they are here by with his accounts
:04:17. > :04:20.from angry grieving citizens. This man has said his son was shot by a
:04:20. > :04:27.sniper and stabbed to death as he was leaving a mosque during
:04:27. > :04:32.protests. The observers did not witness any violence but these
:04:32. > :04:38.pictures seem to show the same suburb later that day with people
:04:38. > :04:42.fleeing in panic as gunfire breaks out. Some Arab League countries
:04:42. > :04:50.admit the 100 strong mission may have fallen short in its duty and
:04:50. > :04:53.agrees to send 40 more observers. Ian Black is the Middle East Editor
:04:53. > :04:56.for The Guardian newspaper. He was allowed to visit the scene two
:04:56. > :05:04.hours after the blast and he told the BBC a little earlier about what
:05:04. > :05:10.he was able to see. The most striking evidence I saw
:05:10. > :05:17.were the remains of a man who had blown himself up. There was part of
:05:17. > :05:24.a head and some feat, a grisly scene. And other identifiable bits
:05:24. > :05:31.of a human body in a plastic bag by one of the buses which was targeted.
:05:31. > :05:37.By the time I and other journalists were taken to the place to see it,
:05:37. > :05:47.there were no other bodies there, they had been removed, as had to
:05:47. > :05:53.the injured. There were other what appeared to be body parts,
:05:53. > :05:58.unidentifiable to the non expert eye but human remains which were
:05:58. > :06:04.shown to the media to be filmed repeatedly, and there was a strong
:06:04. > :06:09.sense the Syrian authorities wanted to do display what had happened.
:06:09. > :06:15.There were crowds of people chanting slogans, pro regime
:06:15. > :06:20.slogans in support of Bashar al- Assad. Hostility to those traitors
:06:20. > :06:26.he carried out the crime. It has to be said it took place in an
:06:26. > :06:33.ordinary neighbourhood of Damascus. A Guardian reporter talking about
:06:33. > :06:37.the attack in Damascus today. Some of the other news: Binyamin, tens
:06:37. > :06:40.of thousands have held street protest putting pressure on the
:06:40. > :06:47.President to honour his agreement to step down next month.
:06:47. > :06:51.The protesters called on authorities to release prisoners.
:06:51. > :06:56.Supporters of the President held a separate protest near by.
:06:56. > :07:00.The latest US employment figures showed they are better than
:07:00. > :07:05.President Obama might have hoped for. There were 200,000 new jobs to
:07:05. > :07:10.bring unemployment down to 8.5%, the lowest in three years.
:07:10. > :07:14.Further protests across Nigeria against the controversial removal
:07:14. > :07:19.of a fuel subsidy by the government. It has doubled the cost of petrol.
:07:19. > :07:23.Hundreds gathered in the capital but were prevented from entering
:07:23. > :07:26.eagle square by armed police and soldiers.
:07:26. > :07:30.The World Boxing Association will investigate the ringside appearance
:07:30. > :07:35.of an unknown man who seemed to speak to officials during Amir
:07:35. > :07:41.Khan's defeat. He pasted photographs of the incident on his
:07:41. > :07:44.Twitter feet. He said it took a long time to announce a fight after
:07:44. > :07:47.the fight was finished. Britain's government says there is no
:07:47. > :07:50.evidence to recommend the urgent removal of faulty breast implants
:07:50. > :07:54.given to thousands of women in the UK. However, it says it will cover
:07:54. > :07:56.the costs of removal for the small minority of women who had their
:07:56. > :08:06.surgery under the National Health Service but not if was done
:08:06. > :08:09.
:08:09. > :08:13.privately. Our medical correspondent Fergus Walsh reports.
:08:13. > :08:16.These breast implants are being filmed with medically tested
:08:16. > :08:21.silicone, a company in North Lanarkshire is the only British
:08:21. > :08:27.firm which makes them. The French Poly Implant Prothese implants had
:08:27. > :08:32.industrial grade silicone and were banned. Health officials in the
:08:32. > :08:38.Czech Republic followed France's lead recommending women have the
:08:38. > :08:43.implants removed as a precaution. The official line is there is no
:08:43. > :08:48.need for removal but the NHS will pay for replacement implants if
:08:48. > :08:51.cancer patients are suffering anxiety. It's important not to
:08:51. > :08:56.exaggerate the reasons to be worried but if women are worried we
:08:56. > :09:01.will support them. I expects and the expert group want to see
:09:01. > :09:08.private providers offer the same standard of care. It's thought
:09:08. > :09:13.40,000 or more UK women have Poly Implant Prothese implants. 95% done
:09:14. > :09:20.privately for breast enlargement. 5% were done by the NHS for breast
:09:20. > :09:25.reconstruction after cancer. Karen is desperate to have her Poly
:09:25. > :09:29.Implant Prothese implants removed, one has ruptured. Ministers say
:09:29. > :09:34.private clinics are morally obliged to help patients like her but there
:09:34. > :09:41.are no legal powers to force them. I don't know where it has left me.
:09:41. > :09:46.I do not have the funds to have them removed. I must walk around...
:09:46. > :09:51.It could get worse. The issue comes down to an assessment of risk.
:09:51. > :09:55.Every woman undergoing implant surgery is told there is a danger
:09:55. > :09:59.of complications and that increases the longer the implants stay in.
:09:59. > :10:03.Eventually, they may need to be replaced. The government review
:10:03. > :10:07.group considered whether the Poly Implant Prothese implants carried
:10:07. > :10:12.additional an acceptable risks that would require the removal. They are
:10:12. > :10:17.very robust. This surgeon says private clinics should pay for
:10:17. > :10:22.replacements but women must not be abandoned by the NHS. They did not
:10:22. > :10:26.know the risk that they would be implanted with non-medical great
:10:26. > :10:32.implants, the NHS picks up the bill for smoking and alcohol related
:10:32. > :10:36.diseases. We all know smoking and alcohol can cause problems and yet
:10:36. > :10:41.the NHS picks up the bill. Government's decision means women
:10:41. > :10:44.who cannot persuade private clinics to help them will have to pay for
:10:44. > :10:50.replacements like bees or simply live with their Poly Implant
:10:50. > :10:54.Prothese implants. The former head of the Turkish
:10:54. > :11:00.armed forces has been arrested as part of an investigation into an
:11:00. > :11:05.attempt to overthrow the government. A prosecutor said he should be
:11:05. > :11:09.remanded in custody after he testified in court in Istanbul.
:11:09. > :11:18.General Ilker Basbug is the highest ranking of to be linked to the
:11:18. > :11:23.investigation. Prosecutors say the network plan to topple the Islamist
:11:23. > :11:27.government in a 2003. There are carry 400 suspects on trial over
:11:27. > :11:34.several alleged anti- government plots by the military and the
:11:34. > :11:39.secular establishment. A London- based Turkish analyst and research
:11:39. > :11:43.associate at the Foreign Policy Centre in London. He joins me. So,
:11:43. > :11:49.this is quite a key moment for Turkey when you have a former head
:11:49. > :11:54.of the army being asked by a civilian court to undergo these
:11:54. > :12:01.charges. Yes, no matter what angle we look at it, it's a historical
:12:01. > :12:07.moment. Just as any historical moment, the glass is half full or
:12:07. > :12:11.half empty. It signifiers the normalisation of democracy in
:12:11. > :12:17.Turkey when an accusation can be brought against a leading military
:12:17. > :12:21.officer and they do have to stand before the law. It raises serious
:12:21. > :12:29.questions though about Turkish judiciary and how the cases handled
:12:29. > :12:33.and put questions. It will be a key test for the Turkish government as
:12:33. > :12:40.to whether the trial will be conducted properly if Turkey wishes
:12:40. > :12:45.to impress upon its critics it is a modern secular state. Indeed. A lot
:12:45. > :12:53.of the problems with the court case or the prose is issues are not
:12:53. > :12:59.necessarily the problems relating to A E K A. It needs reform and the
:12:59. > :13:03.EU has been critical on various occasions. Effaces criticisms not
:13:03. > :13:07.only at international level in showing the ultimate goal is
:13:07. > :13:13.democracy but also at the domestic level. There are questions and
:13:13. > :13:21.certain parts of Turkish society that see the court case as a
:13:21. > :13:27.punishment. With the recent issue with the bombings and listed by the
:13:27. > :13:33.military and did it apologise for the bombings. In Turkey, the
:13:33. > :13:38.military are the custodians of the secular nature of the state and the
:13:38. > :13:43.president with his roots, it is not a him of trying to undermine his
:13:44. > :13:47.secular opponents? It really isn't. They have spent enough time in
:13:47. > :13:51.office for us to be able to assess the agenda and attitude and
:13:51. > :13:59.political theology. The critics would raise questions whether or
:13:59. > :14:07.not the case symbolises a making it more like Russia. A strong party
:14:07. > :14:12.and a strong ruler. Even that would be a dubious reading of the
:14:12. > :14:16.situation. He denies all the charges and says Huckerby accused
:14:16. > :14:22.by the government which appointed me head of the military in Turkey.
:14:22. > :14:26.Yes, the accusation is not that he was necessarily trying to overthrow
:14:26. > :14:32.the government but that he gave permission to misinformation
:14:32. > :14:36.campaigns being run by the Office against the government. The
:14:36. > :14:40.accusations a quite specific and manageable. The overall case
:14:40. > :14:44.involving hundreds of people includes serious allegations
:14:44. > :14:48.including organisation of armed groups to overthrow the government.
:14:49. > :14:52.The plot thickens. Indeed. Thank you.
:14:52. > :14:55.Hungary's centre-right government is continuing to defend the new
:14:55. > :15:00.constitution it has introduced which critics claim a roads
:15:00. > :15:06.democracy in the country. Alarm is expressed internationally and the
:15:06. > :15:10.EU is examining whether the charges -- changes break EU law. With one
:15:10. > :15:15.rating agency downgrading Hungary's credit status to junk, the
:15:15. > :15:25.government might be forced to renegotiate some or all of the
:15:25. > :15:27.
:15:27. > :15:32.changes if it is to get a possible We found little cheer on this tramp
:15:32. > :15:41.across the Danube. No wonder, hungry's economy is in a slump and
:15:41. > :15:45.some here accuse the government of turning back democracy -- Hungary's.
:15:45. > :15:50.So this is all the fuss is about? Ministers are not shy of showing
:15:50. > :15:55.off their new constitution, as for the idea it is anti-democratic...
:15:55. > :16:04.That is a supposition charge, even the question itself is a bizarre
:16:04. > :16:07.one. In the heart of Europe we are finally getting back on track to an
:16:07. > :16:12.organic development of the country which was disrupted by communism.
:16:12. > :16:18.That is not how they see it. Tens of thousands turned out to protest
:16:18. > :16:22.the new laws this week, claiming the independence of the judiciary
:16:22. > :16:28.and the central bank are threatened. At the Public TV station some
:16:28. > :16:32.journalists are run hunger-strike in protest. They are restricting
:16:32. > :16:37.the constitutional Code, the freedom of press, dismantling
:16:37. > :16:41.democracy, they are trying to set up a kind of tyranny, a regime
:16:41. > :16:45.which is unprecedented in Europe. This row could not have come at a
:16:45. > :16:51.worse time, the economy here is in dire straits. The government says
:16:51. > :16:56.it needs some 20 billion euros of international loans to help pay its
:16:56. > :17:04.bills. But the legal changes the government has just forced through
:17:04. > :17:08.put such loans in jeopardy. At Budapest's food banks there is
:17:08. > :17:12.concern over what that might mean for Hungary's poor. International
:17:12. > :17:18.criticism of the new constitution has put loan negotiations on hold
:17:18. > :17:24.at a time when poverty here is increasing. Back over the Danube
:17:24. > :17:28.and this once affluent but the higher is heading into the unknown.
:17:28. > :17:31.-- empire. Ministers say they will do all they can to satisfy
:17:31. > :17:40.international investors but will they have to give up their
:17:40. > :17:42.The African National Congress has been the party of some of South
:17:42. > :17:44.Africa's most iconic figures, like Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo and
:17:44. > :17:46.Walter Sisuslu. Well, this weekend the ANC marks its centenary with
:17:46. > :17:47.three days of celebrations attended by African leaders along with
:17:48. > :17:49.veterans of the anti-apartheid movement. As our Africa
:17:49. > :17:59.correspondent Andrew Harding reports, the old liberation party
:17:59. > :18:10.
:18:10. > :18:14.is now facing an entirely different We have come to fix Burke, a small
:18:14. > :18:20.struggling South African town -- Fichsburg. Sewage on the streets,
:18:20. > :18:27.one tap shared by a whole neighbourhood. This is raw sewage?
:18:27. > :18:32.How long has it been like this? almost 10 years. Anger is growing
:18:32. > :18:37.here, people expected more from freedom and the governing ANC.
:18:37. > :18:44.Vincent says the ruling party is corrupt, bloated and it is time for
:18:44. > :18:48.change. The ANC now has collapsed. They cannot even provide a Amin's
:18:48. > :18:54.of services to the people. We want them to lose power peacefully
:18:54. > :19:01.because we didn't want to be any situation like happened in both
:19:01. > :19:06.Libya and Egypt and Tunisia. It has been a long, momentous journey for
:19:06. > :19:10.the ANC, forged during the struggle against racial oppression, the
:19:10. > :19:16.greatest liberation movement led years of street protests, armed
:19:16. > :19:23.rebellion and negotiation before its leader became South Africa's
:19:23. > :19:31.first Democratic president. And now the party is celebrating its 100
:19:31. > :19:38.the birthday. Present Jacob Zuma leads the festivities. This is a
:19:38. > :19:42.bittersweet moment for the ANC. The party seems to be way -- weighed
:19:42. > :19:48.down by corruption, infighting and incompetence. Yet look how popular
:19:48. > :19:57.they still are. That is because history and loyalty still count for
:19:57. > :20:06.a great deal here. Many have perished, died, collapsed. Not the
:20:06. > :20:10.ANC. But is the party of revolution losing its touch? At a golf
:20:10. > :20:16.tournament for ANC elite a man in prison with Nelson Mandela
:20:16. > :20:22.acknowledges mistakes. There is a bit of corruption, paps it is worse
:20:22. > :20:28.in our country because we have not yet delivered the services fully to
:20:28. > :20:33.the people of South Africa. But for all its faults, the ANC keeps
:20:33. > :20:41.winning elections. Back in Fichsburg in a shack by a sewer,
:20:41. > :20:48.and it says simply they gave us freedom. -- Anna. She said I would
:20:48. > :20:52.die voting for the ANC. A new singing talent has been
:20:52. > :21:00.compared to soul greats like Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye. High
:21:00. > :21:05.praise. He is an unassuming 24 year-old singer from London who has
:21:05. > :21:09.won the BBC Sound of 2012 award. Michael Kiwanuka came top of the
:21:09. > :21:13.poll of music industry insiders as the most exciting new artist of the
:21:13. > :21:23.year. He said he felt honoured and humbled to have one. We went to
:21:23. > :21:27.Michael Kiwanuka may have won the accolade of the sound of 2012 but
:21:27. > :21:36.his music and its timeless quality will probably feel -- would it feel
:21:36. > :21:43.as at home in the 1970s as it does today -- the BBC Sound of 2012. I
:21:43. > :21:47.never expected to win. It will be a great platform for me for as many
:21:47. > :21:55.people as possible to hear it, a dream for any musician. I feel so
:21:55. > :21:58.honoured, happy and humble to be part of it. Over the past few
:21:58. > :22:08.months the 24 year-old has certainly been winning high-profile
:22:08. > :22:13.And the north London singer- songwriter is already earning
:22:13. > :22:20.favourable comparisons to artists like Bill rivers and Marvin Gaye. -
:22:20. > :22:25.- Bill Withers. He uses recording equipment to create a classic,
:22:25. > :22:30.vintage sound. The list is put together by asking more than 180
:22:30. > :22:33.people, ranging from music writers to DJs and bloggers, to name their
:22:33. > :22:43.favourite new artists. Recent winners who have gone on to become
:22:43. > :23:00.
:23:00. > :23:06.Some have said it has become too mainstream at the cost of more
:23:06. > :23:11.independent music. One panellist disagrees. The record companies are
:23:11. > :23:15.aware this could help and it gives an enormous boost to an artist's
:23:15. > :23:18.career in the early stages. But to get the top of the list, people do
:23:18. > :23:23.not vote for anything, they vote for what is good and if you get to
:23:23. > :23:26.the top of the list you have to be pretty good. With so many convinced
:23:26. > :23:36.of Michael's potential great things are now expected from him over the
:23:36. > :23:41.
:23:41. > :23:46.I am sure you will hear a lot more from Michael. Let's get more from
:23:46. > :23:51.BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens. You know so much more about these
:23:51. > :24:01.performers so don't show me up! I have enjoyed listening to some of
:24:01. > :24:06.
:24:06. > :24:08.them. Do you think the right person I think he is brilliant, the top
:24:08. > :24:13.five is eclectic and hopefully people will listen to these artists
:24:13. > :24:18.for the first time. He was the only Brit in that top the list, wasn't
:24:18. > :24:23.he? The rest were American and Swedish. Very much reminiscent of a
:24:23. > :24:27.bygone era, he almost looks a bit like Al Green, doesn't he? Otis
:24:27. > :24:34.Redding, Marvin Gay kind of tradition... A strong, vintage
:24:34. > :24:39.sound. People like that. Sometimes people do not need forward-thinking
:24:39. > :24:49.of music. Skrillex does forward- thinking dug step, he is in the
:24:49. > :24:59.
:24:59. > :25:05.list. He came No. Two? Frank ocean? That was an explosive song. I like
:25:05. > :25:09.him. He is established, isn't he? Quite popular already. The rules of
:25:09. > :25:14.getting in this list is you cannot have had a Top 20 single but they
:25:14. > :25:19.are all signed, they are tipped for great things for the year ahead.
:25:19. > :25:29.Who was your favourite? Mine was Nikki and the dove, a Swedish duo
:25:29. > :25:37.
:25:37. > :25:47.who were around number five. -- Let's see why you like to them... -
:25:47. > :25:47.
:25:47. > :25:54.They are raised Swedish duo and the Swedes do pop very well, don't
:25:54. > :25:59.they? ABBA, yes! They are my favourites, I think. Do you think
:25:59. > :26:03.this list tells us about how a taste in music might be changing?
:26:03. > :26:10.People seem to like the voice. Adding that is why Michael Kiwanuka
:26:10. > :26:16.did so well, I am sure we will hear a lot more from him -- I think.
:26:16. > :26:20.There is forward-thinking hip hop from Azealia Banks, forward-
:26:20. > :26:24.thinking soul music, dub step, it is an interesting list. Between all
:26:24. > :26:30.of these five artists there is a 1000 other brilliant musicians who
:26:30. > :26:38.why am sure we will hero over the next year. I look forward to it. I
:26:38. > :26:48.have learned a lot from you just now. Thank you! That is all from us.
:26:48. > :27:03.
:27:03. > :27:06.Today we saw some sunshine and much lighter winds. It felt quite
:27:06. > :27:10.pleasant and it will be more at the same tomorrow. Decent spells of
:27:10. > :27:14.sunshine with the breeze picking up as we head through the day. Through
:27:14. > :27:20.the night, a weather front will sink southwards and introduce
:27:20. > :27:23.patchy cloud and outbreaks of rain and drizzle. The winds tomorrow
:27:23. > :27:26.will bring scattered showers into northern areas of Scotland with a
:27:26. > :27:34.few of those feeding into north- west England and the Midlands lated
:27:34. > :27:37.in the day. They will be really isolated but not too heavy. Through
:27:37. > :27:45.eastern England and southern counties of England as well breezy
:27:45. > :27:50.conditions through the day but a lot of dry weather and sunshine. If
:27:50. > :27:54.you are heading out it should be very nice. South-west England and
:27:54. > :27:57.Wales, sunny spells, maybe some a road showers for northern areas of
:27:57. > :28:01.Wales through the afternoon. A bright, breezy afternoon for
:28:01. > :28:05.Northern Ireland with highs of seven to 80 degrees. It is in
:28:05. > :28:08.Scotland where the winds will continue to strengthen perhaps
:28:08. > :28:12.touching gusts of gale force and some of the showers and the North
:28:13. > :28:16.and the Northern Miles could be on the B-side. As we had do Saturday