:00:09. > :00:15.This is BBC World News Today with me, Zeinab Badawi. Hitting oil-rich
:00:15. > :00:17.Iran where it hurts most: in its state budget: The European Union
:00:17. > :00:27.imposes some of their toughest sanctions yet, banning all imports
:00:27. > :00:29.
:00:29. > :00:36.of Iran's crude oil and freezing the central bank's assets. It is
:00:36. > :00:41.absolute right to give this in revealing, and refusal to come to
:00:41. > :00:43.meaningful negotiations. Four leading Kenyans are to stand
:00:43. > :00:46.trial at the International Criminal Court over the 2007 election
:00:46. > :00:49.violence: will it heal the wounds or inflame passions?
:00:49. > :00:53.The UK government announces plans to curb the pay of top executives,
:00:53. > :00:58.how justified is this boardroom backlash?
:00:58. > :01:01.Also coming up in the programme: We talk to the author of a new book on
:01:01. > :01:07.Michelle Obama: The First Lady hits out against it, saying it's trying
:01:07. > :01:12.to tap into an image of her as an angry black lady.
:01:12. > :01:22.And the people's account of the people's revolution in Tunisia. A
:01:22. > :01:27.
:01:28. > :01:31.new film gives their account from Hello and welcome. The European
:01:31. > :01:35.Union has imposed its most wide- ranging sanctions yet on Iran as a
:01:35. > :01:40.way of trying to get it back to the negotiating table. The last talks
:01:40. > :01:42.about Iran's nuclear ambitions broke down a year ago. Over the
:01:42. > :01:45.weekend Britain, France and the US sailed warships through the Strait
:01:45. > :01:52.of Hormuz, which Tehran has repeatedly threatened to close, if
:01:52. > :01:55.its oil exports are disrupted. The Strait is the world's most
:01:55. > :02:02.important oil chokepoint, with a daily oil flow of almost 17 million
:02:02. > :02:05.barrels in 2011. That's more than 20% of the total amount of oil
:02:05. > :02:15.traded worldwide. Our Tehran correspondent, James Reynolds, is
:02:15. > :02:17.
:02:17. > :02:23.monitoring developments from Dubai. The Gulf is the closest Iran has to
:02:23. > :02:28.a cash point. The European Union has now decided to stop paying into
:02:28. > :02:36.the account. It will no longer buy it will from the Persian states.
:02:36. > :02:46.Soak Iran loses 20 per cent of the oil market. This is why. The West
:02:46. > :02:50.
:02:50. > :02:54.fit Iran is trying to build weapons. Iran continues to defy the un and
:02:54. > :03:04.bringing Iranian up to 20 per cent, for which there is no explanation.
:03:04. > :03:12.It is very important to bring in the legitimate measures against the
:03:12. > :03:22.Iranians. Exporting oil helps to keep the country's government alive
:03:22. > :03:22.
:03:22. > :03:32.and in power. The un have decided to go after Iran where it hurts. To
:03:32. > :03:34.
:03:34. > :03:39.make its point it carried out firings in the Gulf. In response
:03:39. > :03:44.the world's most powerful military have sent an aircraft carrier. The
:03:44. > :03:50.US and Iran have clashed here before. America wants to keep the
:03:50. > :03:57.price of world the same. If any limitation is put on the
:03:57. > :04:07.availability of it, the price of will will go up. It is that simple.
:04:07. > :04:07.
:04:07. > :04:15.In Amman, so smugglers are active. Losing a source like this may be
:04:15. > :04:18.much harder to bear. Joining me from London is Mehrdad
:04:18. > :04:28.Emadi, who is a senior economic consultant and an external advisor
:04:28. > :04:29.
:04:29. > :04:37.to the European Union. This is a bit of a blow to the Iranian
:04:37. > :04:47.authorities, how far do you think this will be felt? Within a short
:04:47. > :04:50.
:04:50. > :04:59.period we shall see about its ability to fulfil the trade
:04:59. > :05:03.contracts. In that context it will be a significant decline with
:05:03. > :05:10.industrialisation and the conduct of day to day economic life in the
:05:10. > :05:14.country. However, these are only sanctions, they are not global.
:05:14. > :05:19.Surely they would have a greater effect if countries like Japan
:05:20. > :05:25.would follow suit or China? They may not and made just buy up the
:05:25. > :05:31.European share of oil. That is always a possibility, but we should
:05:31. > :05:37.know in the last couple of days, all of the largest will refineries
:05:37. > :05:41.in Japan have announced it will stop purchasing new will
:05:42. > :05:49.consignments from Iran. They are worries about the possible follow
:05:49. > :05:55.up from the sanctions, both from the US and European Union. I add to
:05:55. > :06:02.that that Turkey also announced it is seeking a replacement for the
:06:02. > :06:06.oil suppliers, just in case the sanctions will be biting. Most of
:06:06. > :06:11.Iran's oil goes to Asia, and if Asia buys the Orwell that the
:06:11. > :06:21.others do not once, perhaps at a discounted price, it is not so bad
:06:21. > :06:23.
:06:23. > :06:30.for Iran. Except for Japan, neither of the main three, pay for their
:06:30. > :06:37.oil purchases in hard currency. In that sense, week are forced, Iran
:06:37. > :06:42.is forced to accept India and Chinese commodities in return. They
:06:42. > :06:48.significantly reduce the ability of the Iranian government to finance
:06:48. > :06:53.other purchases. In that sense it will be very effective. With high
:06:53. > :06:59.up well prices, how far could that cushion the blow for the Iranian
:06:59. > :07:04.economy? Even if the price goes up, the United Arab Emirates will
:07:05. > :07:14.profit the most, and Saudi Arabia. Iran is not really going to benefit
:07:15. > :07:15.
:07:15. > :07:19.from higher up oil prices, not, at least, immediately. Thank you for
:07:19. > :07:22.talking us through the economic aspects. Now a look at some of the
:07:22. > :07:25.days other new: Syria has rejected the latest Arab League plan for
:07:25. > :07:27.ending violence in the country. It's dismissed the League's call
:07:27. > :07:31.for a national unity government as flagrant interference adding that
:07:32. > :07:33.it's a clear violation of Syrian sovereignty. The head of the
:07:34. > :07:36.League's monitoring mission defended its record, saying there
:07:36. > :07:40.has been less violence since his teams arrived in Syria.
:07:40. > :07:49.In Nigeria, eight bombs have been found in cars by the side of the
:07:49. > :07:52.road in Kano. Police say there could be hundreds of bombs. It
:07:52. > :07:55.comes three days after attacks by the militant Islamist group, Boko
:07:55. > :07:57.Haram, in the same area. Muslim and Christian leaders in Kano have
:07:57. > :08:00.called for a day of prayers following the attacks which left
:08:00. > :08:03.more than 150 dead. Rescuers have recovered two more
:08:03. > :08:06.bodies from the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the
:08:06. > :08:08.Italian island of Giglio. It brings the official death toll to 15.
:08:08. > :08:11.Authorities have said experts can now begin pumping fuel from the
:08:11. > :08:13.capsized vessel, as they've determined that the ship will not
:08:13. > :08:16.fall to a lower seabed, as previously feared.
:08:16. > :08:20.French senators are about to vote on a bill that will make it illegal
:08:20. > :08:24.to deny that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a
:08:24. > :08:27.century ago was genocide. Last month, France's Lower House voted
:08:27. > :08:30.to make such denials a crime, prompting Turkey to suspended
:08:30. > :08:33.military, economic and political ties.
:08:33. > :08:38.Chinese communities around the world are welcoming in the Year of
:08:38. > :08:43.the Dragon. It's the most important day of the lunar year, the first
:08:43. > :08:46.day of the Chinese zodiac calendar. The Year of the Dragon is
:08:46. > :08:51.especially important and babies born in this year are considered to
:08:51. > :08:53.be especially lucky. The Kenyan President, Mwai Kibaki,
:08:53. > :08:56.is appealing for calm, after the ICC, the International Criminal
:08:56. > :09:02.court, decided to charge four senior Kenyan figures over the
:09:02. > :09:04.election violence in 2007. They include two presidential candidates,
:09:04. > :09:07.who are charged with crimes against humanity, for allegedly
:09:07. > :09:10.orchestrating the violence in which around a thousand died and many
:09:10. > :09:20.more were injured. Will Ross sent this report from the Kenyan capital,
:09:20. > :09:24.
:09:24. > :09:29.Nairobi. At the International Criminal Court a decision which has
:09:29. > :09:35.major political repercussions for Kenya. The judges ruled that four
:09:35. > :09:39.of the six suspects are to stand trial. For this. Four years ago
:09:39. > :09:45.Kenya was shaken as communities set on each other following a dispute
:09:45. > :09:51.at the elections. Well over a 1000 people were killed and many others
:09:51. > :09:54.displaced. Are monks those now due to stand trial for crimes against
:09:54. > :10:01.humanity are two prominence politicians with presidential
:10:01. > :10:05.ambitions. This former minister and this man, the country's Deputy
:10:05. > :10:11.Prime Minister. They both see nothing wrong with buying for the
:10:11. > :10:17.presidency and standing trial at the same time. There is nothing
:10:18. > :10:22.within the ICC rules which bars me from the political agenda in Kenya.
:10:22. > :10:27.There has never been any justice at home from the atrocity which forced
:10:27. > :10:32.those to flee for their lives, but the politicians tend to entrench
:10:32. > :10:37.themselves in ambitions of power. There are calls for an end to this
:10:37. > :10:43.impunity, and for those who picked up this -- these weapons to be
:10:43. > :10:47.brought to book. It does not suit makes sense for them to be brought
:10:47. > :10:50.to trial, then you see your neighbour, who are addicted you
:10:50. > :10:57.from your land going about their business as if they owned the
:10:57. > :11:02.country. Many Kenyans are hoping the icy sea trials will help in
:11:02. > :11:06.some way to ensure that future elections are more peaceful. The
:11:06. > :11:10.upcoming election is already controversial. We know two of the
:11:10. > :11:14.men who want to be President are about to stand trial for crimes
:11:14. > :11:17.against humanity. For countries like Kenya that have
:11:17. > :11:20.undergone such internal conflict, there are lessons elsewhere on the
:11:20. > :11:24.continent. South Africa for instance set up a truth and
:11:24. > :11:27.reconciliation commission after the end of apartheid. Here with me in
:11:27. > :11:37.the studio is the South African academic and writer Moletsi Mbeki,
:11:37. > :11:40.
:11:40. > :11:46.brother of the former president Thabo Mbeki. When it comes to the
:11:46. > :11:54.situation we have in Kenya, you generally have to strike a balance
:11:54. > :11:59.between justice and reconciliation. Yes, I think the decision of the
:11:59. > :12:05.ICC is important. The future atrocities which happen in Africa,
:12:05. > :12:10.not just in Kenya, we saw this in Libya. In the Democratic Republic
:12:10. > :12:15.of Congo, in Zimbabwe during the last elections. It is very
:12:15. > :12:20.important for the world to send a message to African leaders that the
:12:20. > :12:28.lives of their citizens are valuable. That the electric
:12:28. > :12:33.decisions must be respected. This is a key message. Why must say they
:12:33. > :12:39.denied the charges, but some Kenyans do want to see justice done.
:12:39. > :12:45.To see these men standing trial, if they are found guilty. But there
:12:45. > :12:52.are those saying, "this could create a constitutional crisis."
:12:53. > :12:58.where we could this go? This could inflame passions. His it is a
:12:58. > :13:03.possibility, but for those who are expected of bring in the violence
:13:03. > :13:08.are allowed to get away with it because we fear more violence would
:13:08. > :13:17.happen, then there will never be justice or peace in countries like
:13:17. > :13:23.Kenya. When we have a great deal of ethnic identification, like this.
:13:23. > :13:27.It is the process by which you do it, in your country, South Africa,
:13:27. > :13:32.you put an emphasis on truth and reconciliation. Rwanda went down
:13:32. > :13:37.its own home-grown justice system after the genocide there. I know
:13:37. > :13:43.the ICC option was not available for all of these countries, but
:13:43. > :13:50.what is better? Home-grown just as all the international arena, like
:13:50. > :13:55.the ICC? For many independent countries, independent for 50 years
:13:56. > :14:00.some of them, the rule of law must be established within the countries
:14:00. > :14:07.so that we don't keep getting this recurrence of these atrocities
:14:07. > :14:14.after elections. I think the ICC process is the correct process for
:14:14. > :14:17.most African countries. Okay, thank The issue of excessive boardroom
:14:17. > :14:20.pay has been a very live political debate here. Well, now the
:14:20. > :14:23.government has set out plans to curb executive pay. It wants more
:14:23. > :14:29.transparency and greater power for shareholders to veto large salaries
:14:29. > :14:32.and bonuses. In a new series here on BBC World News we're looking at
:14:32. > :14:35.how the global rich have become even wealthier over the last few
:14:35. > :14:45.decades. And we're asking whether the super-rich are a force for good
:14:45. > :14:45.
:14:45. > :16:14.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 89 seconds
:16:14. > :16:19.About have done over view there. Joining me now is Amit Midha, an
:16:19. > :16:24.Indian-born businessman who owns a heath care business in the UK.
:16:24. > :16:29.Looking at executive pay, I imagine most people would think it is fine
:16:29. > :16:38.to award people who are outstanding but not to reward mediocre
:16:38. > :16:43.performances. Part of me has to agree with you. The there is an
:16:43. > :16:49.issue here which is that people take a simplistic view of executive
:16:49. > :16:52.pay. There has to be a distinction between people who can genuinely
:16:52. > :17:00.demonstrate that they have achieved that there creating wealth for a
:17:00. > :17:06.company and those that have not. In the UK, executives are paid far
:17:06. > :17:13.more, whose pay has increased far more quickly than others and there
:17:13. > :17:18.is an issue. There is also a distinction between what we saw on
:17:18. > :17:24.that graphic, of people like Bill Gates and so on. I difference
:17:24. > :17:28.between those who create wealth and make useful things like Steve Jobs,
:17:28. > :17:34.and then those boardroom executives who maybe do not make something and
:17:34. > :17:38.it is a bit mysterious how they make their money. There is a small
:17:38. > :17:43.problem here that the chief executives get of the publicity.
:17:43. > :17:46.They're the ones who are the public face of the company. Usually, as
:17:46. > :17:51.Chief Executive is somebody whose job is to manage the talents with
:17:51. > :17:58.than the company. People who are perhaps one level down, there are
:17:58. > :18:03.often less recognised but play an important role. That is recognised
:18:03. > :18:08.in the pay structure. There is an issue with pay. Is it an issue that
:18:08. > :18:13.you think about yourself personally? You are a successful
:18:13. > :18:17.businessman here and are you aware of the gap, the inequality gap, and
:18:17. > :18:22.people saying that capitalism has thrown it up. Are you conscious of
:18:22. > :18:30.that in your daily work life? something that does come up but
:18:30. > :18:34.there is an issue here when it comes to globalisation. My view is
:18:34. > :18:38.that with global pressures, what you have to recognise is that
:18:38. > :18:45.people who are based locally in the market, they are competing for jobs
:18:45. > :18:50.with people all over the world. The flipside of globalisation is that
:18:50. > :18:57.you get a levelling out of wealth across the whole world. It started
:18:57. > :19:05.off at the bottom end unfortunately we're jobs in manual work are hard
:19:05. > :19:10.to get. It is leaking through the system now. What we're seeing it is
:19:10. > :19:12.that the first couple of stages but it will level itself out. Thank you.
:19:12. > :19:15.Events of the Arab Spring have inspired filmmakers around the
:19:15. > :19:18.Middle East to chronicle the extraordinary twists and turns of
:19:18. > :19:21.the region in the past year. The Tunisian filmmaker Elyes Baccar
:19:21. > :19:28.started shooting his film Rouge Parole, or Red Parole, days after
:19:28. > :19:32.the Tunisian President Ben Ali stepped down. He toured the country
:19:32. > :19:42.to get an account from the Tunisian people about the revolution.
:19:42. > :19:50.
:19:50. > :19:56.Shaimaa Khalil spoke to the It has been over a year since
:19:56. > :20:01.President Ben Ali spoke to his people promising reforms. He said,
:20:01. > :20:10.I understand you. A few days later she fled the country. It was an
:20:10. > :20:14.event that would change Tunisia up and the Middle-East forever.
:20:14. > :20:22.President Ben Ali and normal President? What is going to happen?
:20:22. > :20:32.What is happening now? I had to film in order to realise what is
:20:32. > :20:35.
:20:35. > :20:40.Short two days after President Ben Ali step down, it captures the
:20:40. > :20:44.nation and a mixture of euphoria and disbelief. Crowd marvelling at
:20:44. > :20:48.banned books which have appeared in bookshops for the first time.
:20:48. > :20:54.Others making their way to what remained of one of President Ben
:20:54. > :21:03.Ali's homes. It is about a people finding their own voice for the
:21:03. > :21:09.first time. Even if that meant arguing with each other. For 25
:21:09. > :21:15.years, we get that image to the world that Tunisia, 90 per cent of
:21:15. > :21:20.them, agree on the same points. It was completely wrong. That is what
:21:20. > :21:27.I want to show to the world, that everyone has their own opinion
:21:27. > :21:31.about religion, politics, culture, about everything. At the beginning
:21:31. > :21:36.of the Tunisian revolution, keeping up with everyday events was
:21:36. > :21:38.challenging to everyone, not least to this film maker who was not only
:21:38. > :21:47.tried to chronicle these events but also to make sense of what was
:21:47. > :21:50.happening around him. Rouge Parole is a journey through Tunisian
:21:50. > :21:56.cities and it areas that he felt had played an important part in the
:21:56. > :22:01.revolution. Most of the news television focused on the capital
:22:01. > :22:10.and less on other regions. I want to tell the real story about what
:22:10. > :22:14.was going on. Who were the main actors of that movement. Tunisia is
:22:14. > :22:20.the first country to have free and democratic elections after the Arab
:22:20. > :22:24.Spring. The majority in parliament went to the Islamist party. Despite
:22:24. > :22:28.disagreements over what the party stands for, many say it is
:22:28. > :22:33.important to except results and embrace the democracy that the
:22:33. > :22:37.revolution brought to Tunisia. A new book about the US First Lady
:22:37. > :22:40.Michelle Obama is causing a stir in Washington. The New York Times
:22:40. > :22:44.reporter Jodi Kantor paints a picture of Michelle Obama as a
:22:44. > :22:47.strong force behind the scenes in the White House. It claims Michelle
:22:47. > :22:53.Obama meddled in political affairs causing a strain in relations with
:22:53. > :22:56.Barack Obama's closest political advisors. The Obamas shows the
:22:56. > :23:01.struggles faced by the President and his wife adjusting to life in
:23:01. > :23:04.Washington. But the White House has hit back strongly denying the
:23:04. > :23:07.allegations against Michelle Obama. The author herself, Jodi Kantor,
:23:07. > :23:14.denies that her book portrays Michelle Obama as an angry black
:23:14. > :23:20.woman. I'm joined now here in the studio by the book's author, Jodi
:23:20. > :23:28.Kantor. When Michelle Obama said this is tapping into an image
:23:28. > :23:33.painted by some of me as an angry black woman, and it just is not so,
:23:34. > :23:43.did you perhaps going for that stereotype a bit? Even the way you
:23:44. > :23:45.
:23:45. > :23:52.describe the bit, I think the word, Medellin, his various -- judgmental.
:23:52. > :23:57.-- meddling. This is not the cliche of the First Lady it diving in and
:23:57. > :24:04.meddling in health care plans, she is someone that what it has been to
:24:04. > :24:08.live up to that ideals that were promoted as part of pop Obama's
:24:09. > :24:13.campaign. I have been covering this for five years and wanted explore
:24:13. > :24:18.the question of what she take -- get when you take two ambitious and
:24:18. > :24:22.intelligent people and put them in the White House. It would be quite
:24:22. > :24:28.disorienting with two little girls and it would take a little time for
:24:28. > :24:31.her to adjust and find her feet. She even thought of delaying moving
:24:31. > :24:35.to the White House initially saw the girls could finish off their
:24:35. > :24:38.school year. On the one hand, perhaps she did not know much about
:24:38. > :24:43.how the presidency work but you could also say she had a bitter
:24:43. > :24:48.about say there was them. That was in the early days and now she may
:24:48. > :24:52.be has more up conferred with her role and is campaigning about
:24:53. > :24:57.better diets for young people and is seen as an asset. Most reviewers
:24:57. > :25:01.have seen this as not an unflattering portrait of the First
:25:01. > :25:06.Lady because it is the story of her time turning around and the White
:25:06. > :25:11.House. She had a rocky debut but has been a success. Is it a
:25:11. > :25:15.sympathetic portrayal despite what the book reviews are saying? Will
:25:15. > :25:18.you like Michelle Obama more or less after you read this bit?
:25:18. > :25:23.don't want to do a flattering or unflattering portrait but many
:25:23. > :25:27.reviewers say they have a new-found respect for Michelle Obama after
:25:27. > :25:33.seeing the behind the scenes betrayal. Why she's so annoyed?
:25:33. > :25:37.has not read a bit. She may have read bits. The White House say they
:25:37. > :25:45.were returning more or -- the offending water some of the tabloid
:25:45. > :25:51.coverage. What was the most surprising feature you discovered?
:25:51. > :25:55.I think the most surprising thing the White House advisers told me
:25:55. > :25:59.was really how difficult life in the White House's. I think the
:25:59. > :26:02.world has glamorised images of their Force One and steak dinners
:26:02. > :26:09.but if you look at the details of their home life, it is quite
:26:09. > :26:15.different. How far she it a conduit by which her husband expresses his
:26:15. > :26:18.ambitions and dreams. She will be ubiquitous on the campaign to Elf -
:26:18. > :26:22.- campaign trail in 2012 in part because she is more popular than
:26:23. > :26:25.him just now. Thank you. A reminder of our main news: The EU
:26:25. > :26:27.has approved tough sanctions against Iran in an attempt to stop
:26:28. > :26:31.Tehran's alleged nuclear weapons programme. The measures include a
:26:31. > :26:33.ban on imports of Iranian crude oil. Iran insists it's not trying to
:26:34. > :26:36.build nuclear weapons and has threatened to block the Strait of
:26:36. > :26:39.Hormuz, a key oil route. Two presidential candidates are
:26:39. > :26:41.among four Kenyans to stand trial at the International Criminal Court
:26:41. > :26:44.for crimes against humanity during the post-election violence of 2007.
:26:44. > :26:46.Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto deny the charges. Over a thousand
:26:46. > :26:50.people died in clashes between supporters of the rival candidates.
:26:50. > :27:00.Well, that's all from the programme. Next the weather. But for now from
:27:00. > :27:08.
:27:08. > :27:12.me, Zeinab Badawi, and the rest of Particularly in the east. We have a
:27:12. > :27:16.band of rain to contend with which will come in up with this weather
:27:17. > :27:19.front moving off the Atlantic. Rain across the Atlantic over parts of
:27:19. > :27:23.Northern Ireland but there will be called they are coming into
:27:23. > :27:27.Scotland and parts of England. Some sleet and snow mixed in with that
:27:28. > :27:32.particularly of a higher ground but things fizzle out by the afternoon
:27:32. > :27:36.with Sting staying cloudy. Patchy rain and particularly cold with
:27:36. > :27:41.temperatures struggling at around four Celsius. Some patchy rain
:27:41. > :27:44.across East Anglia and the south- east. A lot of cloud but it should
:27:45. > :27:49.remain dry in the afternoon. Temperatures in the West that
:27:49. > :27:54.around 10 Celsius so here it is much milder. Abbey's dry spell for
:27:54. > :27:57.Wales and then the way up -- of rain will return for the afternoon.
:27:57. > :28:02.Northern Ireland, a little bit more rain in the afternoon which will
:28:02. > :28:06.come and go with temperatures in Belfast of 11 Celsius. After a
:28:06. > :28:11.rather windy start today, temperatures in Scotland or recover