tv BBC World News PBS June 11, 2011 12:30am-1:00am PDT
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>> thousands of syrians live across the border into turkey as the deadly government crackdown continues. >> trouble in syria means trouble in the region. the president is spreading fear, but of people continue to demonstrate, he is not winning. >> in libya, more than 30 people are reported dead as troops loyal to colonel gaddafi launch a fresh assault on misrata. colombia's president signed a lot compensating the millions of victims of the country's armed conflict. welcome to bbc news. ash clouds from a volcano in chile cause chaos for air travelers thousands of kilometers away. the call for more money to help immunize the world's poorest children.
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we have a special report from sierra leone. >> hello and welcome. the military crackdown is intensifying. tanks have swept in where the government claims 120 soldiers were killed earlier this week in jisr al-shughour thousands of refugees have already crossed the border. >> and apprehensive looking group of syrians, some waving olive branches, approach the border with turkey. the turks have a military observation post in the valley. they fear it could be the start of a much bigger exodus. here at the edge of syria, you get ripples from the storms for
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the rent on the other side of the hills. jisr al-shughour, where many of these people come from, is less than half an hour away. some of the wounded are being taken to this hospital in the local town and kept away from journalists. the bbc managed to get into seamen worried about reprisals at home, but happy to talk. one man said he was hurt and syrian soldiers open fire on a funeral in jisr al-shughour. the bullets were coming like rain, he said. this is telephone video of syrian soldiers moving up toward jisr al-shughour. it was another bloody friday. internet video showed demonstrators marching across syria. the attempt to crush the protests by force is not
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working, but they are still trying. this man had to beg for his life. and this, the soldiers said, is for freedom, and this for wanting to change the regime. it is not clear when these pictures were taken, but the men in uniform are syrians loyal to the president. another refugee denied the regina's virgiversion be deniede regime's version of what happened. killed by armed groups, fanatics, radical islam is, and insurgents. is that true? >> no, he said, the dead were security forces who did not obey orders an attack the people. they were shot by the secret police. two camp set up for refugees are
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full, and the turks are building a third. this man said his arm had a bullet wound. the turkish prime minister switch from soft peddling on syria, calling what happened there savagery. the turks are very nervous about what is happening here and so are all of syria's neighbors because trouble in syria means trouble in the region. while people continue did demonstrate, the president is not winning. a rumor went around that the president's brother had resigned. it has not been confirmed, but pressure is increasing. >> hospital doctors and libya say the port city of misrata has come under renewed artillery barrages. at least 35 people are reported
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to have been killed and more than 60 wounded. >> the besieged port of misrata is again under sustained attack, just weeks after the rebels had pushed back loyalist gaddafi troops from the city. reports emerged are renewed artillery shelling and bob barnett in the area by loyalist -- and bombardments in the area by loyalist troops. more than 20 were killed, dozens more injured. doctors in misrata have been running low supplies and manpower for some time. the latest attack will put those limited resources under even greater pressure. recent nato air strikes have focused on the capital of tripoli, including on colonel gaddafi's presidential compound. in misrata, the main rebel stronghold in western libya, the
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piecemeal rebel army is largely operating on its own. if the fighting continues, the government troops are trying to strengthen their position, too. the city is surrounded on three sides by pro-gaddafi forces, although the port still remains open. meanwhile, the diplomatic overtones continue. turkey's prime minister is the latest leader to try to broker a cease-fire. he said he has offered colonel gaddafi guarantees if he leaves and libya, but he has not received an answer from the defiant libyan leader. as the families of rebels killed on the frontline bury their dead, their impatience with nato is growing. many feel that despite their sacrifices, there is still no evidence of nato attack helicopters or warplanes above misrata. >> in yemen, the protest also continue, with tens of thousands taking to the street in the capital. the country's president remains
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in saudi arabia, recovering from injuries sustained in a rocket attack last week. supporters and critics continue to press their demands with competing rallies. drums and swords with traditional dances. those men are celebrating for their president to return to health in saudi arabia where he is being treated. loyalists have come forward in the thousands to show their support to the man who ruled in yemen for 33 years. they are coming together in standing for their leader and their country. they are even saluting to the saudi king who has supported their president. [unintelligible] in this square, the scene is different.
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thousands say that if he ever comes back, he should not be in power. it is not clear when the political turmoil will be over. saleh will be back in the country but -- the challenges are huge. there has been a humanitarian crisis even before the political crisis. now it has been accentuated. >> for days now, people would line up for hours and hope to get fuel. the price of drinking water has gone up in a country that is suffering water shortages. with more regular blackouts in the country, its future remains uncertain. >> the president of columbia has formally approved a law that could compensate up to 4 million
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victims of the country's long- running civil war. it will allow compensation to be paid to relatives of people who have been killed and seek to restore millions of hectares of stolen land to their rightful owners. i am joined by our correspondent. this is being described as a landmark ruling, not just compensation, it is also the restoration of land. >> the president has made a break with the past. in the past there was a purely military approach to the conflict. the president says it is now time for the state to recognize it owes the citizens for failing to protect them and for the violence they have suffered in the civil conflict. so it is a turning point. however, while the idea is excellent and has been welcomed by colombians and human rights
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groups alike, the question is, where is the money for all this going to come from? >> and how is it going to be implemented? especially the area around land restoration, because already a number of people who have been working in that area have been killed. >> there have been at least 49 assassinations over the last six or seven months linked to people trying to press their claims for the land. it is challenging powerful interests, not just marxist guerrillas and drug traffickers, but there are corrupt politicians and corrupt companies in the mix to have no intention of resigning -- returning land to the original farmers. it is a huge security issue. the fighting is still going on everyday, and every day there are new victims. >> so there has been some criticism of how this will be implemented, and also the fact
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that it is not just the victims of farq. >> there are the drug cartels and there may be victims of state executions and killings. it is very wide ranging. the question remains, not just the application but the money, because it could be as much as $20 billion in compensation to be paid out. >> you can get much more on our website, bbc.com and you can also follow us on twitter. german health officials have concerns and that locally grown
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been sprouts are the source of the e. coli outbreak that has killed more than 30 people and made thousands ill. germany's national disease control center say people who ate the sprouts or nine times more likely to have fallen sick and those who have not. the device -- advised not to eat tomatoes and cucumbers and lettuce has been lifted. a suicide bomb attack killed somalis premier mr., abdi shakur sheikh hassan. his niece had visited his home several times in recent days. nominations are now closed for the post of managing director at the international monetary fund. the french finance minister, christine lagarde, remains the favorite against the only other credible contender. two other candidates ruled
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themselves out earlier in the day. as the unrest across the arab world continues, the u.s. defends secretary gates has strongly criticized the nato allies. he said operations in libya and afghanistan had exposed shortcomings in the capability of some members. he warned that america's capacity to shoulder the world's burdens has altered. >> future u.s. political leaders, those for whom the cold war was not the formative experience that it was for me, may not consider the return on america's investment in nato worth the cost. >> robert gates there. still ahead, bone dry. farmers hold urgent talks with the government as droughts move ahead in parts of southern and eastern england.
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for years, a primary school teacher filled himself sexually abusing children in his classroom. he has admitted 36 sexual offenses against five girls. >> a much loved and trusted primary school teacher, but no longer the one asking the questions. >> did you threaten them that something bad would happen to them if they were to tell another grownup? >> a family man, he taught for 15 years, but only some of his pupils knew what he was really capable of. when he was first arrested, he denied everything. >> my job as a teacher is to look after children and nurture them. i have a duty of care. >> i despise the man now. >> this woman's children were taught by him.
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our youngsters were not among his victims, but she told me the whole community has been shattered. >> you would think i would know, but we did not know. >> nigel filmed at the abuse and started on computer memory sticks like these. he was only caught when one little girl told her parents last christmas. some families wonder if his victorian classroom with its high windows made it easier for him to conceal his crimes. one colleague did raise concerns about his overly tactile behavior, but it is not known if that was ever followed up. >> an inspection that was carried out during the time when he was offending said children at the school felt exceptionally safe and secure. council will give their reaction next tuesday after he is sentenced here.
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>> the military crackdown in syria is intensifying, with government forces reported to have killed at least 28 people on friday. at least 22 people were reported dead as troops loyal to colonel gaddafi shelled of the libyan city of misrata. and ash cloud caused by an erupting volcano in chile is continuing to calls travel chaos in some south american countries. lives in argentina and the capital of your wife have been grounded for a second day. there has been -- the kaplan loveuruguay. -- the capital of uruguay. >> 300 flights at of buenos
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aires have been canceled. basically the ash cloud is sitting above buenos aires. we woke up friday morning with a very fine film of cash sitting on cars. it is a minor inconvenience to the people of buenos aires, but huge chaos for travelers, and really no end in sight. the flights are dictated by what that meteorologists say. >> what are they saying? do they believe it is now traveling out toward the atlantic? >> some flights have resumed in the last few hours. there is no telling when the wind direction might change or
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when the dust cloud might come back. there is really no end in sight. with the transport minister here in argentina has said is that they are taking precautions. the volcanic ash is very abrasive and can cause problems to flights. they aren't taking precautionary measures -- they are taking precautionary measures until the ash cloud has completely lost the area -- has completely left the area. >> recent heavy rain in chile has caused another problem of landslides, so many people are being evacuated from their homes. >> it just adds to the chaos. the ash has accumulated in one of the nearby rivers causing its banks to break. there is really chaos around the region. >> the southern sudanese army's as the northern army has carried
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out air raids a month before the region is due to become independent. a spokesman said that are trying to seize southern oilfields. the two sides have been fighting for several days. customs officials in thailand have intercepted an illegal shipment of hundreds of tortoises into suitcases -- in two suitcases. a passenger had checked the suitcases in on a flight from bangladesh but failed to collect the luggage when the plane landed. farmers, environmental groups, and water companies have been holding urgent talks with the government about the drought that has been declared in parts of central and eastern england. water company said there is no threat to household supplies, but farmers have been told to reduce the amount -- amount of
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water that pump out of the ground. our world affairs correspondent reports. >> it is official. huge swaths of eastern england are now in drought. farmers battling to water their crops are worried that the drought declaration gives the authorities more power to restrict the amount of water they can take from rivers and streams two-year break their fields. >> the demand for crops like this really is quite great in july and the later parts of june. that is what we fear, we will be completely down then. >> the industry also has big challenges. making beer tax water, a lot of it. 6 pints for every pint of ale
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brood. >> it has been a remarkably difficult year this year because of water. we have seen how much there has not been, so there are going to be problems. >> is not only britain which has been exceptionally dry. already this year there have been severe shortages of rainfall in belgium, the netherlands, germany, denmark, hungary, and austria. in france, they have only had 45% of their average rainfall. 60% of departments have seen water restrictions. the immediate problem is crop production, but it does not stop there. all this has prompted a strategic rethink on the management of water, and the government is preparing a white paper to address the issues. it will emphasize that we can no longer take water for granted but must treat it as an essential and valuable resources. >> we need to think of other ways of capturing and storing
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the water, either injected under brown or trapping water in water storage reservoirs. >> there have been showers in the drought zone, but not enough to make a big difference. it would take days or even weeks of steady rain. >> next week there will be an international push to accelerate the introduction of new vaccines and improve the take up of existing ones. aid agencies say extra funding will mean millions more children could be saved by 2015. our medical correspondent reports from sierra leone and the impact of immunizations on child health. >> sierra leone is a beautiful country with an ugly record and child survival. until a few years ago, one in four children never made it to the age of five. now, nearly a decade after the civil war, child health is
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finally taking center stage. you can see it at any health clinic where mothers wait patiently to have their children protected with the latest vaccines. child mortality in sierra leone is among the highest in the world, but things are improving. immunization is one of the key reasons why these children have a better chance of leading a healthy and productive life. in january, a vaccine was introduced here against pneumonia, one of the biggest killers in the developing world. other poor countries want to join, but it depends on if aid agencies get the money for it. go to any village, and you can see the potential of has to save lives. this woman has lost two children to pneumonia. i am worried about why three surviving children, she says. i don't want to lose another one. no wonder that baby emma is
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having all her immunizations. for the under 5 who do get ill, there is now health care in sierra leone. while there is no vaccine against poverty or malnutrition, many are here simply because they missed out on basic vaccines against diseases which are preventable. >> this is simple economics. immunization is cheaper than treating the disease. we will see a lot less patients coming into the hospital. it will mean a lot less need for hospital beds and drugs. >> diarrhea is another major killer. there is a new vaccine against this, too, but it is not available in sierra leone or most other poor countries. it means at the un's millennium development goal of cutting
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child mortality by two-thirds by 2015 is in jeopardy. >> 1.7 million kids on earth die every year from preventable diseases. we do not get the money we need to rollout immunization across the planet in poor countries, we are unlikely to achieve that millennium development goals. >> getting vaccines to every child on the plant requires ever, imagination, and political will. in times of austerity, governments have to think hard before they pledged more money. aid agencies say it would save and transform the lives of the millions of children. >> let's get a reminder of our main news now. the military crackdown in syria is intensifying as government forces reported to have killed at least 28 people on friday. there is much more on our website. you are watching bbc news.
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