03/05/2012 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me Zeinab Badawi. Delving into the

mind of Osama bin Laden. 17 letters are released by the US seized from

his compound. Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois

Hollande keep up the frantic campaigning fighting for every vote

in the French presidential election. In Ukraine, they're preparing to

welcome the crowds for Euro 2012 - but there's a growing crowd of EU

ministers who say they won't attend. Also coming up in the programme: We

have a special report on the long drawn-out war in Sudan's Nuba

Mountains, where a bombing campaign by the government is forcing

thousands to flee. It is pretty clear that these people are being

targeted by a military campaign that is designed to terrorise

civilians. And the Scream - one of the world's

most famous paintings is sold for a record price at auction. Investment

Hello and welcome. 17 documents seized from Osama Bin Laden's

compound in the Pakistani city of Abbotobad have been released by the

US authorities. They were among 6,000 papers taken and they seem to

give some insights into how Osama bin Laden operated. In one document

he apparently refuses a request by the militant Somali group, Al-

Shabaab to unite with al Qaeda. And in his last letter a week before

his death Bin Laden writes about the Arab Spring. The BBC's Security

Correspondent Frank Gardener has been examining the papers.

The last days of Osama Bin Laden, holed up in his compound in

Pakistan, before he was killed by US commandos last year. Now we're

getting a glimpse of the treasure trove of documents grab from that

compound. He'd asked to groups with a mission of spotting the visits of

Obama or Petraeus to target the aircraft that either one of them

was carrying. They are not regarded visits by but vice-president. The

plan was for Joe Biden to take over as President, believing he was

incompetent and would lead to the US into crisis. Every incident

looks at his anniversary to figure out how you can conduct a military

strike that has operational significance, but has enormous

political significance. Terrorism, insurgency, it is at its heart. It

is a political contest as opposed to military contest. One of the

detested by document refers to British targets in Afghanistan. --

It emerges here that by the time he was killed a year ago, he was

struggling to remain in control of Al-Qaeda. The organisation had

already fragmented, so today, offshoots had sprung up

independently in Pakistan, Iraq, and Somalia. There is no longer a

firm control at the top. Keep in mind, Al-Qaeda was already on the

decline before the death of Osama Bin Laden, but the group is still

struggling to be relevant. They renew outfits that have their own

leadership, their own financing and resources and desire to plot and

plan a mass casualty attacks. They do not need Al-Qaeda to do this,

but they are suddenly motivated by the ideology of Osama Bin Laden,

and that is the most relevant aspect to this. That legacy will

take a long time to fade. He was a highly charismatic figure for many,

and in that sense it is surprising that the United States has chosen

to revive his memory today. But then, the man that back to 9/11 and

terrified America is no longer. And we will have reaction on this

story in a short while. Campaigning continues in the French

presidential elections, with the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and his

socialist rival Francois Hollande both holding rallies today. Mr

Hollande is still the favourite to win, but much depends on what the

supporters of Marine Le Pen's National Front do. The BBC's

Christian Fraser is in Nimes in the south of France where the far-right

made huge gains in the first round vote.

Christin, tell us or what you're finding out? This has perjurer

perfect, France in the deep south of the country. -- This is picture-

perfect. They feel that their way of life is under threat from

emigration, globalisation and unemployment. This is where the

Front Nationale did particularly well. In no other area did they

finished top of the pile, but they did here. It is around places like

this where they found particular success. We have been to a local

village, a pretty little village, to find out what people made of the

crucial televised debate last night, and why they voted for Marine La

Pen? In the market, the Socialists are

fishing for votes. The stalls are busy, but in the last five years,

the local economy has gone flat. In 2007, the left took nearly half of

the first-round votes. The Front Nationale limped home with 7%, this

time they were top with 20 %. People are shocked and the local

councillor is you to learn lessons. TRANSLATION: People said they have

had enough, they do not feel safe, they have no money in their pockets,

they are unemployed. Many people without jobs in this area.

It is the kind of isolated village that the Front Nationale targeted

around the country, where factories have closed, and disillusion has

grown in their place. We are worried that these things are going

to go. The big difference. Will you vote in the second round? It is

possible, you know. I want to change President, that is it.

quarter of the people that voted last week under the age of 35

turned out for the Front Nationale. Typically, they are white, working-

class, many of them are a first- time voters. They are disillusioned

with the two main parties and are motivated by the much simpler

populist rhetoric of Marine La Pen, and so popular is that message, it

has suddenly drifted into the political mainstream. The two men

who debated live on television last night and not inspiring the

wavering voters. In those parts they only see the broking Bros...

Broken promises. Marine La Pen refused to support either candidate,

and one will eventually abstained. TRANSLATION: Marine La Pen wants to

demolish the classics centre-right to France and build a hard right in

its place. Rural France was built on traditional industry, and all

have taken a battering. They long for the old certainties here. If

anger is the theme of this election, then nostalgia comes a second -- a

close second. It is the last day of campaigning

tomorrow, a rest day on Saturday, and we're looking at the

mathematics of the first round at where it splits and which candidate

might take the votes that went to the other fringe candidates.

Tonight, devastating news for the Sarkozy camp, because one of the

opposition has come out in favour of Mr Hollande. He is giving you

the direction to his supporters, so if you take the votes of the far-

left and his votes that went to the other candidates, you can see that

the mathematics are looking very bad indeed for or President Sarkozy.

Now a look at some of the days other news. The United States has

acknowledged that the blind Chinese dissident, Chen Guangcheng, wants

to leave China, in a case that's overshadowed high level talks

between the two countries in Beijing. A state department

spokeswoman said it was clear that Mr Chen and his wife had had a

change of heart since he left sanctuary in the US embassy on

Wednesday. Mr Chen told the BBC that he wanted to discuss his plans

further with US officials. At least 34 people have been killed

in an attack in Nigeria on a cattle market in the town of Potiskum, in

Yobe State. Eyewitnesses say gunmen locked the gate of the fenced

market, trapping traders and cattle inside, then started shooting. They

also set the enclosure on fire in what appears to be a revenge attack.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, is

coming under intense pressure to resign. A number of senior

politicians have called on him to step down following revelations in

a BBC documentary about his role in a secret child abuse inquiry in

1975. He was among a small group of priests who knew the names of

children being abused - but failed to inform the police or their

parents. Let's return now to our top story -

the release by the US authorities of a few of the thousands of

documents, they seized from the home of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan

last year. To talk some more about this we are joined from Washington

by Bruce Riedel, who was a senior advisor on South Asia and the

Middle East to the last four presidents of the United States,

when he was part of the National Security Council at the White House.

He's currently at the Brookings Institution in Washington. And we

are also joined by Huma Umtiaz, the Washington Correspondent for

Pakistan's Express News Newspaper. Breeze, there is a caveat, just 17

documents released from 6,000 taken, can you glean much about this and

give us insight from the mind of a Summer Bin Laden? I think it is a

very small sample and we need to bear that in mind. What we can see

here is that he may have been in hiding, but he was certainly not

add of communication. He was communicating with his lieutenant

and his advisers from across the Islamic world, from Pakistan, from

Somalia, from Indonesia, from other places. He was increasingly

frustrated, because then the last few years, his organisation has

come under unprecedented levels of pressure from the United States and

other Western allies and it was showing. He was frustrated that his

new tenants did not seem to get it. They often did not recognise the

lessons they should have learnt from previous mistakes and the

biggest lesson may seem to not get was that killing innocent Muslims

is not going to achieve the goals of Al-Qaeda and it leads to a

backlash against Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Pakistan and other places.

Pakistan, does that ring true with this interpretation of these

documents that perhaps, some of the killings carried out by the Taliban

in Pakistan, but somehow, it was Osama Bin Laden wish to

disassociate himself from that? you look at the letter written by

Itsu Al-Qaeda commanders, they both admonished attacks in mosques and

market places and said they Muslim should not be used as a shield and

this is something that Bin Laden referred to as well. They were

upset at the way that the Taliban were conducting themselves in

Pakistan. One of the documents were not complying with Cherie a law.

Al-Qaeda were trying to distance themselves from attacks carried out

in Pakistan over many years. At one point, at the Taliban and Al-Qaeda

were very close, the leader and Bin Laden, following Pakistan as you do,

do think that the ties between the two have loosened in general?

not the ties of Lucent, Al-Qaeda has been degraded to a huge degree.

They say that drone strikes in Pakistan have led to all of the top

leadership of Al-Qaeda being killed and this might show in the ties

with the Taliban and Pakistan. Every number two and number three

commander has been killed in drones strikes. Some people have been told

to leave because they were afraid they would be killed in the area. A

Osama Bin Laden, a huge impact on the side he of the American public,

seen as public enemy number one. Reading the documents in so far as

you can, do you think that he really did pose a threat to the

United States? We know that he said that any aeroplane carrying a

Barack Obama at the 10th Afghanistan, should be targeted.

shows us that he was a declining threat. This was an organisation

and the core group around him was left under incredible pressure in

the last couple of years, and feeling that pressure. That doesn't

mean that the idea of Al-Qaeda, the narrative that Osama Bin Laden and

his deputy have put out, of Global Jihad, that has not gone away. The

idea, the inspiration that comes from Bin Laden continues to

encourage a tiny minority of fanatics to carry out suicidal acts

of terror. Unfortunately, we can kill Osama Bin Laden, but it is a

lot harder to kill the idea that he had come to represent. When we talk

about this attack that has carried out by a al kyda macro -- by Al-

Qaeda in different countries, is that all pretty meaningless?

don't think it's meaningless, I think some of these organisations,

especially Al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula demonstrated that they

can carry out significant acts of terror, after all, Al-Qaeda in the

Arabian peninsula at persuaded the Nigerian to carry a bomb on his

body and he was able to fly from Amsterdam into the United States.

But in a Neymar of Osama Bin Laden? We're not saying they are not

active, they are, but acting in the name of Osama Bin Laden at his

In the case of their Nigerian, there was a tape with Osama Bin

Laden claiming credit. The narrative they represent remains

dangerous. But the organisation that attacked the netted States in

2001 and the UK in a 2005 is insignificant decline. Briefly, a

lot of speculation at the time about how far the Pakistani

authorities and intelligence services knew that Osama Bin Laden

was there. The papers do not tell us about that but would you be keen

to know that? Absolutely. This is the million-dollar question. The

Who knew about Osama Bin Laden? Did he have any help from the Pakistani

authorities? If there are more leaks about the documents, it would

be interesting to know if the names anyone in his letters that could

point to any clues or give signs of who helped him stay there for so

long. Thank you very much. Just weeks to go until the Euro 2012

football tournament and one of the host countries - Ukraine - is at

the centre of a growing diplomatic row. The Netherlands is the latest

country to refuse to send government representatives in

protest at the treatment of the imprisoned opposition leader, Yulia

Tymoshenko. She's been on a hunger strike, after complaining of being

beaten in prison. Austria and Belgium are also boycotting the

event and it's likely Germany will too. Daniel Sandford reports from

the Ukrainian capital Kiev. They are working day and night at the

Prime new Olympic Stadium to get it ready in time for the tournament.

The key work is done but Ukraine wants to look its best for Euro

Glossy promo videos welcome the world. It is a proud moment in this

young country's history. But it all started to go wrong when a four

small bombs went off last week. One was recorded on his web cam. No one

was killed but 27 people were injured and nobody has been caught.

Then, these pictures, apparently showing bruises on the former prime

minister, Tymoshenko in prison after a suspiciously political

prosecution. Her daughter told me she had been punched into

submission when she refused to leave the cell. Now, she's on

hunger strike. She feels it's the only way in her power to protest

and the only way she can show the world that this has gone too far.

Now there was a threat of a serious boycott of Euro 2012. The leaders

of several European countries say they will not come to the football

unless the treatment of Tymoshenko improves. We are following the

situation closely. We may come to decisions about ministerial

attendance but we have not taken any decisions. I asked the foreign

minister what concessions they might make and he said Ukraine was

listening but pleaded with his colleagues not to mix football with

politics. The championship is not for the politicians benefit. And

not for making statements. It is here to enjoy a good play. They are

here to support their teams. At one point, there was talk of moving the

championships, what should have been a month of celebration for

Ukraine now threatens to be a month of controversy. Weeks of border

clashes between Sudan and South Sudan have led to fears that the

two nations could end up in all-out war. The UN Security Council has

unanimously adopted a resolution that threatens both countries with

sanctions if they don't stop fighting and return to negotiations

within 48-hours. That was passed on Wednesday. But away from the

frontline, a humanitarian crisis is growing elsewhere in the border

region. Thousands of desperate people are fleeing a government

bombing campaign in the Nuba Mountains as Andrew Harding reports

On a debt track, a weary family driven on by fear and desperation.

They have been walking for days. Thousands more are coming, fleeing

for their lives. Why did you come here? Hunger, she says, too tired

to elaborate. This is what she is escaping from. Danger overhead. In

the Nuba mountains, the bombs are falling every day. Get down, he

says. The Sudanese government is not only trying to crush an armed

rebellion but bringing an entire population to its knees. Hiding in

caves from the circling planes, tens of thousands live like this.

It is too dangerous to go out to farm so they cannot feed themselves

and foreign aid is not allowed in. And so whole communities are trying

to leave, crossing the border into South Sudan. As another family

arrives, joining the other exhausted people here, it is pretty

clear these people are being targeted by a military campaign

that is designed to terrorise and Long queues to register at this

refugee camp. All have their scars from the bombings. She tells me she

had to leave behind two of her children, they were too young to

make the journey. A bomb killed her husband. With each passing week,

the condition of those arriving gets worse. There is help for them

but growing fear for those left behind. What were you eating? She

said we were eating things from the trees. Is this getting worse?

every day. We are seeing malnutrition. More and more, people

are dying. A dangerous journey here. The camp is filling up fast. Terror

and hunger make their deliberate wake to the Nuba mountains. One of

art's most iconic images, Edvard Munch's The Scream, has become the

most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. The 1895 picture sold

after just twelve minutes of bidding at Sotheby's in New York.

The auctioneer was Tobias Meyer. not worry, we have all the time in

the world! $107 million. I shall sell it then. For the historic some

of $107 million. Harm! Sold. That was the auctioneer. Godfrey Barker

is an art market specialist, a journalist and an author and is

here with us. Apparently sold by a Norwegian and he would use the

money for an arts centre and museum in Norway. But how can any painting

be worth so much? The because art has become a billionaire's

plaything. Because this picture next to the Mona Lisa and the Three

Graces and the creation of man is highest on the recognition list of

anyone's art in the world. It is a student poster, a T-shirt, an

umbrella. And because the cry of despair on his face echoes down a

hundred years to everyone who has suffered love and loss and

loneliness. So it sold for the record, it knocked a painting by

Picasso off its perch. Exactly, two Picasso paintings over $100 million

at auction in the last six or seven years. It was the Nude, Green

Leaves, and Bust. It sold in 2010 for $106 million. A lot of money!

These paintings, up a trophy purchases or are they a shrewd

investment? They are both. Because it is the trophy that makes the

shrewd investment and the higher the price, the higher the profit.

If this sold last night for $60 million, it would be resold in 10

years' time for 60 million profit. At this level, $120 million, it

will earn its owner a least $120 million. It is because art has

taken over from money and Wall Street. It is now the preferred

asset of billionaires. Is that your guess, the buyers of this kind of

art, they are the billionaire's from whichever part of the world

they hail from? In the 21st century, the punch out at the top of the art

market is between Russian oligarchs and Arab sheikhs. Americans are

standards by, the British are mixing cocktails and watching in

admiration and bemusement. But last night, in the red corner, there

would have been Roman Abramovic or others under Russian oligarchs. In

the blue corner, the Emir of Qatar representing the shakes. I suppose

he will know one day. What about the museum's? Today also it because

they have public funding. Not often, the only museum with punching power

in the world is the Getty Museum in California. It would have had to

devote its purchase grant for three years to have got anywhere near.

is the individuals better buying these. Is it sad significant

paintings like the Scream, they may disappear from public view? They

would disappear for a period but this picture came back on the

market because its owner died last year. And death is a great

leveller! A lot of artists since Francis Bacon have made deals with

owners that if they buy the now, they must present into a museum

when the collector dies. So, this is not the end of the story. We

must always remember it is these rich private collectors who are the

artist's patron. They are the people for whom the artist works.

They are entitled, if they encourage the artist with money, to

take the pictures of the market. We should not cry that much, they will

be back! Thank you very much indeed. That brings this edition of the

programme to an end. From me and Good evening. For some of this, a

beautiful warm day across central and western Scotland, for many it

was fairly cloudy and that continues tomorrow and without the

beautiful sunshine, making it feel really cool. What will not help is

a northern airflow pushes across the country, this weather front

will make things turn colder for the weekend with night-time frosts

returning. Through Friday, a lot of cloud in central areas. The legacy

of a decaying weather fronts. It will remain overcast and grey and

drizzly conditions will persist, particularly in central areas,

largely dry in the south. Temperatures on Friday, typically

tense and elevens. Maybe 12-13 in the South with a glimmer of

sunshine. The wind will be light, towards the northern and central

areas, damp and drizzly. Temperatures down on where they

should be. A much cooler day in Northern Ireland, the weather front

invades bringing more cloud. A drop in temperature of six or seven

degrees. Cool and cloudy in Scotland, for the north-east, sunny