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>> hello and welcome to "newsday." >> the headlines. a new era for egypt. millions of voters go to the polls to elect a new president. trends for the global economy. pressure mounts on eu leaders to tackle the eurozone crisis. >> call for restraint in beirut after a group of lebanese men are kidnapped in syria. ukraine suspends the official at the center of a ticket scandal. it is 11:00 a.m. in singapore. >> it is 4:00 a.m. in london. welcome to "newsday."

it is a momentous day for egyptians. for the first time in their recorded history of more than 5000 years, it is a chance to vote for their leader. 15 months after the uprising which overthrew president hosni mubarak, egyptians began two days of voting in a few hours time. there are 16 candidates. the election is almost impossible to call. two candidates are likely to make it into runoffs next month. the bbc is in cairo. >> this is a square that made history in egypt and around the world, tahrir square. the protesters and police are gone. egypt is a different country. this is a historic presidential election. >> the elections will be -- if he makes anything wrong, the

next president, anything wrong, we will act against him. >> car rear -- tahrir square will come back as a place to protest if there is not a good president? >> yes. >> everywhere you go, you see huge billboards and election posters. we have come to a working-class neighborhood in the center of cairo. this man? the candidate who calls himself a liberal islamist. >> mr. safid. >> the former prime minister? why are you voting for him? >> he has the knowledge of how to do things here, and he has a good reputation. >> you are not sure who to vote for? why? >> i do not read well.

i do not hear well. i do not read well. i do not discuss it. >> what do you want from your president? what is most important? >> i need one who has [ unintelligible] >> these are the numbers that matter. this is the stock exchange in cairo. for many egyptians, economics are what matter in this election. since last year, unemployment is up. tourism is down. this trader tells me political events are what influences the market now. if the election run smoothly, it will have a big impact on the economy. indeed, these first truly open polls will determine what happens next in egypt. bbc news, cairo.

>> an egyptian court has given 10 year jail sentences to five policemen for their role in killing protestors who joined the uprising which toppled the former president last year. they are the first to be convicted over the violence. the international monetary fund has delivered a mixed verdict on the state of the british economy. the imf endorsed the deficit reduction policies the coalition has put in place, but says fresh measures might be needed if growth fails to materialize. christine lagarde gave this comment. >> unfortunately, the economic recovery in the u.k. has not taken hold. uncertainties abound. this dress in the rural area affects the u.k. through many -- distress in the eurozone area affects the u.k. policy changes are needed

before liberals become entrenched. i am pleased that prime minister cameron emphasized the use of the credibility of the government balance sheet to help the economy grow. >> that discussion will dominate the meeting of leaders in brussels wednesday. the crisis in greece will also be important. the importance of solving it has been highlighted, with warnings that the european crisis is the biggest threat to the local economy. the report on how the situation in greece is affecting countries outside the euro. >> thousands of years of history and prestige, but where does gris go from here? looking to the future is uncertain as ever. there is a sense of waiting for something to turn up. as to what that something is, no one is daring to guess. many people in the u.k. and around europe will be asking again this week how greece got

into this mess. and why is the small greek economy causing such shock waves around the world? greek government debt soared, so it had to be bailed out. it had to pay a crippling 30% interest rate if the bailout stops and it has to go back to the market. by comparison, uk costs are below 2%. the economy has been shrinking in a lengthy recession. by the end of 2012, output would have fallen nearly 27% over five years. why is the economy stuck in reverse? i asked the head of the leading greek business organization. >> people prefer to keep whatever euros they have in a safe or the wallet, and not spend it. and of course, business investment is about taking a targeted risk for the future. it is not possible to calculate any risk at this time, so

investment is up a total standstill. >> tax rises and spending cuts are not helping growth. without it and higher tax revenues, greece will struggle to reduce its borrowing. it has become europe's problem because the financial markets are closely interlinked. leading european banks are still dealing with bad debt linked to the economic downturn. problems in greece could damage confidence across the system. there would be serious consequences in european banks, including in the u.k., if there is a complete default. >> if greece is not in a situation to continue with the bailout package, and instead it has to officially go bankrupt, the contagion is going to be very significant. i do not see a way this can be avoided. >> speculation about greek ability to repay debt, and

membership in the single currency, will intensify as elections approach. a tourist vendor is selling drug,. right now, it is a souvenir, but could it become part of the new economy? >> to syria now, where at least a dozen lebanese men have been kidnapped from the city of aleppo. it has been a worrying development. >> that is right. the hostages are shia muslims, returning from a pilgrimage in iran. the kidnappers are supported to beat -- are supposed to be rebels from the free syrian army. they began blocking nato rose in protest. >> small but acrid fires, and no shortage of tires to burn. the roads of southern beirut were in flames as relatives of the kidnapped men showed their anger. the man, all shia pilgrims, were

kidnapped in aleppo in syria, apparently by members of the free syrian army, made up of defectors from bashar al-assad's army. this man is a brother of one of the men taken. he said the women were told to leave and the men were kept as hostages to bargain for the release of their own fighters, held by the regular fighters. the conflict in syria is exposing sectarian tensions in libya. this time, the leader of hezbollah intervened. >> the responsibility lies with the state. we call on everyone to be restrained. we can express our spats in civil and peaceful ways. we are going to work day and night so we can have those loved ones among us. >> his request seems to have worked for now, and beirut is commerce. -- is calmer.

the three women programs confirmed -- returned. this woman confirms there was shelling close to where the men were taken. syrian security forces mounted a major operation there. suddenly, the focus is on the tension across the border between pro and anti bashar al- assad camps in lebanon. clashes between the sides in recent weeks have left 12 people dead. they had in part been sparked by the tension in northern lebanon, where this man, a sunni leader, is a fierce critic of the syrian regime. on tuesday, he was released to a hero's welcome. already, people are asking whether his release and the intervention will be enough to prevent further spillover from the syrian uprising. bbc news. >> in other news, the head of the united nations' nuclear

watchdog says he expects to get his inspectors access to see iran's nuclear program. this comes days before wednesday's planned meeting with negotiators and representatives from six world powers. the meeting is scheduled for the iraqi capital of baghdad. police in argentina have defused a bomb timed to go off during a speech by the former president of columbia. the device was found in the ceiling of a theater in buenos aires. earlier this week, mr. uribe was accused of committing atrocities in argentina. a drone strike on a compound in a trouble area in western pakistan. the security officials said the drone fired two missiles at a house in an area in north waziristan. the olympic committee of the

ukraine has suspended its general secretary after he was caught on camera offering tickets for cash to the mound in 2012 games to an undercover bbc reporter. the general secretary of the national olympic committee told a reporter posing as a ticket scalper he had up to 100 tickets to sell. such a sale is illegal and can carry a fine of up to 20,000 pounds. the leader insisted he had no intention of selling the tickets. adrian warner reports. >> very few tickets are left to the top event at the the olympic park this summer, so this is often the moment and when scab'' step into the market. where do they get their tickets? it has been suspected that tickets allocated to national olympic committees around the world have been sold on the black market. that is against olympic rules, and in britain, it is against the law. but it is likely to happen again.

this is the general secretary of the ukrainian olympic committee. an undercover bbc reporter posing as a ticket scalper arranged a meeting with him in london to discuss buying tickets. he explained that he was in the process of distributing tickets to ukrainian fans, coaches, and officials, but indicated that he should have some leftover to sell. he was willing to discuss how many tickets would be paid for. >> how would you prefer to receive, if we arrange payment? >> it would be better in cash. >> 30 years ago, the olympic committee was hit by a major corruption scandal, and it vowed to clean up its ranks. this is embarrassing, because it involves a big success story of the 2012 olympics -- unprecedented ticket sales.

do you think it is pie in the sky to stop ticket counting? >> absolutely not. or we would not have increased the maximum fine to 20,000 pounds. >> we asked about the conversations with our reporter. the official said, "we never planned to sell tickets in the u.k. territory, and our talk was only diplomatic talk, to satisfy the persistent interest of the ticket dealer." london 2012 and the ioc said they would investigate the allegations. but with a million tickets allocated to olympic committees worldwide, and the suggestion of them getting into the wrong hands could be damaging to the games. bbc news. >> we are live from singapore and london. still to come, we look into the dangers of fake anti-malaria drugs to blame for the spread of drug-resistant forms of the disease. >> vandals wielding cans of

paint defaced a portrait of president jacob zuma. let us look at the stories making headlines around the world. egypt's momentous day is the first truly democratic election, to commence in hours. after the imf warned the british government its austerity will not revive the economy, "the financial times" reports on massive infrastructure plans. the pro-growth mood is even stronger in france, with a standoff with angela markell at a meeting on thursday. but it may be posturing and had a french parliamentary elections. with relatively small economies like greece and spain causing so much trouble, what about japan? ratings agency fitch has downgraded its credit rating, thanks to gigantic national debt. russian prime minister dmitry

medvedev is finally a car- carrying member of united russia, the party of president vladimir putin. >> this is "new state." -- "newsday." >> millions of egyptians are preparing to cast their votes in the first ever free presidential election. >> european leaders prepare to gather in brussels for a summit focused on the debt crisis and how to boost economic growth. making and selling fake anti- malaria drugs should be treated as crimes against humanity, say the authors of a new study into the problem. the researchers from the u.s. national institutes of health found that over 1/3 of the anti- malaria drugs available in southeast asia and sub-saharan africa are either fake or of such bad quality they can make

the problem worse. the study links the cells of fake drugs to drug-resistant malaria which has begun to spread in areas such as cambodia and thailand. we spoke to the head of the malaria program in cambodia for the world health organization. he joins us from the non-penh. how predominant is the distribution and sale of these fake anti-malaria drugs in cambodia? >> i tell you, there is bad news and good news. the study of fake evidence from as long as 2000 years ago -- as long as 10 years ago. the government has been seeking to move on this issue. other countries have not taken the same steps. the problem of fake and sub- standard anti-malarial drugs is widespread.

with cambodia, you can say there is good news, because you can take action against it, so i am hopeful. >> you said it is not hopeless and action can be taken. but is there political will for the government to be able to stamp out these groups or individuals that are selling and distributing these fake anti- malaria drug suspects -- drugs? >> that is an important point. there has to be high-level political support for this to take effect. in cambodia, the prime minister said, "we are going to stop it." in other countries in this area, that has not happened yet, and that is where the problem is. >> dr., what is the suggestion now for the world health organization to be able to stop the distribution and sale of these fake drug suspects -- drugs?

>> we recommended in 2008 that every country should stop the sale of what we call mono- therapy, a single drug to treat malaria. they should be using drug combinations. that was the first thing cambodia did, and other countries are following. they have to root out the wholesalers who are manufacturing and selling these drugs in third countries. not in cambodia or thailand, but in other countries. they also have to have a police force that inspect retailers to make sure none of these drugs are getting into the supply chain. >> the who in cambodia. thank you for joining us. the government has opened fire at a protest rally in karachi. the shooting started when hundreds of opposition

activists were marching through the main commercial district. they have called for a new province to be created for the perdue-speaking majority -- urdu-speaking majority. president hugo to of this return from his treatment in cuba. -- president hugo chavez of venezuela has returned from his treatment in cuba. yemen is on the brink of a catastrophic food crisis, with almost half the population malnourished. seven food agencies have called on the world to focus attention on helping the many people, rather than just stopping al qaeda. they expect to focus on security. the indonesian government gets its chance to answer the critics of its human rights record later this wednesday. the foreign minister is going

to deliver a frank account of the situation when he appears before the u.n. human rights council in geneva. questions have been asked about the government commitment to the rights of political leaders, social minorities, and other issues. the minister says the council should recognize how much progress has been made in the country. >> in terms of where we are, compared to where we were in 2008, it is very important for us to avoid oversimplification and generalization. as soon as we get a very good measure of the challenge and the response we need -- think back to the past. indonesia, 2008 and before -- we were having very difficult issues. in contrast to the type of violence we had in the past, i think we have to be very careful in trying to make a judgment in

terms of are things getting worse, or about the same, or improving. i am not the one who will get ourselves where we are. but what i can assure you is that indonesia remains strongly committed to the promotion of religious tolerance and freedom of expression. we recognize that there are challenges, but we are trying our level best to ensure that we are able to address them. >> human-rights activists say the government is not doing enough to stop these acts of religious intolerance, and through its silence is making things worse. >> the government is pursuing several tracks. we are trying to reconcile the different groups. we are promoting and encouraging dialogue, how to address and resolve the method amenable to

all concerned. on the kind of incidents we have stated, i will be very categorical and clear in condemning it, in deploring it. these kinds of actions have no place whatsoever in a modern democratic indonesia. we condemn it totally and completely. we have to have a balance between how do we promote and rid ourselves of intolerance in a way that is strongly in forced by our local law enforcement agency -- enforced by our local law enforcement agency. those who have violated the law are to be brought before the court. >> a controversial painting that showed president jacob zuma with his genitals exposed has been defaced at an art gallery in johannesburg. the man said he snared the

painting with paint because he thought it was disrespectful. >> it was business as usual at the goodman gallery in johannesburg. suddenly, this is what happened. the portrait depicted a fully- clothed president jacob zuma, but with his genitals exposed. a scuffle ensued. the two gentlemen were apprehended by security guards. >> we are the authorities. >> and then handed over to the police. they will appear in court soon. >> the african national congress, president jacob zuma's party, is in court, trying to force this gallery to take the painting down. there has been a lot of controversy in the last week. people were saying from the congress that it is racist, disrespectful, and the un- cultural.

these supporters, from the governing african national congress, or outside it singing liberation songs. in his advocation to stop the display of the painting, president jacob zuma said he would continue with court action. but why? the painting is already vandalized. >> everyone has a right to human dignity. that includes the president of the country. jacob zuma is a father and grandfather. jacob zuma is the president of this country. >> the president's life has been under public scrutiny for some time. a polygamist, he has four wives, and has admitted fathering at least one child out of wedlock. bbc news, johannesburg. >> you have been watching "newsday."

>> 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. >> at union bank, our relationship managers use their expertise in global finance to guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our extended, global network to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?

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