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tv   BBC World News  PBS  April 19, 2012 12:30am-1:00am PDT

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>> this is "bbc world news." >> funding for this presentation is made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, shell, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news."
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>> hello and welcome. >> three members of the u.s. secret service leave the agency following a scandal involving prostitutes. after gunshots are fired, the u.s. condemns the insincerity of syrian authorities. >> the u.s. military promises a full investigation after disturbing photos are published involving at soldiers in afghanistan. >> the behavior depicted in those photos absolutely violates both are regulations and our core values. >> could there be peace on the world's highest battlefield? it is 11:00 in the morning in singapore. >> is 4:00 in the morning in london.
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broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world. >> the u.s. secret service has said that three of its agents are believed -- are to leave their jobs following alleged involvement with prostitutes in colombia. eight agents are still on administrative leave. from washington, what has alleged to have happened. >> this is a mixed group of secret service agent and uniformed u.s. military personnel. it is alleged that a week ago,
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these men went out to a strip club and they went back to the hotel within a secure perimeter, the american area for the purpose of this summit. the hotel where many government officials would stay. they went back to the hotel with around 20 women, who were said to have been prostitutes. one of -- one has been telling her story to "the new york times. " she got into a row with one of the americans. he tried to lower the price the next morning. the police were called, the embassy was notified. >> if true, this is embarrassing for the obama administration. some of these agents have had to leave. >> the most revealing thing about it is that the director of the secret service has chosen to release information about his investigation while it is still going on. there were 11 secret service
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agents withdrawn from that summit. the 10 members of the -- while its investigation is going on, director so than are telling us that three of them are going to lose their jobs. two of them are supervisors. a third has resigned. the point is that the top brass in secret service wants to show the world and barack obama that they're taking decisive action. >> some breaking news, india is reporting to a fired a long- range missile capable of reaching as far as china and europe. the launch is believed to of taken place in an eastern state. the united states will express concern over the insincerity of the syrian authorities. regarding the ceasefire agreement.
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activist video showed government snipers firing into crowds in damascus suburb. leaders denied they have come under fire. >> of the u.n. and syria have not a vehicle for peace. the advance party of observers makes its way to the crowd, gunfire erupts. these are amateur videos we cannot verify, they tell a story all too familiar in syria. the observers now in the fourth day of their mission, they're optimistic they can enforce the peace plan once -- the peace plan. >> i think we will achieve our mandate. there are a lot of expectations that are beyond a team of 30 observers. >> u.n. wants to send 250 monitors and give them planes and helicopters to they can move
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around. so far, it is not working. the city ofh oms is under intense bombardment. the syrian government has not changed its mind. france is hosting the latest conference of the friends of syria, a gathering of opposition. >> we are deploying these monitors pursuant to a security council resolution, that confirms our commitment to kofi annan's plan, the guns of the bashar al-assad regime are once again firing in homs and elsewhere. syrians continue to die. >> back in syria, a little changes. opposition anger intensified. the sign reads, the butcher continues killing. the observers continue watching. the people continue their
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revolution. >> you have news from afghanistan. >> that is right. pictures of american soldiers posing with the body parts of afghan suicide bombers have been published in america. the images appeared in the los angeles times despite the request by the pentagon not to publish them. a criminal investigation is currently under way. we report from washington. >> the photographs are graphic. american soldiers pose with the dead body of an afghan fighter, the paper said it has 18 photos of relating to a single politician. the incident took place two years ago. the administration has been swift to condemn. the defense secretary saying the actions depicted violated american rules and core values. >> this is war. i know that war is ugly and it
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is silent. i know that young people sometimes caught up in the moment make some very foolish decisions. i am not excusing that. i am not excusing that behavior. but neither do i want these images to bring further injuries to our people or to our relationship with the afghan people. >> the american military's reputation in afghanistan is on the line. in january, a video showed marines urinating on the dead bodies of the afghan insurgents. in february, violence erupted when koran had been burnt by accident. in march, a u.s. army sergeant was charged with killing 17 afghan civilians. all isolated incidents, all damaging in their own way. the head fenestration says the strategy and afghanistan is clear -- the administration says the strategy in afghanistan is clear.
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>> as the u.s. military deals with the slightest setback, nato ministers are stating that the war is still on track. hope that afghans will soon be able to take the lead in securing their own country may be optimistic. >> the american military juggernaut is on the move. here in eastern afghanistan, this u.s. base is being torn down and returned to the desert. it is the biggest base to close yet. soldiers doing the job have to lay down their weapons, stock patrols, and get their hands dirty. it means the soldiers here are less of a deterrent to the taliban and more distant from the afghan people. >> its is sad to see this key terrain go. i am confident that we will be just as effective once this is
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gone. >> senior officers say this work is a distraction. the base is too big to handover to the afghans. they do not have the ability to keep it going. the battle here is moving from the south of the country to the east. the fight is becoming harder. they have fewer soldiers. by october, a third of american forces will have gone home. 500 british soldiers will be hot on their heels. far from here on the front line, there is a greater problem facing this war. the relationship between president karzei and his nato allies is disintegrating. it is characterized by threats, insults, and mistrust. the collapse in the partnership may be an even greater threat to this mission from the taliban
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from the hills behind me. a weariness has set in here. hope and ambition -- the soldiers remained focused on the fight in front of them. in the american public has turned its back on the war. >> when i go back, the people i hang out with, they do not really ask me about the war. they do not really know, they might be shocked there is still a war going on. there is a disconnect back in the states. >> this mission may now be at odds with itself. the war is being wound up before it has been one. nato troops have to do three things. battle the taliban, reduce their own numbers, and train afghans. insurgents have to do only one thing. that this fight. -- that is fight. >> sedan and sell this to don --
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south and south sudan have seen to move closer to a full-scale war. his comments followed days of fighting on the border. the government says security forces have killed the head of the militant islamist group linked to al qaeda. 19 others were arrested. officials said the group had been planning a number of terrorist attacks to try to destabilize the country. security is being increased. the american television presenter dick clark has died at the age of 82. he was also the longstanding host of the annual new year's eve broadcast from times square in new york. the man who was admitted killing
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77 people in norway it says there can be only too logical outcome is in his trial. the death penalty or an acquittal. anders breivik told the court the maximum prison term is pathetic. he made the comments during his third day of questioning in oslo. >> under tight security, they drove him to court this morning. as the country held its breath, waiting for more revelations. it is impossible to know what is going on behind the eyes of anders breivik, hard to see if the evil he carried out haunts him. but there he hears the screams of those killed. he maintains that his attacks came after he joined a network of like-minded nationalists. the police field such a network -- doubt such an network exists.
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under cross-examination today, he said anyone could do what i did. he spoke of nationalists training sessions that were to deal with everything from rhetorical strategy is to production of bombs. as the prosecution tried to expose his real involvement with other nationalist, he countered, sank your purpose is to shed doubts on whether this network exists. at times, he appeared irritated with the line of questioning today. prosecutors simply do not believe that he is part of a wider network. he sat in his chair, he complained that he was being ridiculed. his answers were often contradictory and confused. he posted this on the internet before his attacks. images from an organization he calls the kt. he says the mats in london.
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is this a fantasy? one sociologists had this to say. >> when he puts on his uniform, he is no longer the unsuccessful young man from the west end of oslo. never completes an education. he becomes a defender of the civilization of europe against the invading muslims. tomorrow, he is likely to answer questions about the bomb attack in oslo. he has told the court there are only too desirable outcomes. he should either be acquited court sentenced to death. -- acquitted or sentenced to death. >> we are live from singapore and london. a breakthrough from -- for breast cancer treatment. >> the king of spain says sorry for going hunting in africa in the middle of this country's
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economic crisis. let's take a quick look at what is making the front page of newspapers around the world. the first round of the french presidential election is days away. one in four voters is still undecided. spain's king after his televised apology for going elephant hunting in botswana. the paper says the safari fiasco has shocked spaniards. the financial times of looks at the imf a global financial stability report, which warned that european banks are set to drastically shrink their balance sheet. the unprecedented move by hsbc to issue a bond is a sign of the u.k.'s ambition to become a leading yuan business center.
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--tain's future in the east court of human rights. >> the u.s. secret service has said three of their agents are to leave their jobs following alleged involvement with prostitutes in colombia. >> washington as accused the syrian government of insincerity. >> the pakistani army chief of staff has said that india and pakistan should be able to reach a negotiated solution over the glacier in the himalayas. it is known as the world's highest battlefield. it is in the disputed region, which has been the cause of two wars between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
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the general suggested the glacier should be demilitarized. he was speaking as the search continues for 140 people, 129 of them pakistan eight soldiers. our correspondent reports from the rescue site. >> we are at the edge of the glacier. it is hard to imagine a more difficult place for a search operation. standing here, you did a sense of what a challenge is we're at about 13,000 feet above sea level. you are at the mercy of the elements. the aborted been told which way to run if there is an avalanche -- we have already been told which way to run if there is an avalanche. the search operation has been going on since then. day and night. heavy machinery is trying to shift the snow and ice to see if
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there are survivors. there has also been digging by hand. experts believe there is little or no chance of finding any survivors. the pakistan army has spoken of prank for a miracle. experts believe that is probably -- of praying for a miracle. experts believe that is what it would take. they are looking for their comrades, brothers in arms. there are many risks here. there is a risk of avalanches two or three times a day, the search has to be stopped. rescuers have been battling extreme cold and blizzards. the tragedy has renewed debate in pakistan about whether or not the troops should even be here. they have been here since 1984. in that time, this area has been a graveyard for 3000 pakistani troops. most have been killed by the weather, about 90%.
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critics say it is time to give up its frozen battlefield. they believed it is not worth one more life. >> a leading member of egypt's moslem brotherhood has just been disqualified for standing for president. he fears the possibility of eight red election. -- a rigged election. he was a strong contender to be the next president. he told our cairo correspondent that the brotherhood would step up pressure on the egyptian government to hand over power on schedule at the end of june. >> what does that mean? >> i think this would happen through various means, including the media and the parliament. people in parliament -- we will
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mobilize the masses on the streets. we demonstrated last friday and we will go to demonstrate next friday. the coming days the witness more demonstration in egypt to pressure the election commission to prevent the possibility of riggin the elections. >> do you think that is likely? >> yes, of course. this is likely. the committee itself has members who participated in the parliamentary election held by mubarak in 2010. it would completely -- even the committee chairman himself is a source of suspicion. >> breast cancer is not one disease, but 10 different diseases according to an international study. doctors say it could lead to better treatment. the categories could help detail the drugs.
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it will take at least three years for the findings to be used in hospitals. >> breast cancer is -- by looking inside individual cells, scientists have established that those differences add up to at least 10 distinct types of the disease. at the cambridge research institute, the analyzed almost 2000 different breast cancer tumors and tracked the progress of the disease in each woman. this is a completely different way of looking at breast cancer. going right inside the molecular structure of the tumor. each of these dots represent an individual gene. it has enabled scientists to identify these 10 different types of breast cancer. >> we have 1002 mayors. >> this is how the differences -- we have 1002 mayors here. >> this is not information that
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will change lies just yet, but it has enormous potential for the future. >> for some women, we are identifying groups with such good prognosis that we could spare them therapy. in contrast, there are other women were week -- or the prognosis is very pouor. >> taking her deadly counter medication, she is one of those involved in the job -- her daily cancer medication, she is one of those involved in the trial. cooks in the future, there will be hope for people. there is so poor people now, but there'll be a hope for a lot more people. -- there is hope for people now, but there will be more hope for a lot of people. >> these findings are being described as another landmark moment. >> we will start designing
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clinical trials to look at these new subsets' so that we can determine which treatment they should be getting. >> that could mean a revolution in breast cancer care, which could translate into new treatments for other cancers. >> plans by the british government to deport a radical moslem preacher to jordan hazmat and a setback. lawyers lodged a last our request for an appeal to be heard by the grand chamber of the european court of human rights. the british government says the appeal was filed too late. the deportation has been delayed while the legal arguments are results. india is reported to a fired a long-range missile capable of reaching as far as china and
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europe. the launch is believed to a taken place from the test site of the eastern state. there have been no confirmations from the government. no word on whether it was successful. for the very latest, we can speak -- can you confirm what is happening? >> what we know is that they have successfully launched this missile. what is not clear yet is whether this is a successful test. what they were trying to do was to fire to hit a range of 5,000 kilometers. if they can achieve that, that would greatly increase the range of the missiles that india has in its arsenal. as you said, it would enable it to reach china and as far away
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as europe. the indian government is saying it is not about china, but that is what everyone believes. this is a missile aimed at china, which has much marketability. >> what does this mean for the region? >> we still have to wait to see whether they actually hit this 5,000 kilometer targets. we're still waiting for those details. even then, this is more of a publicity event. this is about india saying that it has this kind of capability, that is able to join this elite club of nations that has the capacity to fire missiles over long distances. >> thank you very much.
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>> 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, union bank, and shell. >> this is kim, about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell, we're developing more efficient fuels in countries like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy resources. let's use energy more efficiently. let's go. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.
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