:00:18. > :00:25.The man who had admitted killing seven people into loses shot dead
:00:26. > :00:30.after a long stand-off. A round of gunfire, the sign French police are
:00:30. > :00:33.storming Mohammed Merah's hideout. The gunman fires first, and is then
:00:33. > :00:39.killed by commandos. The Blair asking how the government claimed
:00:39. > :00:47.to have links with Belgrade or was not stopped before the killing
:00:47. > :00:50.spree. An army coup in Mali, why have troops have a friend of
:00:50. > :00:54.President due to stand down and a few weeks. Growing anger about the
:00:54. > :01:01.shooting of the 17-year-old from Florida unarmed when he died, why
:01:01. > :01:06.has the men who shot him a month ago not been arrested? -- the Man.
:01:06. > :01:08.The worst of the debt crisis is over according to the head of the
:01:08. > :01:13.European Central Bank. But try telling that to Portugal where
:01:13. > :01:23.there has been a general strike in protest at the country's austerity
:01:23. > :01:24.
:01:24. > :01:34.And the hunger for the next big film franchise. Will it pick up
:01:34. > :01:47.
:01:47. > :01:49.were twilight left off? -- Twilight. An intense exchange of gunfire, and
:01:49. > :01:54.Mohammed Merah, the gunman suspected of killing seven people
:01:54. > :01:57.in southern France, was dead. Holed up in his apartment in Toulouse for
:01:57. > :02:00.more than thirty hours, French police were told to take Merah
:02:00. > :02:03.alive but ended up shooting him in the head as he tried to escape.
:02:03. > :02:06.There are now questions about whether Merah worked alone and
:02:06. > :02:11.whether the intelligence services could have caught him sooner.
:02:11. > :02:14.Christian Fraser reports from the scene in Toulouse. Will act of the
:02:14. > :02:17.dramatic siege. It was thought Mohammed Merah had taken his own
:02:17. > :02:27.life in the early hours this morning but as police moved in to
:02:27. > :02:27.
:02:27. > :02:31.clear the apartment they came the most intense round of gunfire. This
:02:31. > :02:35.is Mohammed Merah flailing about in his car, he was a 23 rd criminal
:02:35. > :02:42.with a string of convictions for robbery and violence. A French
:02:42. > :02:47.citizen trained in Afghanistan who claimed he had orders from Al-Qaeda.
:02:47. > :02:50.Four hours he had negotiated with police but late last night he told
:02:50. > :02:54.police it was against his conscience to surrender and
:02:54. > :02:58.communication stopped. There were attempts to break his resolve.
:02:58. > :03:02.Several times flash grenades were thrown at the apartment but with no
:03:02. > :03:06.response through the night the decision was taken to send in the
:03:06. > :03:11.elite commandos. They entered through the front, blowing off the
:03:11. > :03:15.door, and using specialist fibre optic cameras they picked their way
:03:15. > :03:21.through the apartment, trying to locate Mohammed Merah. Until they
:03:21. > :03:25.reach the balcony. Suddenly he appeared, armed with a Colt 45
:03:25. > :03:28.handgun and opening fire. Two policemen were injured. He advanced
:03:28. > :03:32.out of the bathroom and jump from the window wearing a bullet-proof
:03:32. > :03:37.vest and still firing wildly. But waiting for him was a police
:03:37. > :03:43.marksman who shot him dead. Mohammed Merah had died exactly as
:03:43. > :03:47.he wanted, in a ferocious stand-off with police, armed with a pistol.
:03:47. > :03:52.In three separate and brutal attack Mohammed Merah killed seven people.
:03:52. > :03:57.Three soldiers from a parachute regiment and a Monday three
:03:57. > :03:59.children and a rabbi at the Jewish school. -- on Monday. Police said
:04:00. > :04:03.he confessed in negotiations and that his only regret was not
:04:03. > :04:09.killing more. He had filmed as a tax, revelling in the gruesome way
:04:09. > :04:13.in which he had executed each victim. -- of his attacks. He told
:04:13. > :04:16.us he had been radicalisation prison, said the prosecutor, and it
:04:16. > :04:21.started reading the Koran, but he showed no sign of fundamentalism,
:04:21. > :04:25.although he was violent with other prisoners and had attempted suicide.
:04:25. > :04:29.He had also travelled to Afghanistan alone and later
:04:29. > :04:32.immersed himself in extremist website. He burgled houses to raise
:04:32. > :04:41.enough money to buy an extraordinary arsenal of weapons
:04:41. > :04:45.that were found in the boot of his Today Nicolas Sarkozy told the
:04:45. > :04:49.nation an inquiry is underway to find a gunman's compasses and every
:04:49. > :04:54.person who goes on website which glorify terrorism, he said, will be
:04:54. > :04:57.punished by law. Fourie president facing a battle for re-election it
:04:57. > :05:00.is a successful conclusion. Throughout the week he has been
:05:00. > :05:04.centre stage in this crisis, overseeing the biggest manhunt
:05:04. > :05:08.France has ever known. But questions have been asked today by
:05:08. > :05:11.his own Foreign Minister. How did the domestic intelligence agencies
:05:11. > :05:16.lose track of such a violent criminal who had travelled to
:05:16. > :05:26.Afghanistan and was already on their radar as a dangerous
:05:26. > :05:26.
:05:26. > :05:30.Joining us now is Thomas Withington, a defence analyst and editor of the
:05:30. > :05:40.G three defence magazine who also lives near by the scene of the
:05:40. > :05:40.
:05:40. > :05:50.How did the police and intelligence services allow this to happen when
:05:50. > :05:52.
:05:52. > :05:56.We need to bear in mind that possibly hundreds of thousands of
:05:56. > :06:00.people are known to the intelligence services. The hard
:06:00. > :06:06.thing is predicting those people who may be odd, bizarre, may hold
:06:06. > :06:09.strange political beliefs would then be so motivated to go and
:06:09. > :06:14.carry out these kind of acts of appalling violence. That is an
:06:14. > :06:17.incredibly difficult thing to anticipate. To be fair to French
:06:17. > :06:20.will Dorothy's it is still early days but in my own personal opinion
:06:20. > :06:26.I feel they have acquitted themselves rather well today. This
:06:26. > :06:31.was always going to be a very difficult operation. By their
:06:31. > :06:35.nature anything involving commander special forces are complex and I
:06:35. > :06:41.think they did a very good job and a difficult job. Over the next few
:06:41. > :06:46.days and weeks I think that will be analysed in much more detail.
:06:46. > :06:49.Campaigning in the presidential election has been suspended but
:06:49. > :06:53.nevertheless we know and President Sarkozy has taken centre stage.
:06:54. > :07:02.What about the language used, he said this was the work of a monster,
:07:02. > :07:08.a fanatic, how was that playing into the presidential campaign?
:07:08. > :07:12.is interesting because the campaign prior to these terrible events had
:07:12. > :07:17.been characterised by discussions of race, national identity,
:07:17. > :07:27.religious practices. I tend to feel there is every chance this could
:07:27. > :07:28.
:07:28. > :07:33.now continue or increase. Marine Le Pen, for instance, has wasted no
:07:33. > :07:39.time in capitalising on this. She said she had predicted these kind
:07:39. > :07:47.of offence would take place. -- events. But in the political
:07:47. > :07:53.landscape has changed for Sarkozy, he has to walk a tightrope. -- I
:07:54. > :07:57.think the political landscape. He needs to be careful not to be
:07:57. > :08:00.accused of capitalising on it for his own political ends. Let's not
:08:00. > :08:04.forget there are still several weeks to run in this campaign yet
:08:04. > :08:12.they say a week is a long time in politics, anything can happen. His
:08:12. > :08:16.fortunes could be reversed and it is very difficult to predict.
:08:16. > :08:24.this case tell us anything about French society and howitzer
:08:24. > :08:28.minorities are integrating -- how the minorities are integrating?
:08:28. > :08:35.There has been questions regarding that. My feeling is it does not. We
:08:35. > :08:42.have had the attacks in Madrid, London, Norway. It wasn't an
:08:42. > :08:45.Islamic Mick -- Islamic extremist. Most famously we had them in the US
:08:45. > :08:51.in 2001. They multicultural societies and for me it does not
:08:51. > :09:01.saving Dickie about the domestic landscape -- say anything about the
:09:01. > :09:01.
:09:01. > :09:04.domestic landscape in France but the dangers of extremism. Troops in
:09:04. > :09:06.Mali say they've overthrown the government of President Amadou
:09:06. > :09:09.Toumani Toure. The rebels have suspended the constitution and
:09:09. > :09:12.closed all borders. The president is reported to be in an army
:09:12. > :09:15.barracks in the capital, Bamako, protected by loyal troops. The coup
:09:15. > :09:17.leaders have arrested a number of ministers and generals. Land-locked
:09:18. > :09:27.Mali is considered a relatively peaceful country, so there's been
:09:28. > :09:33.
:09:33. > :09:36.some surprise at developments there, This is the group of mutinous
:09:36. > :09:40.soldiers who say they have ended the rule of the President and
:09:40. > :09:44.suspended the constitution. At 4:30pm local time this group of
:09:44. > :09:54.renegade soldiers appeared on state television to announce the end of
:09:54. > :09:55.
:09:55. > :10:00.what they called an incompetent In the name of the Armed Forces and
:10:00. > :10:03.defence of Mali, in all its parts, we have decided to resume
:10:03. > :10:13.responsibilities by putting an end to the incompetent and discredited
:10:13. > :10:17.regime of Amadou Tory. This is the dramatic culmination of a traumatic
:10:17. > :10:23.24 hours in Bamako. It started when soldiers took to the streets and
:10:23. > :10:29.started exchanging fire. Translation macro we heard gunfire,
:10:29. > :10:32.people started to run. We had no idea what was happening.
:10:32. > :10:37.President himself has fled the presidential palace and his
:10:37. > :10:44.whereabouts are unclear. A8 read from his official accounts said
:10:44. > :10:52.there is no coup in Mali, but it's just a mutiny. If he succeeds this
:10:52. > :10:56.will add a new layer of insecurity to Mali, the spread of support for
:10:57. > :10:59.Al-Qaeda and a flood of weapons traffic from Libya since Mohammed
:10:59. > :11:09.Gaddafi. For weeks the army has appealed to the government for
:11:09. > :11:12.
:11:12. > :11:22.better weapons to fight the event - This is the reason the soldiers
:11:22. > :11:24.have given for the ecu... -- their coup. The President had already
:11:24. > :11:28.agreed to stand down and the presidential election was due in
:11:28. > :11:32.just under any month. The Borders have been closed, the soldiers say
:11:32. > :11:39.they have arrested several ministers and top military officers.
:11:39. > :11:43.A curfew has been declared and for the people of Mali, the big
:11:43. > :11:46.question is who is in charge? The soldiers say they will hand power
:11:46. > :11:56.to a new democratically-elected government. But they have not said
:11:56. > :12:00.
:12:00. > :12:05.Joining the is a veteran journalist and writer who has been covering
:12:05. > :12:11.Africa for decades. Nice to see you, Cameron. This is very unexpected to
:12:11. > :12:15.have happened in Mali, normally a trunkful -- tranquil place.
:12:15. > :12:17.extremely disturbing. A coup of mutiny is led by captain, they
:12:18. > :12:25.started to call themselves the committee for this and that. This
:12:25. > :12:29.reminds us of what happening -- what happened in Burkina Faso,
:12:29. > :12:37.junior officers. They always bring trouble. They are not united
:12:37. > :12:40.themselves, they did not have experience -- do not have
:12:41. > :12:46.experience. The President was not going to stand in those elections
:12:47. > :12:56.anyway, so why try and do this? That is what is causing the biggest
:12:57. > :13:06.
:13:06. > :13:11.headache to people who want to When he came to power they said
:13:11. > :13:16.what a nice guy, they made him an ambassador. So quite an exemplary
:13:16. > :13:21.man? Absolutely. A so what is puzzling as to why they did it.
:13:21. > :13:25.They say he had not managed to stamp out the two month rebellion
:13:25. > :13:33.in the north of Mali and that the situation was getting worse. Is
:13:33. > :13:39.that just an excuse? Yes because the Tuaregs have been demanding
:13:39. > :13:45.their territory for a long time. They are opposed -- they operate in
:13:45. > :13:49.other places. They are getting more arms now? Absolutely. A lot of them
:13:49. > :13:54.went to fight for Gaddafi so they have come back and that is another
:13:54. > :13:59.subtext, we do not know if they have infiltrated the army and are
:13:59. > :14:04.using these chaps as a front so they can set up a state where X
:14:04. > :14:11.Gaddafi people could be saved. thought the day of the army coup
:14:11. > :14:16.was almost over in Africa but what you think will happen now in Mali?
:14:16. > :14:24.I weep for Mali. This is the dry season and there is no food there,
:14:24. > :14:28.no water, they already have 200,000 refugees as a result of the war. At
:14:28. > :14:33.the political confusion and you have a catastrophe of immense
:14:33. > :14:36.proportions. The economic Community of West Africa has condemned it, a
:14:36. > :14:46.United Nations and everybody is making noises but they will leave
:14:46. > :14:49.
:14:49. > :14:52.the people of Mali to themselves. Let's take a look at some of it
:14:52. > :14:57.today's other main developments. A former commander of the Turkish
:14:57. > :15:01.armed forces has gone on trial. He is charged with trying to overthrow
:15:01. > :15:06.the government. He is the most senior Turkish military officer to
:15:06. > :15:09.be tried in a civilian court. If found guilty, he could face of a 20
:15:09. > :15:13.years in jail. The UN Security Council has
:15:13. > :15:18.demanded that troops be withdrawn from Syrian cities, but these
:15:18. > :15:25.latest pictures, that have not been verified, reportedly shall
:15:25. > :15:29.explosions and gunfire in Homs. In Italy, eight more bodies had
:15:29. > :15:36.been found in the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner which
:15:36. > :15:40.sank in January. The ship remains half submerged. But the latest
:15:40. > :15:46.recovery brings the official death toll to 30. Two passengers remain
:15:46. > :15:50.missing. A rally a dead by the US civil
:15:50. > :16:00.rights campaign that I'll show up in it is due to take place in
:16:00. > :16:05.
:16:05. > :16:09.Florida in a few years' time. -- Al Sharpton. George Zimmerman, who
:16:09. > :16:12.shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has not been arrested. This has
:16:12. > :16:18.sparked a national debate about race relations and the right to
:16:18. > :16:23.defence. A memorial to Trayvon Martin close
:16:23. > :16:30.to the spot where he died. The 17- year-old, carrying a bag of
:16:30. > :16:40.skittles and a drink, was shot here. The gated community take security
:16:40. > :16:48.
:16:48. > :16:52.seriously but what happened here a Emergency calls from residents
:16:53. > :16:57.captured the drama of the evening and left questions hang in the year.
:16:57. > :17:03.Who attacked whom and why did George them are often feel the need
:17:03. > :17:07.to shoot? -- George Zimmerman. This town's African-American community
:17:07. > :17:13.thinks it knows enough already and that this church, they have come
:17:13. > :17:18.with stories of police brutality and corruption. It is really
:17:18. > :17:23.getting out of hand. The shooting, they believe, is part of a long and
:17:23. > :17:33.dishonourable tradition. Hannibal Duncan is as angry as the next
:17:33. > :17:35.
:17:35. > :17:42.person and is not impressed with this community's response. At the
:17:42. > :17:49.end of the day, we need a 21st century solution for a 21st century
:17:49. > :17:54.problem. But for now, it is mostly about sound and fury. In a land
:17:54. > :18:00.will on Wednesday, protesters carried out side this office. They
:18:00. > :18:04.want George Zimmerman's licence revoked but feel that Florida's gun
:18:04. > :18:09.laws at fault. An author and the subject believes there will getting
:18:09. > :18:13.it wrong. People were very upset about the situation and
:18:13. > :18:19.understandably so. They have a right to be, but it is not the law
:18:19. > :18:23.that is the problem in this case. It is whether George will -- George
:18:23. > :18:27.Zimmerman acted lawfully or unlawfully. For the rally was due
:18:27. > :18:37.to be held in a nearby church but organisers have moved it here
:18:37. > :18:45.
:18:45. > :18:48.because they feel there will be a big turnout. Al Sharpton But
:18:48. > :18:56.emotions are all here and he may wish to tread carefully.
:18:56. > :19:01.I am joined by the Professor of Law at the University of California.
:19:01. > :19:06.Florida's law is very expansive. It says that someone does not have a
:19:06. > :19:10.duty to treat if they're confronted with danger, but goes further. They
:19:11. > :19:18.are not only allowed to stand their own ground but to protect others,
:19:18. > :19:23.even by using violence forced to prevent a burglary. Is it that
:19:23. > :19:27.badly drafted law? Is it not clear what is allowed in terms of self-
:19:27. > :19:32.defence? No problem is that where it is clear that allows too much
:19:32. > :19:38.self defence. It allows people to be vigilantes not just to defend
:19:38. > :19:43.themselves but other people and even other people's property.
:19:43. > :19:48.this go further than other laws governing self-defence in other
:19:48. > :19:54.states in America, in that it encourages vigilantes? It does.
:19:54. > :19:58.Other laws have similarly brought laws but Florida's among the most
:19:58. > :20:01.brought in the nation. Most would require you to retreat from some
:20:01. > :20:06.kind of dangerous threat and do not allow you to try to stop someone
:20:07. > :20:10.from committing a felony. When it comes to this particular case, I
:20:10. > :20:15.suppose you are limited in how far you can pronounce on it because the
:20:15. > :20:18.exact details and circumstances are not yet known. We do not know all
:20:18. > :20:22.the facts of this case but one thing that has become pretty clear
:20:22. > :20:26.is that people are out there on the state with guns more than ever in
:20:26. > :20:34.America. They may not have adequate training to know what the law
:20:34. > :20:38.allows and when they should not be using deadly force.
:20:38. > :20:41.The line is a little unstable but we heard nearly all of what he had
:20:41. > :20:45.to say. The president of the European
:20:45. > :20:50.Central Bank, Mario Draghi, says the worst of the eurozone debt
:20:50. > :20:56.crisis is over. He acknowledges issues still exist but says it is
:20:56. > :20:59.now up to national governments to deal with further problems. People
:20:59. > :21:09.and Portugal have been holding a general strike today in protest at
:21:09. > :21:16.the austerity measures imposed. The government's programme is having a
:21:16. > :21:20.profound effect on many families and Portugal.
:21:20. > :21:25.This is a middle-class suburb on the edges of Lisbon. This woman
:21:25. > :21:30.last with an 84-year-old mother and her a living year-old son. She is a
:21:30. > :21:34.civil servant. In the past few months, have already modest
:21:34. > :21:43.earnings have dropped by one quarter. She now relies on basic
:21:43. > :21:53.food handouts from her son's school. She says public sector workers like
:21:53. > :21:57.her are being hit too hard. A few doors down, we meet a teacher
:21:57. > :22:01.married to another teacher. They're both earning less following
:22:01. > :22:08.government cuts. I do not think it is right because I have less money
:22:08. > :22:12.to spend but I think it is necessary because we have left be
:22:12. > :22:18.on their capacities. Across the road, one of many small plots of
:22:18. > :22:23.land dotted around Lisbon. As tax increases, food is more expensive,
:22:23. > :22:27.and now more people grow their own. At the local school, the head
:22:27. > :22:37.teacher says family's who where not long ago the new rich are now the
:22:37. > :22:40.
:22:40. > :22:44.new poor. He says violent behaviour has risen and more children now
:22:44. > :22:48.arrive in the morning without having eaten breakfast. One obvious
:22:48. > :22:52.effect of the eurozone crisis is that countries like Portugal have a
:22:52. > :22:56.shrinking public sector. While some argue that the scale of the
:22:56. > :22:59.government's cuts are starving the economy of a vital source of growth,
:22:59. > :23:03.others are seeing the crisis as an opportunity for a more efficient
:23:03. > :23:09.form of government. That is the mission of the government which was
:23:09. > :23:18.voted in last summer. Portugal is on track to get its public finances
:23:18. > :23:25.in order. If you look at our economy, we need to get our
:23:25. > :23:29.judicial system quicker, we need to get a tax system less volatile and
:23:29. > :23:33.more consistent. We are working hard to build more companies and
:23:33. > :23:37.that is the secret of economic growth. There is no magic about it.
:23:37. > :23:42.There is a new acceptance in Portugal. Many believe a short
:23:42. > :23:52.painful period of adjustment will set the scene for future growth.
:23:52. > :23:54.
:23:54. > :23:58.One of the most eagerly awaited films of the Year will open in
:23:58. > :24:06.thousands of cinemas around the world on Friday. The Hunger Games
:24:06. > :24:14.is released. It is an adaptation of the best-selling dark, future young
:24:14. > :24:18.adult novel. Hollywood will hope it is a powerful new franchise.
:24:18. > :24:22.The Hunger Games is finally about to open in cinemas in some 50
:24:22. > :24:28.countries around the world. This week, fans had been camping out
:24:28. > :24:32.overnight hoping to see the stars of a film they cannot wait to see.
:24:32. > :24:39.It is so exciting and I cannot wait. I bought the tickets the minute
:24:39. > :24:43.they went on sale. I am counting down. The Hunger Games is set in a
:24:43. > :24:47.futuristic, post-apocalyptic vision of North America where children
:24:47. > :24:52.from different districts compete in a fight to the death in a televised
:24:52. > :24:55.spectacle. You're not sitting and wanting these children to fight.
:24:55. > :25:01.You are seeing a situation of child abuse were reality television has
:25:01. > :25:06.gone very bad. The Hunger Games as an adaptation of the first volume
:25:06. > :25:13.of a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. More than 26 million The
:25:13. > :25:20.Hunger Games related titles and in a publication in America alone.
:25:20. > :25:25.With the end of the Harry Potter films and their Twilight films,
:25:25. > :25:29.there is a need for a powerful new money-making franchise. It is hoped
:25:29. > :25:33.The Hunger Games will deliver. It is a franchise with the potential
:25:33. > :25:39.to be brought, bringing not just in the target he audience but also
:25:39. > :25:45.adults drawn to the subtext. We are living in a voyeuristic culture
:25:45. > :25:55.where some time people's pain and violence as glorified for under 10
:25:55. > :25:55.
:25:55. > :26:00.it. Adults to read it can perhaps see these parallels. Fans of the
:26:00. > :26:04.book won't go and see this film in droves but what about the
:26:04. > :26:08.uninitiated? To some, The Hunger Games is seen more as a triumph of
:26:08. > :26:12.hype and marketing as opposed to the art of cinema. Although it has
:26:12. > :26:16.won some strong reviews, not all critics have been engaged. There
:26:16. > :26:21.was a lot of stuff in the films which seemed like it was just in
:26:21. > :26:28.there because it was in the bricks. Whereas I, and neophyte to this
:26:28. > :26:33.whole world, was left wondering what the point of it all was.
:26:33. > :26:37.Across continents, hordes of fans and you waiting to see the film. In
:26:37. > :26:46.North America, it is expected to draw in as much as $100 million in
:26:46. > :26:50.its first weekend. Looks very exciting. Let's remind
:26:50. > :26:55.you of our menus. The death of the French gunman, Mohammed Merah, has
:26:55. > :27:04.ended the immediate drama into his. The whole affair remains -- of
:27:04. > :27:08.leaves many questions unanswered. - - Toulouse. It is still unclear
:27:08. > :27:13.what the impact of the case will be on the French presidential campaign.
:27:13. > :27:16.Tensions remain high and the Mali capital of a Mackle after a good of
:27:16. > :27:26.rebels say they seized power overnight in a military coup. That
:27:26. > :27:33.
:27:33. > :27:40.is often the programme. Next is a Today in the sunshine temperatures
:27:40. > :27:44.climb to 19 Celsius. Overnight, more clout and a repeat performance
:27:44. > :27:49.tomorrow, turning warm when they get that sunshine. High pressure
:27:49. > :27:58.dominates to the east but we will see some scattered showers here.
:27:58. > :28:04.First thing on Friday, a fairly cloudy start. That will break-up
:28:04. > :28:07.and through the afternoon, sunshine and temperatures bouncing back.
:28:07. > :28:15.There is still the risk of the gentle easterly breeze bringing in
:28:15. > :28:20.some cloud but where it doesn't, as in London, we could hit 20 Celsius
:28:20. > :28:26.on Friday afternoon thanks to the sunshine. In the south-west, a much
:28:26. > :28:30.dire day. Wales gets off to a cracking the and stays that way
:28:30. > :28:36.throughout, but through the West Midlands there is the chance of
:28:36. > :28:39.some showers. Cloudy in sherry to start for Northern Ireland, died in