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>> egypt's new parliament sits for the first time since must be areak's downfall. these are live pictures. syria holds firm, rejecting calls for president assad to resign. two founders of the mobile phone company step down. welcome to "bbc world news." i'm geeta guru-murthy. also in this program -- hosting the africa cup of nations is costing millions, so is it money well spent? and find out why the chinese year of the dragon could see a baby boom. >> almost a year to the day since protests erupted in egypt that led to the ousting of hosni mubarak, parliament is

sitting for the first time since his downfall. islamists dominate the parliament. the freedom and justice party won the largest number of seats. the hard-line party came second. but it remains up to the president to decide which party gets to form a government. i'm joined by our correspondent, jon leyne. how have the first moments of this new parliament session gone? >> very smoothly. obviously a truly historic moment, probably the first properly democratically elected parliament, certainly in decades, probably in egypt's history. and completely different makeup from what we've seen in the past decades when it was dominated by the ruling national democratic party, notoriously corrupt. it's being expressed, and at the moment, we're watching the swearing-in as they go through m.p. by m.p., and they're also going to choose a speaker. so it's mostly a procedural day, but i think they definitely wanted to get this

in before the marking, the beginning of the demonstrations on the january 25, which began and leading to where we are today. >> of course, it's still not clear exactly how the grouping will work out and what sort of accommodation they will make with the military, i suppose. >> well, at the moment, it's looking as if the muslim brotherhood, the largest party, are portraying themselves as practicing ma tests and will be successful in negotiating. they have control over domestic policy, the military, but have more control over foreign policy and those sort of foreign and defense policy, and they actually carve out their own space between each other. so they are working on that behind the scenes. i think the liberals fear a bit of a cozy carve-up between those two forces. but at the moment, there's no great clash in prospect. >> ok, jon leyne in cairo,

thanks very much. syria has rejected an arab league call for their country's president to hand over power. the announcement on syrian television says a plan was a blatant interference in the country's internal affairs. the plan would see president assad transfer power to his deputy. the arab league has called for the formation of a new national unity government in syria, including opposition members. the plan would also include new elections. >> with syria on the brink and their monitoring mission in doubt, these arab league ministers were under pressure. at the table, they decided to extend the observer mission widely seen as ineffective. but not all sides agreed to stick with the plan. >> my country will pull out its observers because the syrian government has failed to comply with the arab proposal that could stop the bloodshed of the

syrian people. >> the monitoring men in orange jackets and white hats have witnessed very little violence, which continued during their time in syria. only these internet videos seem to confirm reports about what happened over the weekend. it appears a funeral was attacked. four people say protesters were killed by the military. this is why, starved the other options, the arab league delivered an ultimatum for president assad in the form of a road map. >> to form government unity within two months where both the authority and the opposition will take part. they implement the arab peace plan. >> this initiative immediately rejected by the syrian government does not even satisfy the demands of the main opposition syrian national council, who called for the league to refer the syrian crisis to the u.n.

one analyst says the deadlock simply plays into the hands of president assad. while the international community plans its next move, president assad continues to receive some support, such as from these fellow members. like him, they blame what they see as terrorists and a foreign conspiracy for the violence. the divisions in syria are all too apparent, yet the arab league and the international community are as polarized as ever about how to turn it back from the brink. >> let's go to neighboring lebanon. jim muir is following events from there. we're waiting for an arab league press conference to begin in cairo on this, but we have seen split over the weekend effectively between the position that saudi arabia is taking and qatar. >> yes, indeed. basically the arab league is quite strongly divided too, and

you can see that from the fact that the saudis have called out, qatar is kind of leading the charge, as it were, against syria, but the syrians are lashing back, saying that these countries who are in the forefront of the effort of the arab league are very far from being done regarding themselves, and yet they're preaching democratic formula to syria. so, the arab league is deeply divided, but so is the international community. just in the last very short while, we've heard that the e.u. has imposed fresh sanctions on syria. that's now 10 or 11 rounds of sanctions, which is starting to bite, while russia has announced it's about to sell military jets to damascus in its show of support for the syrian regime. so there's no clear way forward. this is the problem. the observers are still there on the ground, likely to be there for another month. but how that translates into a viable peace agreement at this stage or a way forward for the international community really is very hard to see. >> how much of a push do you

think will continue for the u.n. to get involved, and is that really viable? >> well, it's not viable at the moment, otherwise i think people would have been quicker to move in that direction. it's what the syrian opposition wants. they've been very critical of the arab league mission from the start. now they're pushing very strongly toward the arab league to say, ok, we failed, it hasn't worked, let's put the whole thing to the u.n. security council. but as i say, it's very hard to sthee as a way forward at the moment, because the skirlte council itself -- the security council itself is divided. the syrian opposition would like to see international support for some kind of protected zone in northern syria or in other areas so that they can protect civilians there and do that basically as a base for liberating the country, as it were, from their point of view. but that can only be done with the u.n. security council resolution covering it, and that's not going to happen because the russians and the chinese are protecting syria at the u.n. security council.

>> ok, jim muir in beirut, thanks very much indeed for the moment. we will, of course, bring you that press conference by the arab league from cairo as soon as it begins. let's catch up now with the business news. blackberry, you still have one? >> i've never had one. there's the problem, one of the problems. of course, many people turning to the smartphones and to the tablet devices. research in motion, which is the company behind r.i.m., as it's known, is behind the blackberry, canadian firm, it's been struggling for a long time. there's not been a month that hasn't gone by over the past 12 months that we've been speaking about this particular company, but its co-c.e.o.'s and co-chairmen have finally, some will say, finally step down from their positions, allowing new blood, fresh blood to take the helm. this is a company in the last 11 months that has lost billions of its market value. its share price has fallen some

75% in the last 11 months. a real shakeup. i'll certainly be talking more about the shakeup in the "world business report." >> and greece? >> what? what about it? what about it? we're in the same old position we were at the end of last week. we had crucial talks between athens and the private debt holders of greece, how they wanted to write 50% off. the sticking point between these negotiations has been the interest rate. the e.u. and i.m.f. wants them to pay about 3%. the private debt holders, it's believed, want more like really 4.5% on the interest rate. those talks, we're hoping some negotiations, some agreement was going to be reached over the weekend. however, there is no agreement on the table right as of today, and that's a bit of a problem, because the eurozone finance ministers are meeting today. of course, top of the agenda will be greece. they need this deal with these private debt holders so that's part of the agreement to get the next trauverage of this

bailout. but again, he'll have more in about 20 minutes' time. >> the africa cup of nations will start today, they're hoping their neighbor and co-host, equatorial guinea, both countries have invested millions of dollars to stage the games. but is it money well spent? we get a report from equatorial new guinea, where a big percentage of the population live in poverty. >> jubilation, fans celebrate an historic victory for their national football team. a win in the africa cup of nations tournament. it's the day after, and the atmosphere is more relaxed, as locals settle down to watch the next round of pictures. this is the only sports bar. the people who come here are proud of what their country has achieved, both on and off the pitch.

>> we can be a better country than what we are, and we can do a lot of things and to continue working, to be one day a developed country. >> the government has used the cup of nations to build new hotels like this, which is full of people for the opening match of the tournament. they've also invested in modern sports complexes, this one includes the state-of-the-art sports center and the swimming pool. for some people, that's not enough. they think the money shub spent on more important projects. many people living here lack even the basics. areas with no running water or reliable electricity are common. with a trish i can't is a member of the main party in equatorial new guinea. convergence for social democracy has only one seat in the country's parliament. he thinks the cup of nations is important.

but there are more urgent priorities. >> we think the money could be better used in education and sanitation and the distribution of clean drinking water. >> there are some obvious advantages from the oil-fueled construction boom, which has been underway over the past decade. the africa cup of nations may be a catalyst for further improvement. not everyone is convinced the money will be spent wisely. >> well, much more to come here on "bbc world news." we're just going to take you to cairo now with the arab league's team are due to hold a press conference. stay with us. we will bring it to you live. the american congresswoman gabrielle giffords, who the shot and nearly killed a year

ago, has announced she'll step down from office. she says she wants to focus on her recovery and that the move is in the best interests of her constituents. from washington, jonathan blake reports. >> one year ago, gabrielle giffords was shot in the head. one year ago, gabrielle giffords was shot in the head, left seriously injured and unable to walk or talk. 12 months on, the extent of her recovery is clear. >> i don't remember much from that horrible day. but i will never forget the trust you placed in me. >> in this video message posted online, she thanks people for their prayers and support, but admits she has a long way to go and that resigning from congress is the best thing to do. >> i will step down this week. >> gabrielle giffords was

meeting voters at a supermarket when she was shot, the bullet passed through her brain. since then, she's undergone intensive speech and physiotherapy. for now, she clearly feels it's best for her and the voters she represents to step down. politicians here on all sides have wished her well. it's clear she plans to return to politics in the future. >> i will return, and we will work together for arizona and this great country. >> jonathan blake, bbc news, washington. >> the author of mega upload, kim schmitz, was arrested last week at the request of the f.b.i. >> this is "bbc world news."

i'm geeta guru-murthy. the headlines -- egypt's new islamist-dominated parliament sits for the first time since mubarak's downfall. now,european union foreign ministers are meeting in brussels for talks on new sanctions against iran. there are concerns in the west that tehran may be seeing a nuclear weapons program, an ago situation it denies. the e.u. is expected to ban imports of iranian crude oil and target other aspects of the iranian economy. the e.u. foreign affairs policy chief has said that additional sanctions would focus on iran's oil exports and the central bank. >> it's designed to try and make sure our request to come to the table and meet, and you will know from everything i've been saying in the last week the importance we attached to them either coming back to talk about the issues we left on the

table in istanbul a year ago or indeed to put forward their own proposal, and many discussions are going on between us and through other countries to have contacts with iran. upe that's the e.u. foreign policy chief. our correspondent is in dubai, which has heavy trading links with iran. >> dubai is a major trading hub with iran. about a third of the people who live in this country were originally from iran, and they maintain links with their homeland. if you have a look here, you'll see a lot of boats. these boats are loaded up with tv's, cars, refrigerators, washing machines, and about twice a week they make a 12-hour journey over there, 150 kilometers through the water towards iran itself. and in that open water, iran

exports its oil, and the export of oil is iran's most valuable asset. the export helps to keep their government in money and in power, and that's why the e.u. has decided to target its exports. iran itself has suggested that sanctions will not work, that the west should start negotiating with iran again. it's also made a threat. it has threatened to close down the strait of hormuz, and the strait is the narrow channel through which about 20% of the world's oil is traded. the united states and other countries say that any attempt to close down the strait would be unacceptable. >> james reynolds there in dubai. what happened to colonel good after'see son? well, libyan authorities have been given until the end of today to answer questions about his health and legal status. the international criminal court wants him to stand trial at the hague, but libya's new leaders have said they want him to face justice in his home country. from tripoli, gabriel gates has

a report. >> his capture was described as the final act in the libyan drama. gaddafi's most prominent son was taken in november, apparently without a fight, as he prepared to cross from libya's southern desert. he spoke little as his captors flew him to their hometown, where he's been kept virtually in a secret location ever since. the court is seeking answer toss a number of key questions. principally, it asked for access in order to check his medical and physical health and ask him if he wishes to nominate legal representatives. most importantly, the i.c.c. wants to know whether the lib ran authorities intend to hand him over to the hague for trial. unofficially, that question has already been answered. libya's new leaders have made it plain that they want him to stand trial at home. but so far, he's not been read any charges, nor has he had access to a lawyer.

and while he remains in the custody of the fighters who captured him, libya will struggle to convince the court and the world that his trial will be a fair one. in theory, it's the people in this country who should be able to answer all of the i.c.c.'s questions. but in reality, libya's justice ministry is about as influential as its dilapidated building suggests. the fact is that, as is so much else in this country, it's the militias, the men with the guns, who now control the fate of muammar gaddafi's son. >> six prominent kenyan politicians are about to find out if they will face charges from the international criminal court of inciting ethnic violence in the wake of the 2007 general election. six men include presidential hopefuls uhuru kenyatta william ruto. they also face charges of crimes against humanity. violence broke out in 2007 after the election results were

announced. at least 1,200 people were killed in the violence after the elections, and more than half a million people were forced to flee from their homes. have you ever found your pet waiting at the door for you when you come home? did you just put it down to coincidence or could it be a spooky sixth sense at work? well, one prominent scientist think pets do have a psychic ability that gives them a telepathic relationship with their owners. >> it is a mystery. dexter the dog was being looked after by relatives while his owner was away. then an odd thing happened. on the morning nicole flew back from holiday, dexter escaped. he found his way home. so how did dexter know nicole was on her way back? he's dexter, psychic.

>> you often hear of moms knowing if their kids are in trouble, and he sometimes knows when his brother's about to ring and stuff like that, so i don't think it's that unusual to think dogs are tuned into their owners. >> this is j.t., and they're just setting off. >> rupert is a cambridge-educated research scientist who believes dogs have a telepathic relationship with their owners. this is an experiment. pam is out shopping. her dog, j.t., is in the living room. at around the moment just after 10 to 3:00 in the afternoon, pam is told to head home. 11 seconds later, j.t. gets up and waits at the door. he stays there until pam returns. coincidence? not for this doctor. >> i think it shows that the dog's responding to her intention. in other words, it's telepathic. >> you think the dog is psychic? >> yes. the word psychic includes

telepathy and precog mission. >> he believes dogs and their owners are connected at a distance by something he calls a morphic field, a kind of invisible elastic band. his ideas are similar to the entanglement theory of quantum physics, what einstein calls spooky action at a distance. so, what do dog owners think? >> she knows i'm coming to the door, but i think that's probably what she hears the car coming up the road or maybe she has a special sense of smell. but i don't think she's psychic. i don't think she's bright enough. >> is there something there at times where they do something and you think, well, how did they know that or how did they know someone was about to come to the door? you're right. but wouldn't scientific analysis, you couldn't prove it, i don't think. she hasn't given me next week's lottery numbers, that's for sure. >> the doctor has more than 5,000 cases of what he calls

unexplained psychic animal behavior, not just in dogs. >> about 50% of dogs show anticipated behavior, about 30% of cats, and there are scattered cases of rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, pair rots, and parakeets. >> the majority of scientists have rejected the theory. they say animal behavior can be explained by habit or perhaps anxiety. but the next time your dog is waiting for you when you get home, could they know you're coming? could it be a connection through a morphic field? >> my director is extremely cynical of this story. why? what's your story? >> well, i had a dog, and we go to a pub, and he tugged me in. he's psychic. >> there's proof, and he had to go. >> yes, exactly. just for the dog.

>> he's making headlines again. >> well, he could be in hot water. this incident yesterday summed up the game. this dramatic game for manchester city, 3-2. there was a late penalty, but spurs, he was still on the pitch, because this is just after the incident. it wasn't really seen by the referee at the time, but it was claimed it was seen on video. people agreeing that it appeared that he aimed a kick at scott parker's head when he was on the floor, a bit of retaliation. they're saying it's clear the f.a. must look spew this. they'll meet later today to discuss it. we can now hear as to why he's so angry. >> i watched the video, and he kicked him in the head purposely. so i don't know why he'd do that, why would you kick someone in the head when they're on the floor? but it's there for everybody to see. i'm sure that people watching it will see it. it's not the first time he's

done it. >> so he's adamant. we'll have to wait and see what the response is going to be. they're anxious to be on top. >> tennis, much more gentile. >> well, yes, although it was pretty tough for players earlier today. it was very hot on monday in melbourne. serena williams, she already had an injury problem just before, and she couldn't cope with the heat, so she went out in straight sets. normally doesn't get that bad. and i think maybe because of her recent injury, she made a lot of unforced errors, 37, which shows perhaps that she was put off by the weather. and makarova was able to beat her in straight sets. the five-time champion is out. >> mike, thanks very much. we're just going to show you the news conference pictures in paris. arab league members preparing in cairo to give a news conference in cairo. a team of monitors due to explain where they are now.

bbc.com/news. >> 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 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?

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