>> 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. >> 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? >> and now, "bbc world news."

>> italy's bid for credibility. parliament prepares to vote on austerity measures. they're calling it a government of national unity, but can greece's coalition really change the fortunes of a country on the brink? the minister in the dark at india's biggest ever corruption scandal as a $40 million bribery case comes to court. welcome to "bbc world news." i'm david eades. also coming up in this program -- easy, tiger. could this be the return of golf's great golfer? woods leads in the australian open. and it was one of the biggest scandals in u.s. history, now there's new evidence of what really went on in watergate. >> hello. thanks for joining us. italian politicians have just

started a debate. it's on an austerity package aimed at rebuilding confidence within the markets and, indeed, around the eurozone. the italian senate, we can actually show you some pictures of them in discussion now, they're due to vote on the measures in the course of the day. the lower house of parliament will do so over the course of the weekend. and once the whole package has been approved, then it's expected that the prime minister, silvio berlusconi, will leave office. our correspondent, alan johnston, is in rome following proceedings. an austerity package can mean a lot of things, alan. what can we expect to see in this package? >> the measures include kind of things you expect, i suppose. cuts in government, adjustments , some effort, employers and

there's some -- it's really something that doesn't stimulate growth. it is part of the economic problem. >> i think we've got some translation, alan, of the goings-on in the senate. we're just going to dip into that for a moment. >> promote the sale of tangible goods, public, tangible goods, that is, so we're talking about three years of divestment. >> well, that's just a flavor, the start of what is going to be a couple of very long days, might be right to the end of the weekend. alan, obviously the key is get on with it, speed. that's the key at the moment, isn't it? how ready do you think italians

are to meet this level of austerity measure? >> talk to italians in the street, and you get a sense they feel they're already suffering a degree of austerity, a sense that they're paying for more, they pay for prescription drugs, for example, in the way that they didn't, real problems for young people finding jobs. one in three italians without work. everybody here feels the economy is not order. so, the big question is, who should feel the pain? the people in the streets say go after the rich, go after the people who are evading taxes. on the other side of the debate, there are those who say that the public sector workers here had it too good for too long, there should be easier business environment where employers could hire and fire people more easily. you get that classic debate. if there's to be austerity,

then who is going to feel the pain most? >> alan, thank you very much indeed. i suspect we'll get lots more from alan over the next two to three days as the debate goes down, the vote to follow. most expect that will be a positive vote to get those measures into place. and it's being viewed from left, right, and center globally. president obama, for example, has been speaking to both the french president and the german chancellor about the problems facing the eurozone. and the u.s. treasury secretary, timothy geithner, he's been addressing asia-pacific finance ministers, and he's been airing his concerns about europe's readiness to get its house in order. >> crucial to all of us that europe move quickly to put in place a strong plan to restore financial stability. we're all directly affected by the crisis in europe, but the economies of the asia-pacific region, the economies you saw gathered here today are in a better position than most countries are to take steps to strengthen growth in the face of the pressures from europe.

now, in this context, the principal focus of our discussions as finance ministers was about how to help strengthen growth around the world, make it more balanced and sustainable in the future. the finance ministers here have voiced their support for last week's pledge by the g-20 leaders to support the global recovery. >> well, that's timothy geithner. they've got concerns about italy and about greece, as have all the other eurozone neighbors at the moment. and greece is hoping it can put some of its turbulence to one side at last. a new government, a government of national unity, is to be sworn in very soon now. and then, of course, the talking starts on how to save that country from bankruptcy. let's go over to our correspondent, mark lowen, in athens. new man at the helm, mark, of whom we don't know that much, do we? >> no, and that's possibly his advantage, because he is a new face around town.

he's not tainted by the extremely low level of confidence that george papandreou inspired at the end of his premiership. so, i think greeks are really withholding judgment for the time being. they see him largely as a safe pair of hands. he has impressive credentials. former vice president of the european central bank. but he will face an enormous task here, because with the ratification of the bailout package will come more austerity measures and more cost-cutting. we all know what that means, more demonstrations, protests, and strikes here on the streets of athens. a winter of discontent awaits lucas papademos. he will face a baptism of fire after taking that oath of office later on this afternoon. >> ultimately, mark, all he can do in the first instance is mark sure that he complies with the bailout conditions from the eurozone countries. >> that's right, and what he has going for him in that respect is he will lead a government of national unity, a coalition government in which the main opposition party and the ruling party support him.

they all said that they will back the bail out package, so he hopes that he can end the sort of political factioning and warring that so paralyzed life under george papandreou and brought people out on the streets en masse. with that broad base of political support, he hopes he can also get greeks united behind him as well to ride out this financial storm and try to bring stability, at least for three or four months, during the interim administration before early elections might be called next year. >> mark, thanks very much indeed. we're turning now to just that into focus. i want to ask about you this, because here is a country which has traditionally has had had high debt. italians don't hold huge amounts of debt themselves. why is it in such a mess? >> the difficulty is really two-fold. certainly the volume of debt that it issued -- you're right, on a year-to-year basis, it's no worse than any other

country. but on the amount it has issued over a period of years is larger than the economy, and so it's about two trillion. it is also a very large economy itself. in fact, it's the eighth largers in the world. the economy isn't growing. that isn't unique. but also, the political paralysis has meant every country in europe is having to put through austerity measures. but if you have political paralysis, you can't do that. and that's where the focus has been very much in italy. >> ok, thank you. >> and the fact, by the way, it's got to refinance 300 billion euros worth of debt next year. that is approximately the size of depreek's entire debt. >> yeah, and these are the things the market gets spooked about. >> yeah, it's just the volume of debt that it has to go to the market and try to refinance t. the cost of doing that is the markets don't have much of an appetite. the cost of doing that gets higher and higher. >> ok, thank you very much. how about this then?

$40 billion. that's the ballpark figure being put on the scale of india's worst-ever corruption scandal. it's come to court today. a former telecom minister is one of 14 individuals along with three companies facing a variety of bribery allegations in the sale of mobile phone licenses back in 2008. indians are calling it the 2g telecom scam. our reporter witnessed the first day of court proceedings. >> it's a very complex, complicated affair, because it deals with government policy and allegations that government policy was sort of formed in a way to benefit certain telecom companies who really didn't have the expertise in the sector and all allegedly for kickbacks. people are certainly interested in the fact that this trial is taking place at all and it's been quite quick to get to this point, because the legal system is notoriously slow. having said that, yes, if the prosecution is able to build a favorable case and prove their

point and we have convictions, and in this case, convictions of fairly high-profile people, then i think certainly it will be considered as a major step in india's legal and political history. >> now sports. russell is here. intriguing story. is tiger woods back to his best? >> not yet probably, but importantly -- >> is that good enough to win anyway? >> might be good enough to win the australian open in sydney. no disrespect to that event or to the field, because it's a good field and it's a press mieges event, but he's certainly showing signs that he is perhaps able to return to his best in the course of 2012. he leads by one shot at the halfway stage of this event in sydney. it's the first time he's been in a position like that, leading at the end of a round in 2011. and he played extremely well, a 67, nine under par. he's one shot ahead of peter o'malley. it's almost two years since he won a title at the australian masters. that was his 95th title much we were just used to him

accumulating those, five or six titles a year and major championships into the bag, but it hasn't been the case after all these personal problems and injuries. but back on top of the leaderboard, and here are his reflections on the round he played today. >> i played well today. you know, i could have been a little bit lower on what would have been my first nine holes. i parred a couple of the par 5's, but still managed to turn and, you know, basically i felt i didn't really miss a shot. even though that i shot, what, five under today, it felt like it could have easily been, you know, eight, nine deep. >> well, that sign of confidence. it used to be the case, if he got in front, frankly, he stayed there, too. so it's a real test of his strength of will, isn't it? >> yes, even though we admired his brilliance and magnificence, there was a time where when tiger woods went to

the want to leaderboard, particularly halfway, everyone thought, well, that's ruined the drama over the weekend, but cleerm the game needs him to be playing well. with all the young players that are emerging, we can throw a resurgent tiger woods, not quite as good as he used to be, into the mix, then golf will be all the richer for it, no question about it. >> look forward to that. russell, thanks a lot. that happens for being with us here on "bbc world news" -- thanks for being with us here on "bbc world news." i'm david eades. a lot more still to come, including -- we'll take you on a little trip. this is in china. an attempt to speak for a blind chinese activist who was taken prisoner in his own home. it doesn't all go smoothly. a member of the washington nationals baseball team in the united states has been kidnapped by gunmen in venezuela. wilson ramos is a catcher for the major league team. he was back home during the american off-season. there have been no reports of a ransom demand. venezuelan government says it's

vigorously pursuing the kidnappers. >> try to climb out of the hole -- >> in baseball-mad venezuela, the sight of a local player making good is a source of pride. that's certainly true for wilson ramos, a rookie catcher with the washington nationals. like many u.s.-based players, he returned home during the off-season and was due to play for his venezuelan team. but then, on wednesday, a group of armed men seized him from outside his parents' home near the city of valencia. every year there are believed to be thousands of abductions in venezuela. most are express kidnappings and often go unreported. but more than 24 hours after ramos was taken, there's still no word from him, nor those who took him. the government of president hugo chavez has promised to do everything in its power to find the player. >> we haven't had any communication with the kidnappers, but what we did

have was a very property find earlier this morning. we found the vehicle we presume the criminals used to commit their crime. >> the u.s. major league and the washington nationals have issued a joint statement expressing their deep concern in saying they're working with the venezuelan authority. the kidnap of ramos is a serious worry for top athletes in venezuela, some of whom have had family members targeted in the past. this high-profile case has returned to the controversial issues of crime and civil security in venezuela, back to the top of the agenda. >> the u.n. envoy has returned to yes, ma'am ton try to pervade the president to stand down under a plan for his government. the plan itself ran into trouble as violence plagued the commercial city. security forces are getting a sense from some of these pictures also of what they think is the aftermath of tanks

having shelled the city as well. latest reports say five people have been killed, dozens wounded. the u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, has urged china, in her words, to embrace a different path. speaking at the apex summit in hawaii, she referred to recent suicide protests by young tibetan people and also reports of human rights abuses. she also says the u.s. intended to increase trade ties in the asia-pacific. tens of thousands of students in colombia have joined demonstrations against government plans for educational reform. these demonstrations have been going on for quite a while. 12 different marches actually converged on the center of the capital, bogota, in the latest display of dissatisfaction. >> thanks for being with us. this is "bbc world news." i'm david eades. and these are the headlines -- a new prime minister is to be sworn in today in greece as the incoming government begins the task of stabilizing the

country's economy. this is the scene live in the italian senate. the senator on her feet there as the parliament begins debating a program addressing austerity measures to try to bring the country's finances back under control. at least 13 people are now known to have died after an earthquake in eastern turkey on wednesday. the quake struck the city of van with a magnitude of 5.7. it was only two weeks prior to that that another earthquake hit the staple region and around 600 people died on that occasion. joining me from istanbul is our correspondent, jonathan head. jonathan, the rescue goes on. the questions must be mounting as to how people could be left in a place which clearly was still so vulnerable. >> yes, the rescue is going on, but i'm afraid there's not much chance to find anybody else who's alive there. they pulled out four more bodies in the last hour, so the number of dead now at 17. there were two journalists who

a local agency knows were working inside there. you've got relatives waiting outside at the awful scene. now, there has been an awful lot of debate in the turkish media today about the way the government has handled this entire disaster in the east of turkey. there were questions initially about their response to the first earthquake, which was much bigger, and it was a slightly chaotic rescue effort and delivery of aid. now the fact they left buildings -- this hotel was one of the best known in the city, and people did ask questions when they went in there, about its safety. there are conflicting reports about whether officials said it was clear or not. the government says there hadn't been time for a proper examination of any building, but the fact is people staying there said they were assured that it had been inspected and it was ok. and i think this put the bigger question mark over this government, because the government has established a reputation as something of a

can-do government, different from its predecessors. it often prides itself on being able to get things done that other governments couldn't. but this was a big test for it, and it hasn't really done very well, and there were quite angry protests by local people yesterday, both about the conditions they're living in, nearly three weeks after the first earthquake, and the fact they felt that not enough focus had been put on the lack of safety of buildings in van. it's the biggest city in the region. a lot of people continue to use those buildings. now the government is going to have to house a city with a population of around half a million. that's going put it to another test. >> jonathan, thank you very much indeed. jonathan head in istanbul. a u.n. envoy has returned to yes, ma'am ton try to presuede the president to stand down after a plan brokered by gulf countries. the plan did break into a bit of trouble really because violence flared in a commercial city where security forces have been firing on protesters.

right, now, let's go on to the situation in syria. the country accused of committing crimes against humanity by torturing and killing its own citizens. human rights watch is calling for syria to be referred to the international criminal court. it also wants sanctions to be imposed against the authorities in damascus. syria says it will start talks with opposition groups within a week. right, we've got a lot of focus obviously on the situation in greece, but also in italy, where parliament arnes are beginning the debate to come to a vote on austerity measures. this is the senate. senate emma bonino, herself a former european commissioner, is on her feet now. we'll just have a listen to what she has to say. >> we are the ones to carry on fighting for greater european integration in order to come

out of this crisis. there has to be a thinking of national sovereignty to have a larger sovereignty, federalist europe, because as it is always said, the europe of countries have destroyed countries without building the european country. finally, italy has become a test for the union, so it's up to us in many ways that we can act if only we can pave the way for a new democratic europe. we cannot waste opportunities that this crisis offers us. we need to use it in order to

start again to provide hope for the future, and this is within our reach, and politics is going through a crisis, but our economy is still vital. it's got assets, and this can help italy to start again. perhaps we have want been able to take up this challenge. >> emma bonino there, just making a point, really, which is widely accepted in many quarters, this is largely political issues for italy. the problems of government have become the problems of the country within the eurozone as a whole, and just pointing out that it is still a lively, vital, as she calls it, economy and that they should be able to find ways of pulling themselves

round. there is hope, as she said, for the future. it is within our reach. that's the scene in the senate there. the plight of a blind chinese activist has captured the imagination of people both inside and outside the country. he used to offer legal advice to people not very happy with the government. he's now a prisoner in his own home. other activists made regular attempts to visit him in eastern china, but most of them are simply not allowed in. our correspondent went to see if he could meet him. >> along this country road lives an activist who's become a focus of discontent. he's not allowed visitors, shady figures supposedly guard him, but we're going to try to see him. >> the men are waiting and know exactly what to do.

when they realize we're journalists, they force open the doors and go through everything. he's told to stay put t. it's a glemps into a world many don't know exist in china. this is robert, quickly and efficiently they're carrying out the work of the state. at no time did people identify themselves, but they were obviously an authority, wondering what would happen next, and suddenly they threw our equipment back at their doors and then told us to leave this place quickly. they didn't want us to see this man, an activist who taught himself the law. he has knowledge to help women who have forced to undergo abortions. the authorities now keep him a prisoner in his own home. this video shows just how closely they keep watch.

>> there's no law that allows the government to place restrictions on him. he should have the full range of freedom, freedom to move around, freedom to speak out, and the freedom to meet friends. >> if china's leaders hoped people would forget about him, they were wrong. dozens of activists, like this man, have traveled to see him. he says he was beaten up, but that won't stop him going again. >> when i heard about this blind lawyer who fight for human rights, no personal gain, i was deeply moved. that's why i wanted to go see him. >> others have shown their support in a different way, posting photographs of themselves on the internet, wearing dark glasses. this has become a symbol of people's unhappiness with the government and its sometimes

heavy-handed way of dealing with that discontent. >> highly symbolic day today. condemnations are being held around the world to mark armistice day. at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918, peace was declared between the allies of world war i and germany. many use that day to remember members of the armed forces who were killed during war. complicates from all over the world and at all times, of course. these are pictures here of troops serving in afghanistan, and marking armistice day with a special parade in the camp. it's a day which is about to be commemorated in britain. we're half an hour away from the 11th hour. we'll have live coverage of events here on "bbc world news," beginning just before the top of that hour, so we're talking about half an hour from now.

>> 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, were developing more efficient fuels in countries like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy resources. lets use energy more efficiently. lets go.

>> 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? >> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles.