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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> welcome to "newsday" on the bbc. >> here are the headlines. >> building bridges with burma. after talks with opposition leader aung san suu kyi, hillary clinton said that there would be rewards. >> the u.n. human rights commission says that president assad has tipped syria into civil war. the french president unveils a new blueprint for the future. >> it is 10:00 a.m. here in singapore, it is 2:00 a.m. here in london. this is "newsday."

>> hillary clinton will meet with pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi for a second time to discuss the pace of reform in burma. the previous meeting with the government, she said that the u.s. would be willing to consider easing sanctions if progress is made in political reform. the report contains flash photography. >> an american secretary of state shaking hands with the burma's president thein sein, a former junta leader. then she met with aung san suu kyi face-to-face. all of this was unthinkable just a few months ago. things might be changing in this country. the army's president laid out his president for reform.

he seemed keen on this path towards change. the american diplomat gave some change but said that a lot more work was required. she also attempted to do more and the former -- the foreign minister scored an invitation to visit washington. "we want to see political and economic reforms take hold. -- >> we want to see political and economic reforms take hold. we will consider the easing and elimination of sanctions as we go forward in this process together. >> this is the reason for the cautious optimism. for years, their burmese people have suffered terribly at the hands of the country's junta. hundreds of political prisoners remain in jail as the fighting continues. aung san suu kyi was only

released from house arrest last year. they said it was important to reinforce the hands of the performers and the government. she says that she trusts the president. not everyone in his entourage is on board with change. the american secretary of state hopes this would not be a solitary visit but the beginning of a long partnership between the u.s. and burma. this depends on whether the burmese leadership is able to demonstrate they are serious about reform. washington and the burmese opposition will be watching aung san suu kyi -- will be watching thein sein's every move. >> the u.s. senate has imposed harsh sanctions on iran. this would impose sanctions on those that do business with the bank. this follows the storming of the

british embassy in tehran. they are looking to isolate iran economically. >> the european union foreign ministers had this meeting long before the compounds in tehran were attacked. the incursions gave this summit much greater urgency. >> they have agreed on 180 companies, individuals associated with the nuclear program, with the shipping lines, or with the revolutionary guard. that is a major extension of the european union. >> the embassy attacks are still vivid. it is believed that the protesters had links with the conservative establishment. the west is looking for ways to

tackle the hard liners. >> we are looking for what comes next, their greatest economic resources is clearly their oil exports. sales of oil lined their pockets, sustains human rights abuses, and feeds their economy like no other sector. >> some feel that they should focus on the oil fields. the islamic republic is one of the largest exporters of oil and it sells to europe. this summit in, they suggested an oil embargo. the market is in asia and in china in particular. that means that more european sanctions can only have a limited impact on iran. >> for now, the west has agreed to concentrate on stopping the military from learning how to build nuclear weapons. iran says that its ambitions are purely peaceful.

180 companies now go on the sanctions list. >> you have the latest developments from syria. >> thank you very much. the main opposition group has struck a deal with the insurgents who call themselves the free syrian army to work together against the government of president assad. the insurgents had promised to use force only in order to protect civilians. that follows a declaration from the u.n. that syria is in a state of civil war. we have this report from neighboring turkey. >> opposition to president assad comes in many forms. there are those who campaigned oversees building diplomatic support for their cause. there are those who fight, risking all inside of syria. until now, there has been little connections between the soldiers of the army and the academics

and intellectuals of the syrian national council. now, their leaders have met in southern turkey and agreed to work together. the free syrian army says they recognize the council's leading role in the revolution and it's essentially non-violent program put it agrees that their main job is to protect civilians and who will resist provocation by the assad regime. they will start to coordinate their campaign. all of this is important because it brings the armed wing of the opposition under the umbrella of the civilian council. can it stop the slide towards civil war? the problem is that many of those who have taken up arms are only loosely under the command of the army. they may not want to stop ambushing government forces. anchor in the contested communities over the death of an unarmed protesters would make it hard for the armed men to

restrain themselves and the death toll is causing growing alarm. -- anger in the contested committees of the death of on armed protesters would make it hard. >> i said this in august before the security council, there is going to be a civil war. at the moment, that is how i'm characterizing this. >> it is the prospect of civil war which has pushed turkey to bring these groups together. they fear that the trickle of refugees that they are sheltering could become a flood. on the other side, it is becoming harder to predict an even harder to control. >> amnesty international has accused saudi arabia of launching a new wave of repression in response to the arabs bring protest. thousands have been arrested and their trials were unfair.

they said that this was based on inaccurate information and that they remain committed to human- rights in accordance with sharia law which is the basis of the legal system. the president of france has called for a new treaty to impose greater financial discipline on european governments. he is going to meet the german chancellor on monday. they will announce a plan to safeguard the future of the eurozone. >> in a landmark speech to his supporters, the french president said that europe would have to make crucial choices. europe, he said, needs to be redesigned. he also spoke on what would have been unimaginable and short time ago, life without the euro. >> the euro exists. it's death would have dramatic consequences for the french. the collapse of confidence would paralyze everything. the french would get four.

we have no cost to let this occur. -- the french would get poor. >> europe could be swept away if it does not get a grip. they would push to give the eu a new treaty to enforce strict budgetary discipline. >> france is fighting with germany for a new treaty. more discipline, more solidarity, more responsibility. >> although there would be greater control of national budgets, the french president said this would not be a march towards super nationality. he knows how sensitive this would be for the french people. he envisages closer integration not by giving more power to brussels but forging crucial links between governments. the president will now meet in paris on monday to work on a joint plan to safeguard the

future of europe. despite recent increases, there are still differences between the two leaders. the french hope is that a strict budgetary discipline is put in place, this will weaken german opposition to the european central bank acting as the lender of last resort. tomorrow, david cameron comes here to see president sarkozy. he will want to explore what those proposals for a treaty change means and whether in exchange for british support, he can win important concessions. >> the afghan president has parted a woman who was jailed for adultery. the woman is currently in prison because she gave birth to a daughter. she has now agreed to marry her attacker. al qaeda has said that today are

holding a u.s. citizen hostage. on the website, they said that warren wind steen was kidnapped in pakistan -- that warren weinstein was kidnapped in pakistan. they have -- people clapped their hands to express dissatisfaction in earlier protests in the country. >> you are watching "newsday" on the bbc. wind, wave, world domination. we traveled to south korea to uncover the green growth plan. >> 50 years in the making. the gem collection is going under the hammer.

the governor of the bank of england is discussing the current situation as serious and threatening. in his latest assessment on the face of the u.k.'s economic health, they urged the british banks to build up their financial reserves. our economics correspondent has more details. >> winter weather is bad enough that there was a warning that a really big storm could be on its way, a financial one. this is brewing in the eurozone and it could be battering our shores before long. the forecast came from the governor of the bank of england and his new committee of financial watchdogs. his words were unexpectedly blunt. >> no one could deny that it is serious and threatening and therefore those with responsibilities to the cost to deal with it need to take action. >> there are concerns about the bank's exposure too vulnerable

economies. total lending to greece, public and private sectors is about 7 billion pounds. for portugal, the total to 16 billion. that is dwarfed by bank lending to italy and 90 billion went to ireland. this could hamper the bank's ability to land here including consumer credit and mortgages. even fears of future problems could lead to a cutback. they would like to cut dividends to shareholders. the industry says that they are curbing the package. >> there might be some pain and some parts of the industry. these will be paid in shares for several years. >> bankers and regulators can only prepare and wait for the tide to take its course and hope that the u.k. defenses can hold

fast. >> this is "newsday" on the bbc. >> after historic talks with aung san suu kyi, hillary clinton has pledged closer u.s. ties if reforms continue. >> the eu and the u.s. have adopted harsh new sanctions against iran and concern over their controversial nuclear program. >> i'm joined here in the studio by the east asia team leader for christian solidarity worldwide. as far as you're concerned, this is essentially a reward, isn't it? sending hillary clinton to permit to meet the leadership,

to have a letter from barack obama delivered to the president. has this come too soon? >> i don't think so. hillary clinton strong message that she welcomes the steps that the regime has taken so far. there is a very long way to go. >> what is the carrot she is dangling in front of them? what is she going to offer burma and return? "she has mentioned the lifting of sanctions and that is something that the regime and the generals really want. they want international legitimacy. they are doing this because they want to be accepted by the rest of the world. >> are they also doing it because their country is in such a difficult situation? can you describe what life is like there?

is it so bad that they are forced into these changes? >> i think it has. the new president, thein sein, recognizes that this is not sustainable. the economy is in ruins. the daily life is a constant struggle just to make ends meet as well as a very severe human rights concerns that have been very well documented. >> in terms of a true democracy taking root there, how much can the military be trusted? hand over to any power that when elections? >> it to my knowledge, they have not said that specifically. what seems to be happening now is that aung san suu kyi and her party will take part in elections if they win seats, they will become part of parliament. the hope is for all of us that one change in burma that this will lead to a transition process but the regime has not

spelled that out yet. >> how representative is that? quite often, when they hand over power, they have some kind of fascinations that helped them to have some kind of influence. this will be reserved for the far right. is anything simpler? >> when the regime drew up the new constitution in 2008, they built in 25% of the seats for the military and the top of that in the elections last year, they were heavily rate -- rigged. it would be very important if they win seats. >> what about the plight of political prisoners? what about minority groups? >> i recognize the statement

that one political prisoner is one too many. this is a step for the regime to take if they are going to convince the world they are going to change. the regime uses rape as a weapon of war. there are a lot of conflicting signals and a very long way to go. they have been accused of crimes against amenity. >> thank you very much. this is indicative of how the government in burma reacts to certain criticism. thank you for your time. >> this is south korea's latest

gesture that it has a fearsome reputation for developing new export industries. now, it is turning its attention to the renewable energy markets. >> in the old days, electricity began down a coal mine. now, it starts inside of steel wind turbines. this is part of the green growth plan which has traded a renewable energy supply at home. at the first wind farm, all of the turbines are european. what was billed six years ago, there were no korean turbine makers and now that they are, the managers here say that they are still from europe >> people say that the quality is similar but to be honest, i would buy european because it is tried and tested and there's not much difference in the price. >> locations like this one are

very rare and south korea, places where you have both lynde and access to the turbines. that is a problem for south korean companies because until they can prove that they work, they will have trouble committing -- convincing customers to buy them. unless they are told to turn to the government has said the utility companies will need to get 10% of their energy from 2020 too. they are running a testing ground for korean turbines at one of the main power plants. >> perhaps if you were a private company, we would see things purely economic terms but we are a public company and we feel that we have a role to play in offering career in industry. the renewable energy market is potentially very big and even if it seems like we are latecomers,

we have a lot of experience with things like shipbuilding and semiconductors. >> korea face this competition a generation ago. the company is now a market leader. >>creating a domestic market is seen as crucial. 11% of the energy by 2013. that means more projects like this one, the world's biggest tidal power plant and south korea's first. several more are planned and they are controversial. opposition from environmental groups have left most of them stalled. they're loosening environmental regulations. this answer goes right to the heart of this national strategy. exactly how much kreme can you combine with growth? >> the treasured possessions of

elizabeth taylor will be up for auction. the collection is expected to fetch millions of dollars. for those having to catch a glimpse into the old-style hollywood glamour, the collection is on display at a special exhibition. >> elizabeth taylor was voted best actress. >> the epitome of glamour. elizabeth taylor was every inch the star. the glittering jewels, her signature. she married richard burton twice and he showered her with diamonds. elizabeth taylor was groomed to be a star from childhood. she was a product of the hollywood studio system. her lavish jewels and part of her contract. now, her spectacular collection of jewelry and clothing is for

sale. if you have a few million dollars to spare, you can try your luck bidding for this. as richard burton used to say, i introduced her to beer and she introduced me to bulgaria. her affair with richard burton became public. they would go shopping for jewelry in their down time. this ring was for every day, another gift of husband number 5 and 6. >> he bought it for over $300,000, which was a huge amount of money. she wore this every single day. this was a piece she was photographed most in. she loved to share it with people. >> this is a glimpse of the lustrous life style of a hollywood idol.

the entire collection is valued at $30 million. the auction house is hoping that this will drive prices higher. >> you have been watching "newsday" from the bbc. >> the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton is going to meet aung san suu kyi for a second time. they will discuss the pace of reform in burma. mrs. clinton said that the u.s. would be willing to consider easing sanctions if further progress was made towards political reform. the u.s. senate has approved new sanctions against iran despite warnings from the white house that the measure could alienate americans -- it could alienate

americans. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global strength to work for a wide

range of companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.