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tv   BBC World News  WHUT  August 11, 2009 7:00am-7:30am EDT

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>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. [funding for this presentation was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation, and the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank.]
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>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> now, "bbc world news." >> this is open " world news today." headlines, the pro-democracy leader will spend another 18 months under house arrest keeping her out of the way for next year's elections. what do india and china think? massive rescue efforts in
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taiwan, hundreds are still unaccounted for. clinton in africa and the perils of being one half of the world's most influential couple. >> you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? >> also in this hour, a new colonialism, or just common sense. a special report on liberia. come back cooled off, michael shoemaker is forced out of a formula one return. this is 7:00 a.m. in washington, mid day here in london, half past 7:00 in the evening rangoon. the pro-democracy leader there has been found guilty of
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violating her house arrest. she was sentenced to an additional 18 months confinement. the sentence has drawn condemnation from europe. there is the word from india and china. she was convicted of allowing an american man to stay there after he swam there uninvited. >> please insure that nothing would except -- disrupt the trial of the most famous war and -- famous woman in burma. she is a symbol of democracy. her supporters had hoped that she would be freed. a guilty verdict means that she is going back to house arrest for 18 months.
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>> the sentence was given and they will be detained at home. >> the trouble started when this man, an american citizen, swam to her house uninvited days before her house arrest expired. he was allowed to stay for two nights. officials say that this breaks the terms of her detention. supporters say they are just trying to keep her out of the election. supporters say they will be the first free and fair elections since 1990. protests have spoken out against the verdict in capitals around the world. embassadors based in burma have
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been attending the trial. their country has now spoken out. nicolas sarkozy is calling on the european union to impose sanctions and target the resources that generals directly profit from. the british prime minister said that he was saddened and angered by the ruling. >> this was a trumped up set of charges and this verdict is illegitimate. that is why the prime minister has made it clear, we are calling on our european partners to introduce tougher economic sanctions. the secretary general of the united nations is calling for, for the first time, an arms embargo. >> few believe that international pressure will see the woman that so many people
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revere freed in time for next year's election. for now, aung san su ki will go back to her home in rangoon, where she will spend 18 months under house arrest. the only party is likely to play in the election next year is a symbolic one. >> joining me now from washington is jeremy would, from the u.s.-burma campaign. thank you for joining us. a bit early to get too much reaction from america, but i assume that you will hear the same condemnation there that we heard from europe? >> we believe so. the obama administration has been conducting a high-level policy review of their policy toward burma and said today that they would announce it after the
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verdict. >> here in europe, the french president, for example, calling for stiffer sanctions as part of the opposition movement. do you think that is what is needed? >> it would certainly help. the type of sanctions that the president sarkozy was talking about, i would add oil and natural gas to the list, those are big moneymakers for the regime. key is moving at the security council, engaging china and pressing for an arms embargo. they rely on the ideology of the military to justify power. stopping to sell them -- stopping selling them weapons would have a huge impact. >> i am interested in this faith that you have in the u.n. system. what makes you think that china will do anything different now? >> they have not really been pushed. in the few moments when they
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have, they have yielded a little bit. they agreed to a statement calling for her release, as well as all political prisoners. that was the first time they had ever done that. they are inching slowly in the right direction. they have a long way to go. once the u.s. and france are willing to push, it can help. >> in terms of our viewers around the world, what kinds of things are the administration looking at? >> we were told they were examining the policy from top to bottom across the board. there was a hope that it might open up different opportunities. a couple of weeks ago president obama signed into law sanctions on burma that were overwhelmingly passed.
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they will probably look to see where they can tighten them. >> as an activist in washington, are you in contact with people inside of burma? >> we do get information from people inside of burma. the burmese people were skeptical of this trial from the beginning. they knew from the beginning that aung san su ki would be sentenced, that this was a political trial and a farce. they have been living under this system for a long time and know the games of the military regime. >> thank you for joining us. the devastation caused by the typhoon is starting to emerge. several homes in china have collapsed following a massive landslide. the buildings came down in an eastern province, and in taiwan
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the search is also on for hundreds of people trapped by a mudslide. the typhoon struck taiwan in the eastern coast of china. now downgraded, it is headed toward the korean peninsula. >> these were homes destroyed in seconds, when have of a hillside fell on top of them. a late night landslide triggered by relentless rain fall ford mud the and debris on to the families living below. they were buried alive. >> certainly, i her rumbling silence. i thought it was a steamroller driving by. i was curious as to why it was moving so fast. i looked across the street. in one second the entire building came crashing down. >> not all of them survived, but some were saved, but badly
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injured. officials say that several homes have been emptied. their owners are looking for work. rescuers spent hours digging through debris, and no one was left behind. in taiwan, a different story. several hundred are still missing from one village, buried by a river of mud, completely cut off. this man from the village says that he thinks that his father and mother have been washed away in the flood. across the island, much of the farmland is still under water. the taiwanese authorities warned that rescue and relief efforts are continuing, but that the death toll is likely to rise. >> a roundup of some other stories -- a former german
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coffee officer is found guilty of the killing of 10 italians during the second world war. it is likely to be one of the last trials of its kind, involving not seize -- nazis during world war ii. the head of a children's charity has been shot dead along with her husband on monday. their bodies were found in the boot of a car in the suburbs of the chechen capital. pakistani officials said that 10 militants have been killed in a u.s. drone attack. missiles were fired at an insurgent camp near the afghan border. the british committee has warned that legal loopholes are
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allowing some war criminals to avoid crop -- prosecution. they say that international law is being appraised inconsistently and that they are being allowed to use the british courts to state recompense for their injuries. -- seek recompense for their injuries. hillary clinton is in the democratic republic of congo, describing the situation in the east of the country as one of mankind's worst atrocities. one of the areas she is promoting during her trip is women's rights. at a meeting with students she was less than impressed to be asked not for her opinion, but her husband's. >> you want me to tell you what my husband things? my husband is not the secretary of state, i am. asked why opinion? i will tell you my opinion. -- asked my opinion?
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i will tell you my opinion. i will not be channeling my husband. >> we will have more on her trip later in the program. erin is here with a full business report in about 20 minutes, but let's look ahead. new numbers from china? >> remind me not to interview hillary clinton. never do that. [laughter] the recovery in china is still making forward movement, but not as high or as fast as it has been. exports and imports are down. but compared to last month, but down compared to last year -- up compared to last month, but down compared to last year. the chinese continue to pick up momentum, still turning out more goods, but not necessarily this time all being exported.
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so, some good signs there. still on track, possibly, to reach more than eight. >> you have got another story on this tax haven in liechtenstein? >> i have already pulled out my money. they are a tiny principality, there are more companies and their than actual inhabitants. they are under a lot of pressure from the u.s., germany, and uk about the tax havens and revealing the names and how much money the nationals have. they have signed an agreement with the british government and britain now has five years to reveal how much money they go. >> thank you. this is world news today. coming up, aung san su ki is found guilty of violating her house arrest.
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we will speak to an exiled member about the situation in burma of. -- burma. can 500 teenagers from around the world come up with a plan to tackle global warming? that is the topic in this year's third round of climate talks, students from many countries are developing their own ideas from a camp in denmark. >> did you are a fan of green energy, welcome -- >> if you are a fan of green energy, welcome to paradise. you can use the elements to create your own power or give you a helping hand. these teenagers are hoping to come up with their own ideas. >> we would like to make the world more green. >> we love the country.
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we do not have much greenery there. in denmark, i think there is a lot. >> the camp is supported by the united nations. today's official opening ceremony was attended by the crown prince of denmark. >> there is a common goal in all that you have, the future of our planet. you will inherit it. there are different means to get there. that is a positive thing. >> these teenagers have been split into groups to brainstorm these projects with a little help from some artistic experts. >> it is a speed bump, and when you get over it it pushes down a hydraulic piston that turns a turbine that produces energy. it can be used to power street
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lights. it can actually power a light bulb for nine hours is just one card goes over it. flex only the best ideas will make it to copenhagen -- >> only the best ideas will make it to copenhagen. there will be a ceremony to select them. >> this is open " world news today" from "bbc world news." made headlines -- aung san su ki, the pro-democracy leader in burma is given another 18 months house arrest. hundreds of people are unaccounted for in southern taiwan following mudslides after the typhoon. recapping our top story, the conviction of aung san su ki. joining me from bangkok is the exiled opposition activist and spokesperson for the former democracy -- for much of
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democracy in burma. thank you for joining us -- formative democracy in burma. thank you for joining us. what impact will this have on the opposition movement inside of the country? >> it will make her move out of the public before the election, the ultimate goal of the regime. now she is being convicted in she will not be able to take part in the election, not be able to campaign for her political party or for the people that want democracy in the country. >> where does that leave the pro-democracy movement? >> they have been working for a dialogue with the military
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regime. the military regime has always rejected this before. now it is a sign that the military regime has seen it not only the face of the people of burma, but also the people inside of the community, especially the united nations. this is the time of the united nations must work much harder, they must convene on the security council and work on a binding resolution that will make the military regime be accountable for what they have done. >> you talk about the international community, but the real voice that we need to hear, does that not come from much closer to home? india and china? but europe has already condemned the sentencing, but as far as we know we have heard nothing from india or china, or even
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thailand, where you are. >> it is very important that india and china are on board. releasing political prisoners has already been agreed on by china. other countries can play an important role. burma cannot afford to be kicked out because of what they are doing. they must play a strong and important role. with a new charter being established not long ago, they must make the military believe that they cannot be out of this. it is for the people, not for the military. >> we will have to leave it there. thank you very much. in its first leadership contest
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in two decades, the palestinian faction of fatah has carried out a sweeping overhaul of its top officials. 15 new officials were voted on to the 18 member committee. joining me from bethlehem is the bbc's arabic television correspondent. how significant have these elections mean? >> a new generation is in a sensitive committee. this is a very sensitive thing, the conference has continued for more than one week. many disputes over many issues. it is now clear that two-thirds, even more, will be the new generation. the leadership of the movement. people that are over 50 have
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been at the center of the committee, -- people that are over 50 are at the center of the committee, whereas it used to be comprised of people over 75. >> is it true that these people are more homegrown rather than from the exiled community? >> there are both. there are diplomatic people that are very well known, some of which who have worked for the united nations for many years. also, there are the new generation that if i did during the first and second, well known amongst palestinian communities. it is a mixture of people. the head of the movement in lebanon and was elected into committee, but they have to leave the west bank and go back
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to lebanon. the mixture is very significant. >> in practical terms, what effect will this new make up have on the peace process when they start happening? >> they will have to rebuild. they will have to the organization back together. the first project, they will have to deal with the right-wing government and no peace prospects between the palestinians and the israelis. i can say that the new central committee will have many hawks in it and many who are for peace. it is a mixture of opinions.
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the central committee, some of those members are still serving a sentence in jail. all of us know that it is more of a good approach before the process, and many people in the central committee have different opinions on that process. >> thank you very much. francis, sports news for michael shoemaker? >> he has pulled out of his much anticipated come back to formula one because of a neck injury. it was too severe to withstand the stresses and strains of his racing. he had no fractures from earlier in the year -- he had these fractures earlier in the year after a motorcycle accident. a new ferrari test driver will step in to raise the european grand prix.
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surprised, even in herself, a 26-year-old belgian be marion butterly at the cincinnati open. upon her return after 2007, she dominated 12 of the first 15 points. she went on to win in round 2. >> i try not to get over emotional or have too many things influence me out there. i was focused on trying to do what is important in my game. that is what i did. i thought that my opponent was focused throughout the match. it goes up and down. i am very pleased with that. >> more later on, george.
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>> francis, thank you are in much. summaries of our top stories, the burmese pro-democracy leader, aung san su ki, has been sentenced to an 18 month house arrest in rangoon. she was convicted of violating state security laws by allowing a u.s. national into her home after he swam there. the verdict is designed to prevent her from taking part in the elections in 2010. >> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. [funding for this presentation was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation, and the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank.]
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>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. from small businesses to major corporations, what can we do for you? >> hello, public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> intelligent conversation. >> election coverage that you can count on. >> a commitment to journalism. >> deciding who to work for. >> public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. by kcet, los angeles.
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