26/03/2012 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me Zeinab Badawi. Another severe

food crisis in West Africa looms yet again. We're in the worst

affected country Niger, to report on those doing what they can to

stave off disaster. 2012 will be particularly tough. Harvest have

failed, prices are shooting up, there is growing

But a leading development agency tells us such food shortages are

entirely avoidable - so why do they keep on happening?

North Korea's nuclear ambitions hijack talks between major world

powers on nuclear terrorism at a summit in Seoul.

Guess who's coming to dinner? The row over the political donors who

are given access to the Prime Minister David Cameron.

Also coming up in the programme: The director of the hit movie

Titanic, hits rock bottom. James Cameron returns from the

deepest place on earth at the Hello and welcome: 'It's hunger

season again' - that's how the BBC's Andrew Harding has described

the food shortage that's affecting the Sahel region of West Africa.

The spectre of a major food crisis is once again casting its shadow.

The UN and international aid agencies are warning of severe food

shortages that are threatening the lives of the most vulnerable.

The BBC's Andrew Harding has travelled to the Sahel region and

sent this report from one of the affected villages in Niger, a short

distance from the capital Niamey. We need an armed escort to venture

a. Islamist militants are a growing threat. Saw his hunger. In this

tiny village this 50-year-old woman threshes grain. In recent years she

has lost her husband and children to disease and poverty. This

pitiful crop will only feed what is left of the family for one week.

course we are hungry. The rain did not come. It has been getting worse

for years. There are almost no men left in the village. All have gone

abroad in search of work. There is a food crisis nearly every year in

this village and 2012 will be particularly tough. Prices are

shooting up, have also failed, and there is growing insecurity across

the region. The familiar warning signs. 10 are

severely malnourished children arrived in the clinic this week.

The UN fears 400,000 children could be in this condition within months.

One in 10 is likely to die. It is much worse already this year it

says this nurse. Yet in Niger is not without hope.

In his village there is a scheme to trap rainwater.

The democratic government is acknowledging the crisis and co-

operating with the outside world. As women get a small wage from the

UN. Because of this work we can feed our families, she says. Maybe

in the future these fields will recover.

That does not change the fact that the village well is drying up.

Along the road is needed each year. As a child she remembers life was

wonderful here. Not any more. A little earlier Deborah Doane from

the World Development Movement told us that she believed this food

crisis is entirely avoidable. Famines are entirely avoidable.

They are man-made. What is happening in the Sahel is based on

the poor planning, poor structures, and policies that have been going

on for many years. Who is to blame? It is not down to one particular

thing. In the 1990s there were a series of policies from the IMF and

the World Bank which forced that removal of price controls which led

to the loss of investment in agriculture over the past 15 years.

We can look at an over-reliance on an international system that takes

the levers of control out of countries in that region. Rising

food prices that we are seeing recently that were the result of

the 2005 crisis, the 2010 crisis, those are down to the fact that

there are too many people buying their local -- eyeing the global

markets and not looking locally. many people see an anomaly. There

is food available in these countries. The markets are well

stocked. But a large number of people are simply unable to afford

to buy food. That is precisely the problem that is happening in Niger

and elsewhere in that the Sahel. If you are having a crop failure in a

time of drought, exacerbated by climate change, you are buying and

more of your food. You are buying in these. That is traded on global

commodity market. We are seen a rise in maize prices since 2010 of

75 %. When you are in are the poorest countries in the world and

you cannot afford to buy food that is a fundamental problem. Is there

are grounds for optimism? A lot of people are saying that high

commodity prices as well as increasing democratisation in the

Continent should promise a better future. If they are relying on

exports of other commodities, primary commodities, you are still

relying on food. The fundamental problem will be if they do not

prioritise food security and how to produce the right crops for the

right people locally. There are some signs of optimism. There is

some research that looked at and the culture in the region.

Investment in the local crops has proved to be quite good, but a lot

more needs to be done to make sure that that is prioritise. If they

are simply looking at exporting more of a primary commodities and

bring in enough income to pay for the commodities, be will be in the

same position in a few years' time. A rare moment of co-operation

between China and the United States. Barack Obama at Hu Jintao met on

the sidelines of a nuclear summit. Barack Obama reiterated the

commitment of the United States and Russia to reduce their nuclear

weapons. They cannot have been many

surprises in the conversation between these two men today. Barack

Obama began the meeting by reminding his Chinese counterpart

they had already met 11 times before. The list of topics was

familiar. At the top of that was North Korea and its nuclear

programme. Non-Proliferation said Barack Obama was in their interests

of both leaders. He has already criticised China for

not being tough enough. Its approach to dealing with North

Korea he said was not working. At a Korean university today he

demonstrated the kind of message he wanted to be heard. This is a

decision you must make. Today we say, have the courage to pursue

peace and give a better light to the people of North Korea. America,

he said, had no hostile intent towards North Korea. He said it was

committed to reducing its own nuclear stockpile as well as

pressuring others. I say this as President of the only nation ever

to use nuclear weapons. I see it as a commander in chief finos that the

nuclear codes are never far from my side. Most of all I see it as a

father, who once might two young doctors to grow up in a world where

everything they know and love can be instantly wiped out. Barack

Obama's visit began on Sunday with his first glimpse inside the close,

his state. Korea has dominated discussions ever since. China has

reportedly urged fellow delegations not to be sidetracked by the sight

of -- by the North Korean question. North Korea is not coming to the

sum at. It is not even on the official agenda. This meeting is

about preventing nuclear material from falling into the hands of

terrorist groups, not about nuclear disarmament, but North Korea is

just one hour's drive away from here. Barack Obama's speech and his

schedule shows just how much part of the discussion this is.

Let us look at some of the other news.

Coffee and man has said the crisis in Syria cannot be allowed to drag

on indefinitely. More fighting and deaths have been reported in Syria

today. After a meeting in Moscow Mr Coffey

a man urged all parties to accept change. This cannot be allowed to

drag on indefinitely. I have told the parties on the ground they

cannot resist the transformation. They have to accept that reforms

have to come, change has to come. The prospect of political deadlock

in Senegal appears to have faded after the incumbent president said

he had accepted defeat in the election. He had contested the

ballot. He had already served two terms in office. The winner of the

election said his victory marked a new year for Senegal.

Savage teams have recovered five more bodies from the wreck of the

Costa Concordia. 32 people are thought to have died when he the

ship crashed into rocks. Pope Benedict is flying to Cuba

following his visit to Mexico. He will spend three days in Santiago.

Catholic leaders dared say they hoped his visit will help

revitalise faith on the island. Reports say that the authorities

have detained in dissidents prior to his arrival.

Two British soldiers have been shot dead in southern Afghanistan by a

man in Afghan army uniform. The attacker died when a Coalition

forces returned fire. In the last hour it has been confirmed that

another NATO service member has been shot in eastern Afghanistan by

someone who was apparently part of the local Afghan police.

A growing number of NATO troops are being killed by Afghans who are

supposed to be their comrades and allies.

This is a tough conflict at the best of times. For international

troops the risk of being shot by the very men they are training is

the hardest on the face. These two deaths bring to 15 the number of

British troops who have died in this way.

The news was announced in the Commons. Details of the incident

are still emerging but it appears that a member of the Afghan

National Army opened fire at entrance to their British

headquarters killing two British personnel. The assailant was killed

by return of fire. Afghan anger has followed stories of US soldiers

urinating on enemy corpses, burning copies of the Koran, and then 17

villagers were killed by one rogue US soldier. It is the background to

the attacks by Afghan soldiers. In military jargon NATO is always

blue, Afghan forces are always green. These attacks are known as

Green on blue. A total of 13 troops have died this year at a hands of

Afghan forces. Before the debt of the two British personnel, six

American personnel were killed. One Albanian was killed. Fought French

troops were killed by an Afghan soldier in February. We are taking

measures to ensure that these are cadences are kept to a minimum.

This is at terrible spate of attacks. Although all these attacks

a relatively small in number the effect they have is Severe. Their

aim is that Afghan forces will be ready to take on the fight against

the Taliban for themselves by 2014. There is international resolve to

stick to the plan, keep to the timetable of withdrawal by the end

of 2014. However strong that maybe it is hard to see how there can be

just on the ground between the soldiers of these such different

nations. After the spate of violent killings. Flags will be flying at

Here, the British Prime Minister David Cameron has revealed that

some of the leading Conservative party's biggest donors have been

invited to private dinners at Number 10. It follows the emergence

of secret filming in which the party's former treasurer said six-

figure donations would buy access to the Prime Minister and his

policy unit. Initially Downing Street refused to give the names of

the guests, but there has been mounting pressure to do so. Mr

Cameron has launched an internal party inquiry - but Labour says

that is not enough. Here is our political Editor Nick Robinson. Not

everyone can afford to have dinner in the flat over the shop, not

least when the shop in question is Number Ten Downing Street and your

host is the Prime Minister himself. To date came confirmation that

David Cameron had, as claimed, hosted Doran parties for the very

very rich. In the two years that I had been Prime Minister, there have

been three occasions when it significant donors have come to

dinner in my flat. They were not fund-raising dinners nor the paid

for by the taxpayer. This is not what those attending a conference

on dementia expected but David Cameron knew he had no choice but

to reveal who had attended the demurs. Our bigger donors have been

for dinner in Number Ten Downing Street, in the Prime Minister's

private apartments. The guests at the parties hosted in the flat

contributed nearly �10 million to the Conservative Party. Amongst the

6th donors where Henry angriest - a Swiss-born banker. Like father - I

hedge-fund trader. Ian Taylor, chief executor of an oil company.

And Michael Spencer a billionaire businessman. At the end of the

speech today, David Cameron left, refusing to take questions from

reporters. And the Prime Minister was not in the Commons to answer

questions in a statement on party funding. The Minister had come to

talk about reforming party funding and was met with derision. As set

out in the coalition government document, party funding in Britain

needs to be reformed. LAUGHTER. shows utter contempt for this house

that the Prime Minister can make a statement to the media just three

hours ago and refuses to come here to face us. Ed Miliband condemned

what he called the whitewash of an inquiry into the Conservative Party

by the Conservative Party for the Conservative Party. This scandal

speaks to the conduct and character of the prime minister and

government. Anything short of an independent inquiry will leave a

permanent stain on his government and this Prime Minister. -- this

government. 0 of the a few weeks ago the Prime Minister told

schoolchildren about his flat above the shop. I live in a very nice

flat above Number 11 Downing Street, but what I get up to there is

private. How he must wish what -- that that remained true. It is

private no longer. Joining us now is our political correspondent.

Downing Street moving fast to dispel this controversy? Absolutely,

the key is to move quickly and try and limit the damage. And of course

to blunt the story under amount of detail. Moving fast but the story

has been given fresh momentum now because a former Downing Street

aide who is now a lobbyist, has been caught in that Sting as well

by the Sunday Times. A in terms of the face time, that is more

difficult. It is not impossible. The Prime Minister is obviously

very busy. There are certain ways of meeting. This cannot be seen in

isolation, it leads into a wider and long lasting scandal about

donors who give cash to political parties in order to gain access to

political leaders? That is right. I do not think David Cameron or his

closest advisers would describe this as anything other than a

potentially dangerous political moment. That is why they have moved

so quickly. The problem with this episode is that it feeds into a

broader image and it reinforces that sense that we know the voters

in Britain have of the Conservatives, as being a party of

the rich and powerful, which is considered to be the party's

greatest weakness. Do you think this has the potential to create

awful damage to David Cameron and his party? I think it is too early

to say. Downing Street is hoping that by releasing this detail, that

will help to be the story but that will not stop journalists from

continuing to Dec. It will not stop the opposition party, despite their

troubles in power, at from continuing to think there is an

opportunity here and to keep asking for an inquiry. Thank you very much.

When the Hollywood film director, James Cameron was working on the

abyss more than 20 years ago, he cannot have known that the plot for

his film about a mission to the bottom of the ocean would become

part of his own story. Earlier today, he returned from a four-hour

expedition to the deepest place on Earth - 11 kilometres down to the

Mariana Trench in the western Pacific. In his one man submersible,

Mr Cameron has made history - becoming the first person to make

the journey alone. Rebecca Morelle reports from the island of Guam -

the nearest landmass to the dive site. Heading to the deep his place

on earth, bad wetter threatened to scupper the mission but finally

James Cameron was a way. -- bad weather. He was left alone and

cramped in a tiny metal sphere. The descent took 2 1/2 hours. The

pressure built to 1,000 at his fears. I did not see anything

bigger than an inch long. I was hoping to get to rock outcrop

things where I expected to see a different community there,

unfortunately I ran out of power before I got that far. We will have

to go back and do a different dived. This thing is beg. -- the Hague. It

is 50 times the size of the Grand Canyon. This is a vast frontier

down there. It will take us a while to understand. I after several

hours of exploring, Mr Cameron resurfaced to the delight of his

team. James Cameron is the first person to have journeyed to the

Mariana Trench for half a century. He says he hopes to inspire a new

era of deep-sea exploration. The ocean is the final frontier of the

Earth, we know less about it than the planets. But now with the

success of this mission, James Cameron hopes to inspire a new era

of deep-sea exploration. To talk some more about this, we

are joined by ate a marine biologist.

Unlike in abyss, there are no aliens at the bottom of the Pacific,

but what kind of things might James Cameron have encountered? He would

probably see a lot of small at sea cucumbers. Possibly a lot of the

things like shims. Probably nothing too conspicuous. Could he have

spotted new species? At those kind of debt, spotting new species would

be very difficult, you should really go more shallower than that.

Tell us what kind of experience he would have had going down like

that? 11 kilometres is a fantastic debt. It took him to add a have

first to get down there, it is a long distance. The temperature

would be colder than the more you got to the bottom. There is very

little light there. He would have kicked up a lot of sediment and I

would imagine it was an uncomfortable experience. By it

sounds like an understatement! think it would be horrible. Was it

quite danger is? He could have lost communication with the outside

world for instance. That is always the risk you take with a

submersible. If you employed, that is the worst thing that could

happen. -- implode. It was a life- threatening adventure then? Yes,

but he has put a lot of money and time and trainee into this. I am

sure it is pretty safe, but it just looks very dangerous. Are you

impressed or not? Absolutely. It is amazing, it raises the profile of

deep-sea biology, it is fantastic. Does it take us anywhere apart from

be exciting for Mr Cameron? I hope so. He commented that he was

planning to go back. I was concerned they would just go once

and that would be yet but it is nice to hear he plans to do some

more. Going to the marionette branch is not necessarily

representative of other take places. -- the Mariana Trench. The trenches

are very isolated habitats and why happens one trench does not mess

his family have been in other trenches, it is similar to

mountains. Going to Mount Everest does not tell you about Mount

Kilimanjaro. This is a good start and it has proved the technology.

Is there any point in a human going down like this? Can they do more

than machines? People would disagree. My feeling is that you

can get more bottom time with a remote systems. You do not have the

danger issue. There are a lot of arguments for and against. Let us

hope James Cameron was not wasting his time with that life threatening

exploration. Thank you very much. A reminder of our main news: A

drought, chronic underdevelopment and political instability have

created a landscape which has more than 60 million people in the Sahel

Region of West Africa at risk of food shortages. That's it for now.

Goodbye. Hello. On Monday afternoon we

Hello. On Monday afternoon we continued with the warmth across

many parts of the country, but tomorrow there is more of the same.

We have sunshine and high temperatures for the end of March.

Although we have the sunshine around, high pressure is keeping

things in try which is not good news for those regions which need

rain. No sign of significant rained throughout the week. Another dry

day tomorrow, it begins cold with Matt -- with mist and fog. The

sunshine will have temperatures by the afternoon. It is still cooler

on the coast of East Anglia but come further inland, there will be

temperatures of 18 Celsius. 21 tomorrow in London. 18 degrees in

the south-west and breezy in Cornwall, but as the breeze travels

up the north coast of Wales, we see the temperatures climbing up to 20

degrees. For Northern Ireland, it is cooler towards the coast of

Antrim but we will see temperatures up to 19 degrees on the north coast.