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tv   BBC World News  PBS  April 2, 2012 5:00am-5:30am EDT

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>> 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?
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>> aung san suu kyi tells supporters that victories could mean a new start for burma. >> we hope that this is the beginning of a new era and there will be emphasis on the role of the people in the everyday politics of our country. >> more than 30 people are killed in siberia after a russian passenger plane crashes. pakistan's frosty relationship with india, as islamabad confirms president zardari will visit later this month. welcome to "bbc world news." i'm geeta guru-murthy. also in this program -- 30 years of mistrust, britain and argentina both mark the anniversary of the outbreak of the pharmaceuticallands war. and reaching for the heights of happiness, the kingdom of bhutan hosts a summit.
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>> aung san suu kyi says she has won a parliamentary seat in historic elections. official results are still to be released, but her supporters are already celebrating. the vote is being seen as a crucial test of the burmese government's commitment to political reform, which could eventually convince western governments to end sanctions against the country. speaking outside the headquarters in rangoon, aung san suu kyi gave this public response to the elections. >> we hope that this will be the beginning of a new era when there will be emphasis on the role of the people in the everyday politics of our country. we also hope that we will be able to go further along the road towards national reconciliation. we would welcome all parties who wish to join us in the
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process of bringing peace and prosperity to our country. not in any spirit of vengeance or anger, but because we do not think there needs to be -- we do not think that such practices should be encouraged in any way. and so it is only with the intention of making sure that things improve. >> the bbc's rachel harvey is in rangoon. she explained more about the significance of these unofficial results. >> the first thing would be to get these results confirmed, and we might have to wait a few days for that. these results are on the basis of what the n.l.d., aung san suu kyi's party itself is saying. they've been getting information from party workers
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around the country who witnessed the count in individual polling stations. they're collating that information, and that's how they're getting to this figure of what they claim is 43 of the 45 available seats going to the n.l.d. that represents a thumping victory for the opposition party and a vipped indication of aung san suu kyi's decision to re-enter the political fray. remember, her party boycotted the national election in 2010, but she's been sufficiently encouraged by government reforms that you were mentioning to get back into the official political process, albeit with some caveats. she was in fairly conciliatory mood this morning. i was down at n.l.d. headquarters, where she gave that statement to her supporters. her supporters are euphoric. she is pretty exhausted, and i think trying, in a way, to calm people down. she knows that the military-backed party may be pretty shaken by this result, and she doesn't want to be seen to be gloating at all or indeed to frighten them any further. she needs to remain calm and gracious in victory. >> and is it clear as to whether the government will definitely honor these results, and if they do, where does this
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then take the country in the coming months? >> well, there are some here who are slightly anxious about the wait that we have now until these results are confirmed, not least because there were allegations after the 2010 national poll that many of the results were also in favor of the military-backed government, so there are concerns. however, the fact that the n.l.d. has already gone public with what it thinks the outcome is, that will make it more difficult for the officials to try to manipulate the votes in any way, and they have said in any case that they have no intention of doing that. the president said in advance of the vote that the results should be respected. we should bear in mind looking forward, as you say, who does this mean? it is only a handful of seats in the parliament. it's a foot hold for the n.l.d. it's a platform for aung san suu kyi within the official political process, but there's a lot of hard work that needs to be done from here on in. the military-backed party still dominates.
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it is only a start. many people that i spoke to, her supporters outside aung san suu kyi's party office, said this is a very welcome step, we are absolutely he is at that time i can, but we know this is the start of a process, we haven't got there yet. >> a russian plane with 43 people on board has crashed in siberia. the regional airline had just taken off from tyumen. these are the latest pictures from the scene of the crash. as you can see, there is snow on the ground there. rescue officials say more than 30 people were killed and a number of survivors have been taken to hospital. the russian regional carrier, utair, says the pilot was trying to make an emergency landing when the plane crashed. an investigation is underway to find out what caused this accident. >> the investigate committee and transport police are still working on the site, but the main task now is identification and contact the victims'
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relatives and make sure we provide psychological support. >> our correspondent, steve rosenberg, says details of the crash are still emerging. >> this was a foreign-made plane, an atr-72, twin-engine turboprop, made by france and italy. it was run by the russian regional carrier utair. it was flying from tyumen with 43 passengers and crew on board. shortly after takeoff, the plane disappeared from radar screens. emergency teams launched a search, discovered that the plane had crashed and burst into flames. according to the latest information that's just come in from the russian emergency ministry, 31 people were killed, 12 people have survived. the survivors have been taken to nearby hospitals. that's all we know so far. >> steve rosenberg. france has advised french nationals to leave mali unless their presence is essential. the french foreign ministry has
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also advise against traveling to the country until further notice. rebel groups have seized control of large parts of the country on the north since a military coup in march. the oil company total is flying a team of experts on to the north sea platform, which was shut down following a gas leak. the company is aiming to seal the well beneath the platform by injecting mud into it. but to do this, it needs staff to return. at least four people have been killed in wide spread flooding. thousands of homes have been evacuated and supplies have been cut in a number of areas. a thank you in the often frosty relationship between india and pakistan, with islamabad confirming that president zardari is to visit india later this month. he'll meet the indian prime minister in private. it will be the first time a pakistani head of state has gone to india since 2005. our correspondent is following all this from delhi. why is this visit coming now?
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>> it was somewhat unexpected. it's a private visit. president zardari will be here to visit a very famous muslim shrine not very far from delhi. but during that visit, he was invited by the indian prime minister to have lunch with him. he will be here later this week on sunday. and we understand he's accepted the invitation, so there are some expectations that the two leaders will have a chance to have a chat, so basically on the state of relations, which, as you mentioned, has been very slow in terms of progressing to any kind of stability since those 2008 attacks in the city of mumbai. >> of course, there is much tension still between the two countries, not least in the arena of afghanistan, which, of course, sees the troops withdraw in the coming months. >> yes, that's right, a lot of issues which sort of have kept
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the two sides apart. afghanistan is a critical one. india, very, very concerned at what's going to happen there in the next few years once the withdrawal is complete. and also, wary of pakistan's influence on the former taliban. the two sides have made some progress in the past few months. i mean, they've tried to make some progress in trade relations. pakistan recently announced that they would grant india most favored nation status, which enabled the two sides to conduct trade. prime minister gilani and singh met on the shrines in seoul just last week, so there have been a few meetings, but nothing substantial. sandppingses aren't -- expectations aren't very high, but at the moment, both sides will take anything. >> thanks very much indeed. juliette is here with all the latest business news. >> that's right, burma,y been looking at the politics, we're looking at the economic strategy.
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one of the first things that's happened is a harmonization by the central bank of the currency exchange rate. you've had an official rate vying for business. but it now appears the central bank has had a reference rate of 818 to the dollar, which pretty much brings the official occurrence sit rate in line with its value on the black market. about 800 gets you $1. they're trying to harmonize the system, and it's hardly surprising, because last year they invited over officials from the international monetary fund. it was probably seen as surprising given the secrecy of the old regime and the suspicion particularly toward westerners. but it was a very strong hint that they wanted to reach out, if you like, to the broader international community and harmonize that occurrence are you rate was one way forward. but there are other things that appear to be in the pipeline. the government is reportedly planning to drop new foreign investment rules, which perhaps make it easier for businesses to go in, because one of the practices which occurred is if you were a foreign company and wanted to set up business in
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burma, you had to partner with a local company. there's also talk about giving new businesses a five-year tax holiday. interestingly enough, one of the big players in burma was singapore. they moved in around 1988, 1989, and just dig around, they are the sixth largest direct source of money, but they've contributed $1.8 billion, according to official statements. interesting times out there. >> very briefly, just some slightly good news from china. >> yeah, this is a p.m.i., purchasing management index, and it seems it rose to 53.1 back in february. this is a march figure. anything above 50 shows that you've actually got an economy that is expanding. yes, there has been a demand for chinese goods from overseas, but the real worry is that could perhaps dry up if this eurozone zone isn't
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properly resolved, but there's a slight contradiction coming through. they said the real figure is about 48.3. the big question is who do you believe? >> thanks very much. nor a war which was fought three decades ago, the falklands conflict continues to have far-reaching repercussions. argentina, which laid claim to the islands, is threatening legal and financial action aimed at getting sovereignty from the u.k. and also stopping any attempts to drill for oil there. meanwhile, david cameron has marked the 30th anniversary of the invasion by reaffirming britain's commitment to the people of the falklands. >> in the breezy southernmost city in the world, the memorials are stark. the war of 30 years ago is hollowed out. it is etched in memory. here, argentina remembers all 649 of its fallen soldiers who died fighting for the island they called the malvenes.
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for the veterans, remembrance is bound. >> to be here in the south is a different sensation. it's like you feel more argentinian, and it remooneds you of something we felt at the time, like the climate and the people who were there. the people here are marvelous, because they understand what i lived through. >> but after argentina invaded the island, the war lasted 74 days. 255 british servicemen lost their lives. these are veterans of the island's dissent forces. 32 of its volunteers turned out on the night of the invasion to answer their call of duty. if the war strengthened, the island's quest for self-determination, so, too, has it been involved in recent rhetoric, with argentina's president and the british prime minister accusing each other of
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colonialism. >> something, with all this escalating rhetoric that we're getting from argentina, one thing that is missing from it of single time is us, the falk land islanders, because argentina do not like to recognize that we exist. >> david cameron has issued an anniversary statement, saying 30 years ago today the people of the falk lapped islands suffered an act of aggression that sought to rob them of their freedom and their way of life. today is a day for commemoration and reflection, a day to remember all those who lost their lives in the conflict. that goes for those on both sides. surely no one who's involved can forget the importance of april 1982. >> simon fought in the falklands with the welsh guard and was badly injured. he came to us a few years earlier, and i began by asking him about his experience.
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>> i was aboard a boat. there was an auxiliary ship in 1982, and jets came over, and we were in a position that was very vulnerable. we were there far too long, whatever the politics of the moment were within the military. we were kept on board for too long, and some people wanted us off. ultimately sky hawks came over, dropped 500-pound bombs. carlos led the attack, and he dropped a bomb, and we lost 48 men and 97 injured, which i was the worst injured to come off the ship, and subsequently, there was injured to come back alive from the whole conflict. >> all these years on, do you have any regrets about that? you have suffered personally so much, and you've seen other people whose families have lost loved ones. >> from my point of view, i didn't want it to happen, i would have preferred it not to happen, but it did. it's what happened. but as far as i'm concerned, it was the right thing to do. you know, we were defending people's rights to
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self-determination, people's freedom. people's freedom of choice is not something we should ever take lightly. at what point do we say it's worthwhile, one, 10, 100, 100,000? you can't put a number on people's rights. >> the president now has been very much still talking about argentina's right to these islands. do you not take it on board that these islands are 8,000 miles from the u.k., what right does this country have to them? >> the simple right of history and occupation. just because it's 450 miles from their shore does not mean it's theirs. it's well outside theirer it for yal waters. they claimed south georgia, and that's like five days' travel from argentinian course. >> well, the history is disputed. but again, the president of argentina says that britain is an old empire still trying to
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stake its claim in one little rocky outpost. doesn't she have a point? >> not at all. if we were colonializing the place, the fact of the matter is we'd have to kick somebody off. there has to be indigenous population on the island. there never was. the french was there before us, and they we want there, and all the history says there was no one there when they got there. when we got there five years later, and we occupied it for five years and then left and came back a year later, there was never any argentinians there. argentina wasn't a nation. >> you're watching "bbc world news." still to come -- india's creeking infrastructure is holding back the country's development. what can be done to get the country moving? >> two injured british sailors are on their way back after being rescue from the their storm-damaged yacht off the california coast. they were among four hurt on board the jet from western australia, which was hit by a
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freak wave during an around-the-world race. the other injured sailors were deemed well enough to stay on board. >> stricken in the unusually choppy waters of the pacific ocean. according to the skipper, the damage was done by a monstrous, foaming swell in a sea alive with rage. the four sailors who were keeping watch on deck were hit by the full force of the freak wave. the bad weather delayed the rescue operation. initially it was possible only to drop medical supplies and oxygen into the yacht. but the u.s. coast guard eventually managed to get close enough to rescue two of the injured sailors using a small boat. the rights' organizers have said the medic is believed to have several broken ribs, while a 29-year-old, who's from london, may have suffered an injury to his pelvis. a third british sailor, who's 47, was also injured, but not as seriously as first thought.
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>> this was 3/4 of its way around the world. the race involving 10 united states with mainly amateur crews started in south hampton after july. most of the other vessels have already arrived at their next stopping point in northern california. >> we'd seen waves that could do what they did to gerald, so we're pretty shocked, and we all know that people on the boat, that was the most difficult thing. but yeah, i mean, not surprised . we saw some huge waves and huge winds. >> the damaged yacht is continuing its journey to the san francisco bay using a secondary steering mechanism. the other crew members are said to be shaken, but unhurt. >> this is "bbc world news." i'm geeta guru-murthy. the headlines -- burma's pro-democracy leader, aung san
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suu kyi, has hailed a new era for the country after her party claims a vast majority of seats in yesterday's elections. and a russian passenger plane with 43 people on board has crashed in siberia. rescue officials say at least 30 people have been killed. >> coming up in sport in half an hour's time -- scotland beat swansea 3-1. >> novak djokovic wins the miami masters, beating britain's andy measure any straight sets. and the formula one break. that's in all sport today coming up with me in half an hour. >> india may have one of the world's fastest growing economies, but experts have long been warning that continued expansion will be hampered by a lack of infrastructure. some analysts say a lack of good roads and outdated railways is holding india back.
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we get a report from mumbai. >> roads, rails, ports, planes, and power, they're all key to keeping india working. very often, though, they don't work themselves. india has one of the largest road networks in the world, stretching to more than 3.3 millian kilometers, but many routs are poorly maintained. traffic jams are common frustrations. india has some of the world's most congested cities, making for time-consuming and testing journeys. truck drivers see the sharp end of this every day. this company relies on delivering goods fast, but delays are costing them money. >> one measure of efficiency, how fast i can get from a to b, because we can only run if the
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trucks run, and the more we run the more we run. so bad roads hold us on the way, a challenge for us on a day-to-day basis. >> the indian government is promising to improve things. last month it pledged to build an extra 8,800 kilometers of roads and says it will spend a trillion u.s. dollars over the next five years. scenes like this are becoming more common across india. here they're building a flyover to reduce connecticut jest on the roads. it's an example of progress being made when it comes to indian infrastructure, but critics say some projects are beset by huge delays, and the progress needs to come. it's not just about keeping things moving, but keeping things switched on. there were problems getting electricity to the millions of people living here. with inadequate supplies and poor transmission lines, it means blackouts are a daily occurrence for many, even in
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bigger cities. the private sector is working with the government on many infrastructure projects. now the world bank has pledged full financial support, too, but none of this has come quick enough, say experts. >> not enough money has been put, more money does need to go, and there have been results . you know, we have 50,000 megawatts of power in the last five years. that's not not a result. we have added a lot of capacity to the ports. we have created the national highways. but it is not up to the level that is required for it to -- for it to add to india's competitive dynamic. >> poor infrastructure is one of the biggest irritations in india. improvements are key to the country's growth, and many say they need to come much faster. >> now, can you bring the pursuit of happiness into
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politics? the united nations is hosting a special summit to focus on the economics of happiness and well-being in the tiny kingdom of bhutan. it will give others the chance to discuss how to create an economic system that takes into account happiness. russell trot explains. >> this is a tiny country in the him lay i can't say between its powerful neighbors, india and inchina. it's fiercely guarded its ancient traditions. but the kingdom is among the poorest and least developed in the world. the population under 800,000 and an average income of around $100 a month, most do not earn enough money to pay taxes. but despite the economic woes, butte an is ranked one of the happiest nations. so, their prime minister has invited diplomats, academics and religious leaders to a conference at the united nations aimed at promoting a
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so-called development policy. based on the idea that gross national happiness is more important than gross national product. many leaders, such as the u.k.'s prime minister, david cameron, have sent their king to find a better measure of how the doing was doing than on purely economic terms. some countries have already joined them in co-spooning with others watching closely. >> before we go, the man who created one of the world's most famous albums has given his artwork of a bit of a makeover to celebrate his 80th birthday. this is peter blake's outdated version of the sergeant pepper photograph. he's done it because he's become sick for only being known for his one original image, when he's made so many other things. he's replaced the original with some people who appear in today's list of celebrities. see if you can't stop any.
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more at the website, 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. and shell. >> this is kim. about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell, we're developing more efficient fuels in countries like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy resources. let's use energy more efficiently. let's go.
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>> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles.
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