>> 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, 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 >> the most sophisticated doping program cycling has ever seen. so says a scathing report into lance lance's winning career. a thousand page report from the u.s. anti-doping agency on how the seven times tour de france winner got away with it. >> it paints an undeniable web of, unfortunately, the deepest and the most sophisticated professionalized drug program we've ever seen a team run.

>> hello, with the world of news and opinion. also in the program, the airport drama that escalates tensions between turkey and syria. and from moscow and damascus flight that had illegal cargo. the young pakistani girl shot by the taliban because she campaigned for education. still critical and now moved to another hospital. it's midday here in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington where the sporting icon lance armstrong's reputation has suffered yet another blow at the american anti-doping agency labeled him a serial cheat. they have accused him of being at the heart of the most sophisticated doping program ever seen in the sport. it says armstrong used illegal blood and drug transfusions and

led his teammates to do the same. >> the american anti-doping agency says it is beyond doubt. lance armstrong won the tour de france seven times by cheating. >> the scientific documents that are there, the financial records, the emails, it paints an undeniable web of unfortunately the deepest and the most sophisticated professionalized drug program that we've ever seen a team run. >> lance armstrong has been accused of doping before. what's new, and perhaps most damning in this report are allegations from other teammates that he bullied them into taking performance enhancing drugs. that he was in charge of the illegal operation. >> you've got a team-run, and really a culture that developed in the sport, that gave athletes no choice. in order to be successful, they had to sink to the depths of dangerous cheating, and do

back-alley blood transfusions. >> armstrong stopped fighting them in august, calling it a witch hunt and saying enough is enough. >> there's no surprise that it was one-sided. their version of what they believe, it is not a reasonned decision. it is the prosecutor himself issuing an opinion that's essentially the apell it will court saying we upheld what we always thought. >> it is now with the international cycling union. they have time to decide whether to ban armstrong from the sport and strip him of his tour de france finals. >> my name is lance armstrong, i am a cancer survivor. i've been asked to come up here and talk about my story of surviveship. i'm a father of five. and yes, imwon the tour de france seven times. >> lance armstrong may well forever be remembered as an

inspiring athlete and man. but it looks increasingly likely that he will be remembered as a cheat. zoe conway, "bbc news," washington. >> let's get some reaction. joining us from our sports desk is our sports correspondent. what's the rest of the cycling world saying about this, andy? >> well, this is a pretty staggering document. it paints a picture of a man that didn't just take performance enhancing drugs himself but bullied his teammates into taking it as well. perhaps the most startling evidence comes from the 11 former teammates who describe watching him take the drugs. how lance armstrong used his hotel room for a blood transfusion. and how he managed to dodge the drug testers for so long to what they called an early warning system. for example, how they learned the drug testers were on their way to the hotel where lance armstrong was staying.

he knew that armstrong had taken testosterone so he warned it, and he pulled out of the race to avoid being tested. what's also clear is the bullying nature of lance armstrong. he coerced his fellow team members to do it. they reported that it was not enough of his teammates give maximum effort on the bike. also adhere to the doping program outlined for them or be replaced. now armstrong, we must say, denies any wrong doing. he says this is a witch hunt, a hatchet job. he says he has never failed a drug test. his thousands of supporters around the world, this will make pretty tough reading. >> tough reading, but an awful lot will say if it was such a concerted effort, if so deepseated, how long it's taken to long? low does a man win seven times before this is made public? >> that's right. i think there will be some pretty tough questions for the cycling authority to answer.

this investigation was conducted not by the cycling authority but by the u.s. anti-doping agency. they have uncovered this evidence. now the cycling authorities who always supported lance armstrong, they have 21 days to decide whether they want to appeal against this finding. if they don't, then they have to start the form business of stripping lance armstrong of those seven tour de france titles. and the downfall of one of the sporting greats will finally be complete. >> all right andy, thanks very much. thank you. we've got some news coming in now. the chinese author has won the nobel prize for literature. his work is described as hallucinating realism. i'm not sure what that is. he wins of course something like eight million krona, about $1.2 million. so the chinese writer is the

winner, the nobel prize for literature. let's look at other story lines. reports from yemen say a senior official employed by the u.s. embassy has been shot dead. officials said gunmen on a moator bike fired on him as he was driving to work. a u.s. diplomat said he was coordinating a u.s. and yemen probe on the attack on the embassy last month after protesters were angry at a filmed that mocked muslim. hugo chavez has named his vice president, a former duss driver and union leader, and pp interest is high as mr. chavez spent a year battling cancer. a form erica made yan naval intelligence officer has pleaded guilty for spying for russia.

he admitted to selling sensitive intelligence for ameer $3,000 a month. he said he spied for idea logical reasons, not for money. syrian's former ministry has accused turkey of hostile action after a syrian passenger plan from moscow to damascus was forced to land in turkey. turkey said it con fist kated illegal cargo. it wants all the items returned intact. russia is also demanding an explanation. >> in the darkness of the airport, the turkish authorities began their examination of the syrian passenger plane. it had been interpreted by turkish fighter jets and forced to land as it crossed turkish air space. there were around 30 passengers onboard the air bus 8320.

turkey's foreign minister had said the aircraft had been carrying illegal cargo. he said materials have been confiscated. we will keep the materials in turkey to be examined. some some evidence is in question because there are some that needed to be declared but weren't. the syrian air jet was on a scheduled flight from moscow to damascus. as it was flying south, turkey demanded that the plane divert. this amounts to increased tension between turkey and syria. there's been a week of superior rat i think shelling on the border with turkish gunners responding to what appear to be stray syrian shells. turkey's government has put its military on a high state of readiness. russia wants an explanation from turkey about last night's event, and syria has described the

incident has an act of piracy. the cargo had been legit moot and accused the turkish authorities of using aggression against the crew before they were able to leave. >> james reynolds is in the turkish city near the syrian border. let's pick up, james, on what peter was talking about right at the end there. obviously the syrians contesting what was in this cargo. to be honest we only have the turkish authority's word for that it's imlegal? >> yeah, george, the interesting thing is is this, none of the public has seen the cargo. turkey hadn't put it on display. we have the word of the turk yirk prime minister that the cargo was objectionable. some have tried to fill in the blanks there. one newspaper says 10 containers

were confiscated. but the director of syrian arab airlines, the airline that had to stop says that all the cargo was legal, and he wants it back. >> and james, now this flight to damascus took off in moscow. clearly the implication that russia in involved. that's going to complicate what's already an awful situation at the u.n. security council isn't it? >> that will make things a lot more difficult. turkey and syria, we pretty much know that relationship. there is no relationship. but now if this country, turkey, has to start having a difficult relationship with russia, i think that will tremendously complicate international diplomacy. earlier today russia's prime minister was adamant that it needed an explanation about what had happened. we're told that there's been no particular communication so far between those capitols. >> when, james, when syria describes this as a hostile act,

it is just diplomat i think language. but what could it mean? >> i think to be absolutely honest i'd have to go back to the original language and look to see exactly which word was used, another translation we've seen was an act of air pirate si. if you just judge the turkey, syria hostility on rhetoric, you should be alarmed. i've just come back from the border where we could overlook syria and we saw the education minister visiting. we saw soldiers building small fortify cations by the border, but we also saw that schools had reopened. one school reopened yesterday. so there are con conflicting signs of normality and tensions along the border. >> all right james, thanks very much. thank you. and still to come on g.m.t., once it was a dream, now it's a

reality. educating the girls in afghanistan, we'll have a special report. the first private abortion clinic in northern ireland is to be opened next week by the family planning group. it will offer a service to women who are up to nine weeks pregnant and who meet the strict legal criteria for ending a pregnancy. abortions in northern ireland are allowed only in exceptional circumstances, such as when the women's life is in immediate danger. opponents of abortion have accused them of trying to bypass the legal system in northern ireland. >> a discrease clinic in the belfast center building, for next week will offer women abortion counseling. and for a few, access to the pills that bring a pregnancy to an end. it's a radical and controversial

step. the law on abortion is very different in northern ireland. it's only allowed in highly restricted circumstances. so only a small number of medical abortions using tablets will be provided here. many other women will still have to travel if they want a termination. because they won't meet the legal requirements in northern ireland. >> i think there will still be a lot of women that have to come to the u.k. because they don't need the legal cry tia of currently in northern ireland. so we'll be treating very small numbers of women. but actually we still want to offer those women choice and access to really good health care and advice. >> abortion provokes a particularly heated debate in northern ireland. it's so heavily restricted that many believe it's entirely illegal. official figures show between 30 and 40 a year are carried out by the m.h.s. the government is facing pressure to publish up to date

guidelines. pro life campaigners say this clinic is a blatant challenge to the values of northern ireland. they're warning they'll press for the letter of the law to be enforced. >> the headlines. lance armstrong's cycling legend, allegedly behind the biggest doping conspiracy in sporting history. damascus demands to know why a syrian plane with russians on board was forced to land in turkey. let's catch up on the business news. at shell, multinational company does a lot of work in nigeria, but now up against a lawsuit, and this lawsuit could set a precedent. >> absolutely. word.

george, this case is a big case and a big test case because the results of the court case could actually have wild spread implications for all the other oil majors. you mention shell, the oil major, is in court in hague facing a lawsuit over three oil spills in nigeria. it's being brought by a group of fishermen and farmers who basically are saying george, we can't afford to feed our families any more. our livelihood has been ruined by oil spills. and shell is saying that's a result of pipelines as a result of -- but they are quick to point out, rather staggering comparison. they say, listen to this, twice as much oil as been spilt in nigeria than what was spilled in the gulf of mexico. that's a lot of oil. they also accuse shell of double standards. at the end of the day, this is a

horrible p.r. situation for shell. listen to this. >> let's not forget shell has actually faced a series of lawsuits in nigeria, particularly and for many decades. we don't often hear because these are minor cases. this is quite significant. shell currently contributes close to 35% of nigeria's oil production with the government. so it is a major reputation risk and this is coming on the back of fines by regulators to the tune of $5 billion against shell for environmental pollution. so it's a perennial theme we're seeing time and time again. >> we were just trying to work out there -- >> yeah, caught us in the act. >> we were talking serious things here. is this a one day thing? >> i believe so. it could drag on, but i will keep you up to date. credit rating agency having a

go. downgraded it. yep, the pressure on madrid is just piling on, is mounting asthma drid continues to resist asking for a full blown bailout. the u.s. rating agency, down graded spain's credit rating by two notches. where does it leave spain? on the cups of junk status. this is the last thing that the prime minister wants or needs because it will make the cost of barring higher for the country. let's remember next year, 2013, spain needs to borrow from the international market $260 billion. that will be awfully difficult to do with a credit rating on the cusp of junk status. the other problem, you've got a rock and you've got a hard place. where's spain? >> in the middle? >> right in the middle. because basically down graded spain's credit rating because it hasn't asked for a bailout. moody, the other big crating agency says if spain asks for a bailout we'll down grade you.

the standard report also highlighted countries. listen to this one. >> about the regional problems with the central government. and that's, i think an indication about the problems up in that northeast region of spain. of course barcelona is the capitol, essentially that region has said we're not getting enough money from the central government. we're going to call early regional elections for late november. if the ruling party there wins those elections, they'll hold a referendum. we're a long way from independence, but still adding to the political uncertainty which is only fueling the economic crisis here. >> george, this could mean a bailout for spain sooner rather than later. >> 14-year-old pakistani girl shot in the head by the taliban on tuesday is now being transferred by helicopter from a hospital to another. authorities say she is still in danger despite some improvement

to her condition. the attack on malala yousafzai caused worldwide outrage. she became well known for campaigning for girls education. two other girls were also shot in the attack. well, for more on this story, i'm joined by our correspondent at the school in pakistan. i wonder if you could briefly tell us the latest you have on her condition? >> well, we've been given very little new from doctors today except they assess that the facilities are not good enough and she had to be immediately transported by helicopter. but, as you said in your introduction, she's certainly still not out of danger. only two days ago that teachers tell us she was sitting on steps just to my right laughing with friends. she left in a normal way and just two or three straights away, the mini bus was stopped by gunmen who asked for her by name and then shot her.

and it has caused a real sense of shock. all the students were given the last couple of days off to mourn, but also because of many of them were traumatized. this feels like a city that's been traumatized as well. a lot of people here remember the time just a few years ago when the taliban were in charge, when girls education was prohibited, or at least they said it shouldn't be allowed. and the dangers that malala yousafzai wrote about, as an 11-year-old. this attack, we've had so many people ask, does this mean the taliban are coming back? we are a long way from that. the army has got very much control, but it has brought the fear back. >> you say traumatized people, obviously, hoping and hoping that this girl comes through this. but, assuming she does, her life is going to continue to be under threat, isn't it? >> yes, that's right. there have been lots of

statements from the pakistani taliban to say that she won't be spared, the implication saying that if she recovers, she will be targeted. her father has been told he's a target as well. i have to say, taking a gun to a child, it really does feel like pakistani's do want some kind of change. also a sense, because the taliban are releasing all of these statements trying to justify that attack that they realize too that this could be something of a turning point. >> all right, thanks very much. thank you. now, as that story of malala yousafzai makes clear, in many societies girls often face real risk and disadvantages, from those forced into marriage, to girls missing out on an education. their vulnerability is global. however, first national -- when

they were not allowed to go to school. but they still face many restrictions. andrew lawson reports now from cauble. >> an old scene in a changing afghanistan. it's the time of the potato harvest. children are working in the fields, as they have done for centuries. families still depend on their labor. but this 10-year-old helps out with the farming, she also goes to school now, making the long walk there every day. >> i am in the second class. we didn't have school before. i'm really happy i'm going to school now. >> today, it's a lesson in dowery, the local language. barely a fifth of afghan women can read or write. but that's still a big

improvement from a decade ago. new schools in remote areas are helping. there's a big turn out for the launch of this government school. more than three million afghan girls are now getting some education. that still leaves two million who have never been to class. but attitudes are changing. >> they are the owner of the nation. they are the owner of the future. and they are the owner of all that is happening. >> it's a new era for these girls at a kabul school, now learning to play cricket. they would have had to stay at home if the taliban was still in power. safe inside the school walls, they're like children anywhere.

curious about me and keen to talk. but outside they still face many restrictions and uncertainty about their future after nato forces pull out. this is just one example of the progress there's been in getting girls into school over the last 10 years. but this is kabul, and the rural and less secure area, there are still millions of girls who are not getting any kind of education, and they're under pressure to get married while they're still of school age. it's still tough being a girl in afghanistan. but they're making a much bigger mark. andrew north, "bbc news," kabul. >> now, he will be remembered as one of the scientists who created dolly the sheep. one of the fathers of dolly has died at the age of 58. he undertook his cloning work in scotland in the 1990's, leading to the birth of dolly in 1996. she was a scientific sensation but only lived until the age of

six. now, our top story this hour has been that sensational report on lance armstrong in cycling. we'll have plenty more of that after a break. so do stay with us here on "bbc world news." >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. funding for this presentation is 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 work hard

to know your business, offering to help provide capital for key trastiege i think decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. industries. what can we do for you?