tv BBC World News BBC America June 24, 2014 6:00am-7:01am EDT
6:00 am
hello. i'm geeta guru-murthy with bbc world news. our top stories. bbc journalist around the world protest in solidarity with colleagues. egypt's president says he won't interfere. john kerry holds talks with kurdish leaders in northern iraq as isis rebels continue their advance. the trial against the captain and crew of the south korean ferry that sank with the loss of 300 lives. and we'll meet the presidential pancake maker. the cook who's found fame as the
6:01 am
look-alik look-alike. hello. journalists throughout the world have been staging protests over the jailing in egypt of three colleagues from al-jazeera tv news. start here at the bbc and other organizations have held silent protests here in london and other newsrooms around the the world. these are some of the pictures outside here in london about an hour and a half ago. that protest staged 24 hours after the verdict was announced yesterday. these from our bureaus in moscow jerusal
6:02 am
jerusalem. in the last few hours the egyptian president said he will not interfere with judicial verdicts despite this international outcry we are in cairo with reaction there. >> it doesn't surprise me this statement. i've worked in egypt. they're proud people with a long history. they don't take kindly to involvement of diplomats, foreign secretaries and secretary of states. john kerry was here the day before the vote. one said perhaps the verdict was stiff because he tried to intervene, dangled aid and helicopters and said obviously you must change your attitudes towards journalist and freedom of speech. perhaps that's why the verdict is as stiff as it is. the president says he's not going to get involved until the process is at end. there will be 60 days for the
6:03 am
ruling to come out, the judge's reasons for sentencing. at that point lawyers can lodge appeal. the journalists here in egypt said in their view the appeals court here will take a much more tolerant view of journalist as it has in the past. they're hopeful the sentences will be overturned on appeal. it's a long process. certainly talking another two months. the best peter and his family and family of other journalists can hope for is that the process is speeded up and doesn't drag on two years as some cases do. they're hoping to be herd in a couple of months. >> obviously the sentence of potential intimidation are what journalists here and everywhere are protesting. how much is about regional
6:04 am
politics and role of al-jazeera. >> it wasn't straight forward to go on the street and do what we call peace to camera to stand in front of the camera in the street without policemen shoving hands in front of the lens and neighbors getting involved. ordinary people were frightened of the system. it's never been easy to report here. it's never been that i can remember a journalist sent to prison for such a long period of time. there are other journalists in egypt facing tough sentences. another egyptian was working for an american network jailed five years yesterday as well. he was in a similar difficult situation. in terms of the wider politics, obviously they are the diplomatic spat between egypt
6:05 am
and those that back the ousted president morsi. the difference for peter is there's no matter between the two. authorities here said it was biassed towards the muslim brother hood. i suspect peter and colleagues have paid the price for that. >> i don't know if you know the other two, but you know peter personally. >> on a personal level i'm desperately sad about it. over the years working for bbc i've come to know peter and have respect for him. it was tough to see him being drag ed from the defendant's cage yesterday.
6:06 am
this is not a seven year sentence in an ordinary prison. this is a high security prison. this is the prison where there are murders and rapist in a three by four meter cell. there are three beds for the other two as well. they go to the toilet in front of one another, small window for light, no air conditioning, no exercise at all on a friday. for peter this is a different culture. he doesn't speak arabic, never been there before december. he has to learn arabic and stay on the right side of the guards. he saw me across the courtroom and waved. i waved back and he patted his chest as to say thank you for being here to show support. he waved his fist in the air. friends say he's going to be
6:07 am
okay. he's taking a chance because that's the only way he can deal with it. the australian foreign minister will give government reaction to the trial in egypt. the sunni militant group isis have finally taken control of iraq's biggest oil refinery north of baghdad. the refinery has been under seize ten days. the rebels say it are will be handed over to local tribes to administer. u.s. secretary of state john kerry is in iraq for talks with leaders. mr. kerry promised sustained support for the iraqi forces in the fight against isis which he considers a threat to the whole region. what can the u.s. realistically achieve with these talks jim?
6:08 am
>> well what mr. kerry is trying to do is help reset the political foundations in baghdad. in other words, be parted to a new political formula which would be more inclusive, bring sunnis properly on board and give them rights possibly, something what kurds enjoy, autonomy. there's a time line on it. parliament is supposed to meet 1st of july to set in motion the process that should have been happening any way after elections in april. electing a speaker, new president of the republic to appoint prime minister, et cetera. there's intensive process going on trying to get that sorted in advance so that they're package ready. mr. kerry is part of that. americans have a role to play because they are the only party wo can actually act as
6:09 am
intermedia intermediary between the broke hers and media. very strong with the shiite community. little by way of links with the sunnis who regard them as part of the problem. >> many thanks. some breaking news this hour. nigerian officials reporting 60 women and young girls have been kidnapped in the last week during a series of attacks by boko haram. some 30 people were also killed in these raids. in april, boko haram militants kidnapped 200 schoolgirls from that same state. there's a lot of coverage on that. we are trying to get details on this latest report. the polish government has said an organized criminal group is trying to destable size the
6:10 am
state by releasing secretly recorded conversations between administers and officials. magazine articles are released, secretly recorded at a restaurant. they are critical of the british prime minister of david cameron and policy on direct and earthy terms. here's some of the conversation on tape. >> it's a badly thought through move or not the first time kind of incompetence in european affairs. remember, he [ bleep ] the fiscal pack. he [ bleep ] up. it's simple as that. he does not get. he believes in stupid propaganda, stupidly tries to play the strategy. turning against him, he should have said [ bleep ] off. tried to convince people and isolate the skeptics. he seeded the field to those who
6:11 am
are now embarrassing him. >> well in the latest revelation, he call add ties with the united states worthless. the polish prime minister said the remarks are taken out of context. stay with us here on bbc world news. much more to come. the royal air force's famous acrobat in the sky celebrate their 50th anniversary. it's data mayhem. but airlines running hp end-to-end solutions are always calm during a storm. so if your business deals with the unexpected, hp big data and cloud solutions make sure you always know what's coming - and are ready for it. make it matter. the was a truly amazing day. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. for over 18 years we've helped people
6:12 am
6:13 am
and a third simply doesn't want to be here. ♪ until now... until right booking now. ♪ planet earth's number one accomodation site booking.com booking.yeah! this is bbc world news. i'm geeta guru-murthy with the latest headlines. journalists here in london and newsrooms around the world have protested the imprisonment in egypt of three al-jazeera journalists. u.s. secretary of state john kerry is holding talks with kurdish leaders in iraq as rebels continue their advance towards baghdad. just running into the studio, taking up position on the cat walk, i give you aaron. >> i'm getting old.
6:14 am
i can't be running like. that. >> i say nothing. >> thanks very much. let me explain n. the last few minutes, prime minister of japan has unveiled the latest set of reforms to boost japan's economics. we're talking about right here. he's aimed to make japan a better place to do business. he wants to cut corporation tax over 30% over the next several years. he promised japan would undergo a robotic re revolution. he said he would increase portion of women corporate managers to 30% by 2020. we'll have more analysis on whether measures will work coming up on "gmt" many over an hour's time. stay tuned. south african mining union is set to sign a new wage deal
6:15 am
tuesday ending the longest strike if in history. workers walked off in january over dispute over pay. this has cost the south african economy billions. the world's largest platinum producer and peers have agreed to raise wages 20% in three years, extra $94 a month. we'll keep a look another that. and the changing face of sli sri lanka. huge areas of the city will be flattened to make way for high-rise residential blocks. in this bid for progress, families say this is changing. we'll look at what changes could mean for those living and working in the capital.
6:16 am
lots going on. tweet me @bbc aaron. that's it with business news. back to you geeta. >> lie down now. >> i'm not that bad unfit. i want to bring breaking news now from russia. it is being reported president putin has asked the upper house of parliament in moscow to revoke permission and right it granted for russian forces to intervene militarily in ukraine for russian speaker there is. the head of state has filed proposal to revoke use of armed forces on territory of ukraine. that would be a diplomatic step forward in the eyes of many global shifts, in the middle east at least, change aing position between west and russia. we'll update you on that. we're speaking to our correspondent in 15 minutes to
6:17 am
get context on that and further confirmation of details. let's move to south korea. the trial of the captain and 14 man crew of the ferry that sank in april has begun. the captain and three senior officers are charged with murder. john is following the trial. what's happened today? >> over the last couple of week others we heard the pretrial arguments. the formal part of the proceedings has now begun. the judges are hearing evidence. they started where with evidence about the structure of the ship related of course to the suggestion that modifications were made to add extra capacity. it's thought and alleged by prosecution that those may have made the ship unstable and added to the speed at which it sank.
6:18 am
there's discussion as to whether or not the court would see video footage, heroing images of when the ship sank. it showed the crew and captain climbing into the lifeboats after ordering passengers to stay in the cabins. those images were so damaging to their case, the prosecution said it would be unfair. at the moment the court hasn't yet decided whether or not to look at that particular video evidence or not. >> how long is this case expected to go on for? >> reporter: it will last five months. we expect the case to conclude in november. it's worth pointing out there are concerns raised about the possibility of this being a fair trial. defendants have had difficulty
6:19 am
finding lawyers to represent them. there's only six lawyers we understand on behalf. because of that charge of murder, it's a highly unusual charge in a maritime disaster of this kind. the prosecution and some family members believe it's the right one. they say the actions of the crew was so grossly negligent they should have known it would lead to large scale loss of life. both reminders it's the place of chinese founders from statues and even theme parks. in the capital, the chinese chef is there have. we went on the trail to discover more. >> we're in central china. it's lunchtime. that smells good and looks pretty good. we're not going to eat that.
6:20 am
we're looking not for the lunch but the person making the lunch. when i was on the plane on the way down, the crew was excited about the latest tourist attraction here and also the people that gave me the map. they've got a look alike, a man that looks exactly like the president. that's who we're hunting for. he makes the the pancakes. here's the place. here's the cabbage, meat pancakes. there is the presidential pancake maker himself. this is sensitive for national government. they've been removing from social media a videos of this man. they're antipersonality since the chairman. he has a man of the people image he likes to present. he recently ate in the little
6:21 am
street restaurant with normal people. to be identified with a pancake maker in the midst of his anticorruption campaign and extravagant strive in government, this is not such a bad thing. i just said hello president. made him rather embarrassed. wonder if he's got a presidential message for us or anyone us. so ordinary people the key thing is work hard in his view.
6:22 am
just going to have a little selfie. this is as close as i'm going to get to the president i think. that's lovely. >> she's having fun. hope she enjoys the pancakes. for five decades in the uk, one distinctive feature of the summer months has been the planes in the skies above us. they've got 4500 displays in different countries. >> their motto is french for brilliant. when flying speeds at 600 miles per hour sometimes brilliant is a must. squad rant leader is known as red tin, a former red arrow p
6:23 am
pilot who super vises every display. >> they must complete at least one front line operational and complete 1500 hours of flying. the team chooses two or three pilots for each display. the raf once had different display teams including this one, the black arrows. 50 years ago the decision was made to have just one. it's meant to boost raf recruitment at its best. since 1980, they've flown the raf training jet the hulk. some planes flown today are over 30 years old. >> they are pretty old but
6:24 am
they're very simple. these jets go up four times a day. you can't get that with modern jets because of amount of engineering on them. it's not all computer based. it's very much the pilot. >> the technology in the modern aircraft isn't what we require for formation display. they're lovely aircrafts to handle and perfect for the job. >> smoke is an important part of red arrow's display. it doesn't just look nice. the pilots use it to judge the distance between each other and assess the wind speed and direction. to create smoke, diesel is injected into the exhaust where it's vapor xized. the natural color is white top. create red or blue, a special dye is added. 2011 was a tragic year for the
6:25 am
red arrows. the flight tenants both lost their lives in accidents. >> it was an incredible hit to the team. we are so close. we had to take stock, sit back, work out what had gone wrong. >> the red arrows have a feature. >> nothing but messages of gratitude and the general public wanting us to continue. >> the red arrow have many more crowds to thrill. bbc news. >> we've grown up watching them here in the uk. they're always spectacular. just to remind you of our top story, bbc journalists around the world are staging protests with solidarity. these are images from bbc
6:26 am
bureaus around the globe in protests at the jailing of peter greste, mohammed fahmy and baher mohamed. the egyptian president al-sisi will not intervene in judicial matters. we're back in a few moments. this is bbc world news. ♪ ♪fame, makes a man take things over♪ ♪fame, lets him loose, hard to swallow♪
6:27 am
♪fame, puts you there where things are hollow♪ the evolution of luxury continues. the next generation 2015 escalade. ♪fame when you didn't dread when youbedtime becausenner with anticipaof heartburn.itation. when damage to your esophagus caused by acid reflux disease wasn't always on your mind. that's when you knew nexium was the prescription medication for you. because for over a decade nexium has provided many just like you with 24-hour relief from heartburn and helped heal acid-related erosions in the lining of the esophagus. and now the prescription nexium you know can be delivered directly to your door with nexium direct. talk to your doctor to see if nexium is right for you. there is risk of bone fracture and low magnesium levels. side effects may include headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. if you have persistent diarrhea, contact your doctor right away.
6:28 am
other serious stomach conditions may exist. avoid if you take clopidogrel. for 24 hour support, automatic refills, and free home delivery, enroll at purplepill.com. it's the nexium you know, now delivered. ♪ ♪ ♪ woooooah. ♪ [ male announcer ] you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. zillow.
6:29 am
abecause the more you know, the more we can help you.en. cut. lower. shave. chop. and drop your insurance rates. if you want to save hundreds, talk to farmers. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum ♪ [announcer] the more you know, the more you could save. farmers could help you save hundreds on your auto insurance. call your local agent or 1-800-470-8507 today.
6:30 am
our top stories. journalists protest in solidarity with jailed al-jazeera colleagues. egypt's president says he won't interfere with the verdict. john kerry holds crisis talks with kurdish leaders in iraq as isis continues their advance. traffic controllers take strike action against planned government cuts. what's happened to michael schumacher's medical files? we're live in switzerland for the latest on the missing
6:31 am
hospital records. first news reports coming from moscow that vladimir putin has asked russia's upper house of parliament to revoke the right it had granted for russian forces to intervene militarily in ukraine in defense of russian speaker there is. let's go live to moscow. daniel, what does this mean? how big a deal is it? >> it seems to be a significant development. this comes from president putin's spokesman. he says the president has written to the federation council, the upper house of the russian parliament, effectively asking them to revoke the permission they gave the authorization they gave march 1st which allowed for the military intervention, the use of russian forces in ukraine to defend russian speakers there. obviously since then we've had the annexation of crimea. the ongoing threat sitting there on the ukrainian border, the
6:32 am
russian troops could at some point come in and defend russian speakers. if that threat were removed it could happen as early as tomorrow according to senior members of the federation council. then that will be an important step in what seems to be a core graphed past to piece at the moment. it may be a forced part. it may be moments along the road they stumble. at the moment we're seeing choreography that leads to peace in eastern ukraine. >> daniel, is the thinking this is to do simply with russia, ukraine and negotiations there or also with the widening shifting climate in the middle east for example as well in different alliances that are developing? >> i don't know whether it's middle east to be honest. what has certainly happened is in the last few weeks we've
6:33 am
looked at a bis in eastern ukraine. it's become apparent to ukrainia ukrainians, should have to russians too and certainly those of us watching eastern ukraine slide into a small war has been quite a scary prospect. it looks as if everybody has decided to step back from the brink or trying to. first of all, president poroshenko unilateral cease fire and couple of days later, yesterday we saw the rebels in donetsk saying they would hold a cease fire. there were significant talks yesterday in donetsk which were attended by the former ukrainian president and also by the osce, by the russian ambassador to ukraine. this morning, the president heads to austria about the talks of ukraine, we hear the council
6:34 am
plans to revoke the force in ukraine. this could be very important. >> thanks very much. in the last hour, egypt's president al-sisi says he won't intervene on the jail sentences handed down by the cairo court to al-jazeera journalists. it comes here as bbc and other news organizations have held silent protests in london and other newsrooms around the world. peter greste, an australian report their used to work with many of us here at the bbc, plus his colleagues mohammed fahmy and baher mohamed all given seven year jail terms yesterday after being charged with spreading false news and supporting muslim's brother hood. australia has urged the president to step in. >> the government is shocked by
6:35 am
the sentence. we are dismayed by the verdict. we're bewildered by the severity on the sentence. for the evidence we have seen, we cannot understand how a court could have come to this verdict. peter greste is a world respected australian journalist. he was doing what a journalist should do, reporting on the act hits of poll politics of the day in egypt. he's subjected to this extraordinaryly long jail sentence. we are appalled by this verdict. >> i see you have the ambassador there in australia. what hope is there from the australian government point of view there could be a presidential pardon for these men? >> we have been making representations at the highest level to the government since peter greste was detained late last year. i have made representations to
6:36 am
the foreign minister, to the justice minister, our prime minister, the interim president in the past few weeks. over the weekend, our prime minister, the new president al-sisi. i've also made contact with the new foreign minister. we are now going to repoet those representations expressing deep concerns at this situation. we called in the deputy ambassador today, the actual egyptian ambassador back in cairo. we are hoping to provide to the president a high level diplomatic request that he intervene in these proceedings as soon as possible. >> you understand that is possible -- >> for peter greste's release so he can come home. >> sorry to interrupt. you understand that is possible even before any sort of appeal that has to go through. do we have to see a full legal process before there could be
6:37 am
government intervention? >> we understand that under egyptian law, the legal process should be concluded. that is even the appeal process should be concluded before a plea or pardon could be considered. we propose to make a formal diplomatic level representation to the president seeking whether intervention can be possible at an earlier stage. >> julie bishop, australian foreign minister speaking to me. isis says they're taking control of the biggest oil refinery that's been under siege ten days. the rebels say the refinery will be handed over to local tribes to administer. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry arrived in the city in northern iraq for talks with kurdish leaders. mr. kerry promised intense and sustained support for the iraqi security forces in the fight against isis which he described
6:38 am
as a threat to the whole region. >> fighting back against the sunni militants, iraqi government released what they say are air strikes on the forces near the oil refinery. despite the ten day siege, militants claim they're now in full control of the plant. if true, it's a significant development. the complex includes a third of fuel. insurgents led by isis have overrun a territory north and west of baghdad including iraq's second biggest city mosul. it is against this backdrop the u.s. secretary of state john kerry is visiting the middle east. yesterday he was in baghdad meeting key politicians and pledging support. today john kerry traveled north pushing for political solution. police here warn as many as 500
6:39 am
britains have traveled to iraq and syria, some appearing in an isis recruitment video. bbc news. >> a short while ago i asked jim what americans hope to achieve from talks. >> well what mr. kerry is trying to do is help as one statement department official put it, reset the political foundations in baghdad. in other words, be parted to a new political formula that would be a much more inclusive, to bring sunnis properly on board and give them rights possibly, something approaching what the kurds here enjoy, some form of autonomy. this is the idea they're kicking around. there's a time line on it. parliament is supposed to meet by the 1st of july to set in motion the process that should have been happening any way after elections in april which is electing a speaker, new
6:40 am
president of the republic to appoint a prime minister et cetera. it's an intensive process trying to get that sorted in advance so that they're package ready when parliament meets. mr. kerry is part of that. americans do have a role to play. they are the only party that can act as intermediary or broker between the communities. iran is the most influential outside power, strong with the shii community. little by way of links with the sunni who regard them as part of the problem. >> jim there. we're hearing from the news agencies according to the united nations, 1075 have been killed in iraq in the month of june. mostly civilians, also killed from execution, bombings. over a thousand people have lost their lives in one month month in iraq. that escalation of violence continues. let's get other news now.
6:41 am
gunmen have killed 17 muslims at a camp in the central african republic. officials from the peace keeping force say the men claim to be from the militia near the town of bambari. the government was overthrown in 2013. the request to move the site from the rain forest in it has mania is rejected by the united nations. the government wanted protection lifted for 75,000 to allow logging work to restart. according to the u.n. agency, it's one of the last expanses of the rain forest in the word. the powerful car bombs exploded injuring 20 people, killing a security guard. it happened near an army check
6:42 am
point in a cafe where people gathered to watch world cup football on television. it's the second explosion in the area within a week. now, michael schumacher's manager has confirmed documents said tock the former racing driver's medical files are offered for sale. she says a theft has been reported although it's not clear if the documents are genuine. the seven time formula one world champion returned home after a six month medically induced coma. he suffered head injuries in a skiing accident in france last year. this seems extraordinarily bad if this is true. >> yes, it does. it's another blow to the schumacher family who have tried so, so very hard in the last six months to protect michael schumacher's privacy in what is
6:43 am
a very difficult time. he was transfer ed from the hospital in france just over a week ago to a hospital close to geneva here in switzerland. now what is emerging it seems is that some documents -- not clear in the introduction as you said whether they are documents of michael schumacher -- but some documents have been stolen from a hospital in france. french police have launched an inquiry. the schumacher's agent has said clearly medical documents must remain private and confidential. any attempt to buy or publish these will result in legal action. but i think given the intensity of the interest in michael schumacher -- and let's face it, the nature of some elements of the media -- it's going to be very, very difficult to keep a lid on this. >> but we don't know whether
6:44 am
they are in fact genuine, or do authorities have any idea how this information was taken? >> there's suggestion that one of the computers at the university hospital was hacked. there's been a suggestion that what was stolen was the first two pages of the much longer file relating to michael schumacher. as i said, this is to a certain extent speculation. neither the police nor the schumacher family are saying much. the schumacher family or the agent for the family have made it clear they don't know whether documents are genuine or not. what they know is that someone has been trying to sell these documents to media outlets right across europe for a price we are told around $50,000 euros. somebody has something they
6:45 am
think the media might want. this can only be a cause of more concern and worry for the schumacher family who have tried very, very hard to protect his privacy. >> understandably. thanks very much indeed. stay with us here on bbc world news. much to come. they've never qualified for the world cup, why are football fans staying up all night? we'll find out who they're supporting. this is a view...
6:46 am
6:47 am
asking for nothing more than what you've got. look at your swimming pools. they'll never be enough. like your fancy watches and your big cars, one day you realize that what matters is not the size of your car. it's the size of your yacht. ♪ this is bbc world news. i'm geeta guru-murthy with the top story this is hour. journalists around the world protest against the imprisonment in egypt of al-jazeera colleagues. al-sisi says he will not intervene. u.s. secretary of state john kerry holds crisis talks with kurdish leaders in iraq as rebels continue their advance towards baghdad.
6:48 am
they borrowed money, removed passports and headed off to find the three teenage boys from britain. in an exclusive interview and part of a joint investigation with the bbc afghan service, one of the fathers fears the young men are fighting along side the militant group isis. three young teenagers from the mid land city, all left home and now in syria, believed to have joined the militant group isis. their families are in shock. the father of one of the boys, an 18-year-old of afghan origin. his family is convinced he joined isis. >> translator: the grief is
6:49 am
limitless. every second every minute it's on my mind. >> what is your biggest fear of what might happen to him now that he's in syria? >> translator: anything is possible. it's possible that he might take part in fighting. he might be killed. he might kill an innocent person. i don't want to blame him for something he hasn't done, but when they return, perhaps one day they might make trouble. >> at least two of three teens went to this small local mosque. their parents believe it was a man here that encouraged their sons to go to syria. we've been to the mosque to speak to the man that refused to give her view. he denied allegations. this is the father of one of the other teens that traveled with ali. his son hasn't told his family much about the involvement in syria. they fear he's involved in
6:50 am
fighting. >> the one hope is government media has to help us bring them back. that's it. a person can do nothing. >> these families are united by grief and say they just want their sons back. >> if you could speak to him now, what would you tell him? >> translator: i've already told him i'm your father. i know all children make mist e mistak mistakes. you're my son. just come back. return and put an end to the grief of your father, mother, sisters and brothers. >> these three young men are believed to be among 500 britains who have joined the conflict in syria. tracking these fighters is their number one priority, but keeping track of all of them and preventing others from joining the fight will be a difficult
6:51 am
task. now indonesia, the world 's fourth most popular country has never qualified for the world cup. that doesn't stop locals from staying up all night to watch the matches. they're dividing attention between football and a presidential election in two weeks time. we report now from there. >> indonesians are football mad following the big stars and matches as if they were their own. >> it's 2:30 on a weekday, but everyone here is wide away. most people are diehard fanses of the english club liverpool. nobody here wants to miss it. >> he's a proud member of big red, indonesia liverpool supporter's club. he was slightly disappointed england lost. his favorite player scored for
6:52 am
uruguay. >> this is the world cup. it's a party every four years. even my boss at work knows people are watching, so he doesn't mind if people come in late. >> why do you think indonesians are crazy about the world cup even though we never have the team playing in it? >> it's a dream. it's a fantasy that you live through the players. it's like -- we don't have our representative but we have people that play better than our countryman. it's more exciting to match. >> something else that's glued he and his friends to the screens, just a few days before the final match a, indonesians go to the polls to elect their next leader.
6:53 am
voters follow the debate like a sport. >> we can see how candidates stand on certain issues. this is important for the country. >> the election could be decided by indonesia's youth. they have goals and dreams the country has yet to achieve. the road to prosperity may be long, but the youth will keep leaders on their toes. bbc news. now bad news. if like me you're planning to fly to or from france in the next few days, one of the two main unions representing air traffic controllers started a six day strike today. the other main union called off the protest against planned government cuts. civil aviation authorities expects three quarters of flights to operate despite the action. with me the travel journalist of the bbc world travel. what's happening?
6:54 am
>> it's pretty messy. i've been getting the latest from the airports in the uk here. it's clear the impact is actually getting slightly worse than we had hoped. the way that it works is that the french authorities, the day before each strike tells the airlines you have to cancel a certain portion of your strikes. it's about 20%. however, those are only flights going to or from airports in france. there's a heck of a lot of other flights which are flying over french air space typically from spain to germany or from italy to the uk. of course they will get delayed as well. looking at the way the delays are building, we see a one to two hours typically between northern and southern europe that normally go over france. once delays start building, there isn't a slack in the system. we're seeing additional cancellations. many not actually affecting
6:55 am
french airports at all. >> how many french airports is it. how much are international flights out of europe? >> that's not badly effective. british air ways is running flights in and out. it seems to be the french region places are all being affected. it's getting messy i'm afraid as the day progresses. >> six days now in this run if it goes through. are there more strikes planned? coming to the school holiday season. france is a popular region. >> so yes this is part of a long running dispute about job security, about pay, and basically act the idea that you can raise the borders between the individual countries in terms of air space. if you do that, it's more
6:56 am
efficient. the proponents say it's safer. the french air controllers say no, it will produce more dangerous skies. >> if people are traveling anywhere in europe, what about further beyond the european shores, what should they did b doing? 24 hours isn't long to cancel your flights. >> the airline will let you know 24 hours if they know your flight is cancelled. there's little you can do to prepare in advance. hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst with a big book. >> i'm planning a french trip soon. i hope it calms down. thanks for coming in. you can follow me on twitter. i'll let you know if i'm stuck in an airport in the next few days. i am back here tomorrow in the studio. this is bbc world news. thanks for joining me today. see you soon. bye bye. ♪
6:57 am
6:58 am
6:59 am
no matter how fast your business needs to adapt, if hp big data solutions can keep wireless customers smiling, imagine what they can do for yours. make it matter. because we believe that doingo talk to fthings rightour auto insurance? imagine what they can do for yours. is more important than just doing them fast. and...because we don't want you to miss out on things like accident forgiveness... ...where we forgive an accident every three years without raising your rates.
7:00 am
talk to farmers and get the coverage you want, not just the coverage that's fast. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum ♪ [announcer] call 1-800-470-8498 today. hello. you're watching "gmt" on bbc world news. i'm tim willcox. our top stories. iraqi air strikes on militant sunnis after isis scores another strategic victory. the group says it's now in full control of the country's largest oil refinery. washington continues its diplomatic push to stop iraq from falling apart. international media solidarity for al-jazeera three jailed for seven years in egypt. i'll be reporting live with the latest on the world cup and brilliant night for brazil.
249 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
BBC America Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on