FSN Package Feed

A British diplomat who was one of the first people to bring the crisis in Darfur to the world's attention in 2004, says the region is being forgotten as Sudan is rewarded for allowing South Sudan to achieve independence.

Dr Mukesh Kapila, who was the UN's man stationed in Sudan at the beginning of the Darfur conflict, was recently blocked from visiting refugee camps in eastern Chad which is home to 300 thousand Darfuri refugees still in desert camps.

In March 2004, Dr Kapila went to the media and famously called Darfur "the world's greatest humanitarian crisis", however he is warning that little has changed for hundreds of thousands of Darfuris trapped in Chad.

From London, Catherine Drew reports.

IN: As UN resident...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3.15

SCRIPT:
As UN Resident coordinator in Sudan in 2004, Dr Mukesh Kapila was one of the first to call the situation in Darfur genocide and he laid the blame at the door of the Sudanese government for following a policy of ethnic cleansing. His comments brought the plight of Darfur to the world's attention however the was relieved of his post in Sudan within a matter of months. Nine years later, Dr Kapila was recently refused permission to travel to some of the refugee camps in eastern Chad and then expelled from the country.

He believes authorities in Chad were afraid he was hoping to highlight the ongoing situation of the refugees which he says remains dire.

INSERT:

SCRIPT:
Hearing that his camp visit had been cancelled, one woman travelled one thousand kilometers to Khartoum to speak with Dr Kapila. Noreshem Hasaballah Osher is a widow and community leader in one of the camps. Dr Kapila was expelled from Chad before she arrived but they were able to speak on the phone and she gave an interview to Britain's aegis trust, an anti-genocide group that had organized the visit. She described conditions in the refugee camps.

INSERT:
"I'm saying I'm in a prison because if I want to get firewood, I’ll be raped. If I want to get grass to sell it, I’ll be kidnapped. If I want to say something, I’ll be beaten up. So what is a prison, if not this? I want the world to stand up and find a solution to our crisis.

SCRIPT
And that is what Dr Kapila wants as well…

INSERT:

Dr Kapila also fears says Sudan's acceptance of the creation of South Sudan which was greeted with such jubilation by the people of South Sudan in July of last year, has diverted the world's attention from the on-going violence in Darfur.

INSERT:
"While South Sudan was being created, quietly, the genocidal violence in Darfar continued this time with less attention on it. Not only that in South Kordofan, the Nuba Mountains and so on since the partitian there's been renewed violence using all the tactics we saw in Darfur.

SCRIPT:
Now back in London, Dr Kapila is calling on the international community to keep it's promises to the people of Darfur, renew efforts to find a political settlement, and to deliver Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir and other leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes to the court.
Catherine Drew, sign off, London

Posted on January 24, 2012 at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UK's 'most deprived area' just an hour away from the Olympics

SUGGESTED LEAD

Just an hour outside London and the Olympics Park, lies Britain's most deprived area.

Along the South East coast of Essex, Jaywick Sands tops the national league table for multiple deprivation- that includes crime, unemployment, health, income and disability levels.

UK correspondent Nina-Maria Potts traveled to the area, which is crying out for international investment, to see just how far the Olympics will reach.

IN: NAT SOUND "It's a...
OUT: SOC
DUR:2:30

SCRIPT

NAT SOUND

It's a rainy day in this part of Jaywick Sands, Britain's most deprived area.

Life is bleak for many here, where 62 per cent of the working-age population are on government benefits.

For Local Conservative MP Douglas Carswell, too much public money has been the problem.

" We've used a lot of public money in the past to make mistakes, rather than solve the problem, so I hope we have a very different approach, of liberalization that actually allows investment to come in and help solve some of the problems in this area."

An international event like the Olympics might be an obvious turning point for this part of Essex, which lies just 60 miles [that's 100 kms] outside London.

But residents outside the job centre in Clacton-on-Sea, express little faith the Olympics will change their lives.

Though many say the Olympics Torch relay would have been a morale-booster, and they're upset it's not coming through here.

TAKE VOXES

" Anything that comes through this area would be nice, but whether anything in Stratford where the Olympics are, will come this far, I don't know/ It would bring business into the town, so people would know where we are and what we're about/ I don't know why they should snub Clacton, I don't see why they should go to all these other areas, and leave this one out. Why? I mean it doesn't seem fair to me."

SCRIPT

The Olympics has brought some work to this part of Essex.

This furniture recycling and reuse employment centre has been commissioned to dismantle 17,000 beds after the Olympics are over.

Still, young apprentices ( trained here to repair electrical appliances) are finding it harder and harder to find permanent work.

Mark Penn is CEO, of the Tendring Reuse and Employment Enterprise

" We seem to start off some very good programs, they run for a couple of weeks, and because of a lack of funding they then stop/ there's nowhere for them to go, there's no where for them to improve their chances, of getting into employment."

SCRIPT

If the Olympics can benefit the area at all, local politicians hope it will be in the shape of long-term private investment.

Again, DOUGLAS CARSWELL

" The Olympics in China, made me realize what an up and coming country China is, I hope the Olympics in this country will make people around the world realize that Britain is open, and dynamic and up and coming."

That optimism is hard to find in the streets of Clacton-On-Sea- the last station on the train from London.

People here say the Olympics won't impact their lives at all, because they say, they live at the 'end of the line' "

SIGN OFF

Posted on January 24, 2012 at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Republican candidates head to Florida after South Carolina surprise

Following the surprise victory of Newt Gingrich in Saturday's South Carolina primary election, Mitt Romney, the former front-runner in the race for the Republican party's presidential nomination, says he will release his tax returns later this week.

Mr. Romney came under fire in South Carolina for delaying the release of his financial records, and for appearing uncertain about how much income tax he pays.

Meanwhile, Mr. Gingrich says that he now has the momentum necessary to win the nomination and then lead the Republican party to victory against Barack Obama.

Our Washington Correspondent Simon Marks has the latest on a remarkable weekend in American politics.

IN: "Those of us...."
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3:20

Those of us - myself included - who thought it was all over can now think again.
In epic fashion, the voters of South Carolina overturned Mitt Romney's apple cart on Saturday night....at a stroke delivering a huge victory to Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the US House of Representatives...and a huge embarassment to the Washington DC conventional wisdom.
It held that Mr. Romney was now assured of winning the Republican Party's nomination, and that Mr. Gingrich's campaign to offer grassroots Republicans a conservative alternative was going nowhere.
It couldn't have been more wrong...even his ex-wife's claim about Mr. Gingrich's desire for an open marriage didn't lay a glove on him...allowinhg him to take a victory lap on NBC television's "Meet the Press".

IN: "I've done things...
OUT: "...get America back on track"

To get the chance to do that, he's got to repeat the South Carolina surprise all over the country...and his next big chance comes in ten days time in Florida.
Mitt Romney has more money to spend there than Mr. Gingrich..and more organization.
But that's what the pundits used to say about South Carolina...where Mr. Romney acknowledged in an interview on Fox News, that his failure to release his personal tax records was a mistake that cost him dear.

IN: "I will release..."
OUT: "...real issues in the campaign"

Mitt Romney's problem remains that many Conservatives within the Republican party continue to crave an alternative...someone with a deeper commitment to their philosophy...fewer ties to the Mormon church...and someone whose wealth doesn't obscure an ability to identify with the common man.
But Newt Gingrich isn't the only candidate still in the race promising conservatives to be more reliable.
Rick Santorum, the former US Senator from Pennsylvania, who - a recount reported on Friday - won the Iowa caucuses previously awarded to Mr. Romney....is still in the race.
And still splitting the conservative vote with Mr. Gingrich.

IN: "And the real..."
OUT: "...to win"

So, on they go to to the warmth of Florida....with Libertarian congressman Ron Paul still keeping them company on the campaign trail.
If South Carolina has proved anything...it's that this race for the Republican Party nomination isn't going to end any time soon.
And that alone is music to President Obama's ears....as he sits back and watches his opponents tear themselves apart, and waits to find out which candidate he'll be facing in November.

Posted on January 22, 2012 at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Global Risks Report: 2012

The gains of globalisation could be reversed by economic shocks and social turmoil according to a new report.

The World Economic Forum's Global Risks 2012 report also points to a shift of concern away from environmental issues to socioeconomic worries.

The report aims to highlight risks to the global economy ahead of the World Economic Forum meeting at Davos at the end of the month.

Olly Barratt was at its launch in London.

IN: "The greatest...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3.00

****

The greatest risks the world and its economy may face in 2012 and beyond - in one, potentially frightening, list.

Right at the top of that list - social inequality and the potential of it causing widespread unrest in several countries.

JOHN DRZIK, is CEO of the Oliver Wyman Group, and one of the report's authors.

"Well it could range from quite quiet protests and at the other end you could have riots in the streets."

The report highlights the gap in incomes between rich and poor as a cause of resentment worldwide.

And it warns of bulging populations of young people with low prospects and older people dependent on welfare and benefits.

These may largely be the problems of developed countries for now - but emerging markets need to plan in advance, says JOHN DRZIK.

CLIP

The report makes it clear the world remains vulnerable to economic shocks in 2012.

And it also outlines benefits and dangers of connected global communications for the world's population, claiming 2011's UK riots demonstrate connectivity can be used to facilitate criminality.

For example, as the use of mobile phones grows rapidly in Africa, that presents potential problems, says STEVE WILSON, CHIEF RISK OFFICER, at ZURICH, and another report author.

CLIP

Steve Wilson also says cybercrime and the threat of major cyber attacks loom large.

"There's in theory now nothing to stop a terrorist organisation from developing a very sophisticated device that could target for example a nuclear power station, that could cause a major power outage across a large city, which could have absolutely devastating and terrible consequences."

But perhaps as interesting as what features prominently in the report, is what doesn't...

In 2011 this report focused strongly on environmental concerns.

This year the hundreds of experts and industry leaders surveyed dropped environmental issues down the list in favour of things like social inequality and unrest.

Demonstrating how quickly the world is changing and how difficult predicting global risks has become.

***

Posted on January 11, 2012 at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sarkozy uses Berlin visit to push for controversial bank tax

The French President has been in Berlin for his first meeting of the year with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Nicolas Sarkozy used the occasion to launch a renewed push for a controversial financial transaction tax.
He said banks had a moral duty to pay for the damage they caused during the financial crisis.
But the idea risks splitting the European Union at a time when it is battling to overcome the Eurozone debt crisis.
Vanessa Mock reports from Berlin

IN: For Nicolas
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:47

SCRIPT
For Nicolas Sarkozy, the financial transaction tax has become a personal crusade. He used his meeting with Angela Merkel renew his call on banks to pay for their past mistakes

BITE NICOLAS SARKOZY FRENCH PRESIDENT

“We’re where we are because of scandalous irregularities within the financial world and it’s normal that those who contributed to the current crisis in the Eurozone and elsewhere take part in efforts to make things better.”

Sarkozy is hoping the financial tax will be an election winner, as the measure is popular with voters. And he says France and Germany should lead the moral crusade

BITE NICOLAS SARKOZY FRENCH PRESIDENT

“If we don't set an example, then who will? ”

But Britain is firmly pitted against the idea of a tax that it says would harm the city of London and drive banking business out of Europe. Germany is also reticent, and wants a deal with as many countries as possible to come on board

BITE ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR
“It would be much better for all 27 countries to sign up to this, which was the original idea - but if that doesn’t happen, we’ll have to see where we go from here”

Germany has been pushing for stronger fiscal discipline from Eurozone countries like Greece and Italy, as they continue to battle against their mountains of debt. But the prospects are not looking good and the International Monetary Fund says it may be impossible to turn the Greek economy around. But Merkel is unwilling to give up the fight

BITE ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR
“We want Greece to stay in the Eurozone, we’ve always said we’ll help Greece shoulder its debt but Greece also has to meet its promises to the international lenders”

The year ahead could prove just as tough as the last, with fresh fears over Italy and Spain’s finances.... But here in Berlin, the mood is surprisingly optimistic
PLAY UP VOX POPS

Vox 1: I think its stabilising... Eurozone is strong enough.."
Vox 2: "THe German economy ... get over crisis"
Vox 3: "This year .. will get better"

Angela Merkel and Sarkozy have again pledged to do all they can to save the Euro and keep all 17 members inside the club. But here in Berlin there is speculation whether Greece really can stay part of the single currency and whether it wouldn’t be better just to let them go.
SOC
++ENDS++

Posted on January 10, 2012 at 01:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Romney weathers critics in New Hampshire

Suggested intro: In the United States, all eyes are turning to New Hampshire for the next act in the US Presidential election campaign.

Republicans there vote on Tuesday to pick the man they want to face off against Barack Obama in the battle for the White House this November.

The polls suggest that Mitt Romney, the former Governor of neighboring Masachussetts, is likely to romp to victory in New Hampshire.

But as our Washington Correspondent Simon Marks reports, Mr. Romney continues to face accusations that he is insufficiently conservative to be the Republican Party's standard-bearer.

VO The American primary process is a curious political animal.

For months now, the Republican candidates seeking the party's Presidential nomination have beaten one another up rhetorically in a bid to secure the support of the party's grassroots nationwide.

Once the election is over…and a candidate is chosen…it will be time for everyone to rally round him.

But if that candidate is Mitt Romney, he may be dogged by some of the criticisms his rivals are leveling against him in New Hampshire.

GINGRICH

"He is a Massachusetts moderate. I think that Romney will have a very difficult time defending himself in a debate with Obama".

VO If you had a dollar for every time Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has made that assertion in the last week, you could probably buy New Hampshire.

His point: that Mitt Romney is too moderate…insufficiently conservative…too wishy washy to lead the Republicans to victory…even if those New Hampshire liberals choose to vote for him.

GINGRICH

"This is one of his three best states with Utah and Masachussetts….we knew coming in that this would be an uphill fight".

VO It will be for Mr. Gingrich…and also for Rick Santorum, the ultra-conservative former US Senator from Pennsylvania whose come-from-nowhere performance in Iowa last week virtually tied the vote there with Mitt Romney.

But in New Hampshire there are fewer Christian conservatives likely to flock to Mr. Santorum's message….so he's managing expectations and not predicting any kind of New Hampshire surprise.

SANTORUM

"We're making progress…the clear alternative to Mitt Romney"

VO Mitt Romney himself continues to bask in opinion polls that show him enjoying a comfortable double digit lead in Tuesday's election.

While the other candidates are all targeting him for criticism…he's been taking the high road, and keeping his fire firmly focussed on the man who currently goes by the title "Mr President".

ROMNEY

"This President is a crony capitalist….job killer…freedom and opportunity".

VO So, is he about to sew the Republican nomination up…or is there still room for a surprise within a party that still seems to be yearning for a candidate with more pizzazz and more ideological consistency.

Possibly…says Dr John Clark of Western Michigan University….but only if you keep your eyes firmly focussed on the next primary in ten days time in South Carolina.

CLARK

"New Hampshire in many ways is like Iowa in that it has a tradition of retail campaigning…..South Carolina is different. It's got a different political culture, campaigning culture…challenge there for Mitt Romney to do at least moderately well".

VO The polls suggest he might do that.

But first he needs to triumph in New Hampshire and demonstrate that the man so many times referred to as the "front-runner" in the race for the Republican nomination….really is.

Posted on January 09, 2012 at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On ANC's 100th anniversary: a look back at London's role

SUGGESTED LEAD

South Africa is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the ANC which for around three decades- from the early 1960s- was head-quartered in London.

Exiled South African leaders garnered international support for their anti-apartheid campaign from London- a crucial part of the ANC's story.

UK correspondent Nina-Maria Potts reports :

IN: "When a…."
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3:00

SCRIPT

When a statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela was unveiled in London in 2007, he was hailed as 'the greatest and most courageous leader of our generation'.

Though London had become a hotbed of anti-apartheid activism by the 1960s, British attitudes towards black South Africans have not always been so warm.

Many activists, like Thembi Nobadula, who escaped South Africa to follow her husband, experienced racism here.

TAKE BITE:

" Sorry no coloureds, no children, no dogs. We were in the same category....I had four children, I was black, disqualified.

SCRIPT

The British government's support for the apartheid regime sparked major protests in 1963- a turning point for ANC activism in London.

Relatively unknown exiles quickly became leading figures of what was fast becoming an international struggle.

Among them, Oliver Thambo, who led the movement from his house in North London.

Exiles had a tough time though, according to the former head of
Britain's anti- apartheid movement, Lord Bob Hughes:

TAKE BITE

" It must have been difficult because they were under observation, and despite what people say about there having been no contact between British intelligence and South African intelligence, I am quite convinced that contacts were there- and we know that because there were MI5 people who would tip us the wink, and it must have been hell for them."

TAKE SCRIPT

The ANC's offices were bombed in 1982- in what many believe was an assassination attempt on leading dissident Oliver Thambo.

Still, historians say London was a crucial international base for the struggle back home.

The Museum of London's Cathy Moss:

" The anti-apartheid was a global, international campaign- its origin was as an African movement, but this was the first time that London was coming into its own as a global world city."

SCRIPT

Anti-apartheid activists in London remember a time when their houses were bugged and their movements monitored. But they say they shared a single intense passion in seeing the apartheid regime overthrown.

And Nelson Mandela's statue here in London's Parliament Square is a permanent tribute to the part they played.

SIGN OFF

Posted on January 07, 2012 at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iowa: Rick Santorum speaks to FSN's Nathan King

The man hoping to score an upset victory on Tuesday night in the Iowa caucuses is Rick Santorum, an ultra-conservative former Senator from Pennsylvania.

In an exclusive caucus day interview, he told our correspondent Nathan King that he's the candidate wavering Republican voters have been looking for....and he said that his campaign team is already making strides in New Hampshire, which holds its primary election next week.

IN: "This is the first...."

OUT: "...my entire political career"

DUR: 1:36

CLIP: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/0103iowa-santorum-king.mp3

Posted on January 03, 2012 at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iowa Republicans prepare to vote

It's a big day in the United States….the first major event in the US Presidential Election will take place later in Iowa.

The Iowa caucuses will give Republicans in the state a chance to decide which candidate they think should be their party's standard bearer in the battle to win the White House this November.

The latest polls suggest that Mitt Romney, the former governor of Masachussetts is battling it out in Iowa with Congressman Ron Paul, a libertarian from Texas and Rick Santorum, a former Senator from Pennsylvania.

Our Washington Correspondent Simon Marks says each candidate on the ballot is hoping to secure momentum that will help spur them on to ultimate victory.

IN: "It is a right…."

OUT: SOC

DUR: 4:46

VO It is a right of passage in American politics.

Every four years, for a couple of chilly weeks…it is the turn of Iowa to bask in the hot fire of an American Presidential election campaign.

For the past few months, the candidates hoping to occupy America's top office have covered every square inch of the state.

With Barack Obama seeking re-election, this year only the Republican Party needs to pick a candidate.

And later today, Republican supporters in Iowa will offer their verdict on the men and one woman who have criss-crossed the state promising cures for America's ailments.

Romney: "I don't want to become more like Europe, Europe isn't working in Europe. I want American to remain quintessentially American, with people coming here from all over the world seeking our freedoms"."

VO That's Mitt Romney, the millionaire former Governor of Massachusetts.

Polls suggest he's still the man the other candidates need to beat in the battle for the Republican nomination.

Romney: I understand American because I've lived America. I've lived the American dream. And I want to be able to bring the promise of America to all of our people and make sure we send President Obama to his hometown, where he can go back and learn what it's like to work in the private sector".

VO But many Republicans in Iowa…and in the rest of the country … are still not convinced that Mitt Romney is the man they want holding the keys to the Oval Office.

And the last few weeks have seen an astonishing yo-yoing in the polls, as Iowa Republicans have enthused…then given up on….a series of his more conservative challengers.

The only woman in the race….Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann…from Minnesota….

BACHMANN "This isn't just about polling. This is about what we're seeing in reality, and I think Tuesday night people are going to see a miracle".

VO She'll certainly need one to breathe life into her Presidential campaign.

So will Rick Perry, the Governor of Texas, who infamously forgot one of his own policies during a recent televised debate.

PERRY: We had some bumps and grinds, most campaigns have had bumps and grinds, but the issue is the campaign is smooth and Iowa is a great ground game for us and I feel very comfortable that we're going to do good on Tuesday."

VO Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. was just a week ago said to be "surging" in the polls.

Not any longer…and over the weekend he broke down and wept at an appearance in Iowa when talk turned to his late mother.

GINGRICH

VO Surging now…and hoping to pull off a surprise victory in Iowa on Tuesday night: Rick Santorum, the uber-conservative former Senator from Pennsylvania.

SANTORUM: "People have asked me when are you going to get your surge….my surge is going to come on January 3rd".

VO Not if Congressman Ron Paul, a libertarian from Texas, has his way.

Iowa voters are a maverick bunch…and Congressman Paul says he's the maverick for them.

PAUL:

VO So lots of candidates to choose from, and a Republican faithful that just doesn't seemed turned on by any one of them.

Political analyst David Chalian, who heads up the Politics Unit of Yahoo News, argues divisions within the Republican Party make this their Presidential election to lose.

CHALIAN

VO The Iowa Caucuses are a curious event….it's not a day-long process of voting in the traditional sense…..but small gatherings in homes all over the state at exactly the same time on Tuesday night.

Carol Hunter is the political editor of the Des Moines Register.

HUNTER: A caucus, you have to be there at a specific time. 7pm for the Republicans. And it usually takes at least an hour or so. Reps speak to you about their candidate, and there's a discussion among the attendees. Most political experts will say Iowa's job isn't necessarily to pick a winner. Iowa's job is to winnow the field".

VO Which is why some candidates expected to perform poorly in Iowa are already vowing not to give up if they fail to come in the top three.

This is just the start of the Republicans' battle for the nomination….and as soon as Iowa is done….the attention will turn to New Hampshire.

The primary election there is just one week away.

SOC

Posted on January 02, 2012 at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR CLIENTS FROM FSN'S

MANAGEMENT AND STAFF WORLDWIDE.

WELCOME TO 2012…..FSN'S 20th ANNIVERSARY YEAR!

Posted on January 01, 2012 at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Britain unveils plans to reform its banking sector

[EDITORS, THIS PACKAGE CAN RUN ANY TIME OVER THE HOLIDAY PERIOD]

Britain has unveiled reforms of its banking sector designed to avoid a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis.

Under the proposals, banks will be forced to ring-fence their retail banking operations from their riskier investment activities.

The idea is that rescuing failing banks in future - or indeed allowing them to fold - will be less costly to taxpayers.

But critics say it could harm the competitiveness of the UK banking sector.
Olly Barratt reports from London.

IN: The financial...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3.14

The financial services sector is a huge contributor to the UK economy - and to Britain's tax revenues - to a far greater extent than other European countries.

So trying to reform the banking sector while maintaining London's position as a, if not the, leading financial services hub is a tricky balance.
Banks even warned some might relocate away from Britain if the government was too stringent - but in reality the UK will remain a relatively easy place for them to do business according to RICHARD PORTES, Professor of Economics, LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL

"I don't really think that the repeated threats - oh if you don't treat us nice we're out of here - i don't think these are serious."
Because, says Professor Portes, the alternatives remain few and far between.
CLIP

But facing protests and anger since the financial crisis the British government knew voters would not accept nothing being done.

The banks will be forced, by 2019, to separate the deposits and overdrafts of
consumers and small businesses from the activities of their riskier investment
banks.

They'll also have to retain a bigger cushion of assets to ensure they are less
likely to need bailing out come a new financial crisis.

TAKE TRADING FLOOR BROLL

But in the City of London, some worry that a new, safer, more boring banking sector - will be less competitive internationally and find it harder to raise capital.

DAVID BUIK of BGC PARTNERS.

"Your problem is - it's not very attractive to the investor. In fact he's probably gonna find it incredibly unappetising. Because everybody likes a bit of a punt in life. And if you're going to say that banks are going to be 15 per cent less profitable and you're going to ring fence them, and you're going to say that the capital that is required from any investment banking arm is going to be that much more expensive, the returns, accordingly are going to be very disappointing."

The financial crisis of 2008 illustrated that the UK had several banks that were 'too big to fail'.

But even if these reforms are fully enacted, Richard Portes says huge, systematically important, institutions will remain.

"The problem with 'too big to fail' is not just that they're too big, which they are. But that they are, the big banks, are interconnected in a worldwide web of relationships, of contracts, of derivative exposures, and so forth.

That will not be cured by ring-fencing, separating the retail and investment banking sides."

These reforms of the UK's retail and investment banking sectors are being presented as radical.

But they may seem irrelevant by 2019 in a fast-changing financial services world.

And critics point out that with the eurozone crisis and global economic slowdown ongoing - reforms that take years to come through, might come too late to avert onther banking meltdown.

SOC

Posted on December 23, 2011 at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Piers Morgan: No phone-hacking on my watch

CNN anchor Piers Morgan has denied sanctioning phone-hacking when he was editor of the British tabloid the Daily Mirror.

He's been giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into hacking, and the behaviour of the press.

Olly Barratt reports from London.

IN: Piers Morgan...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3.17

Piers Morgan told the inquiry he doesn't believe phones were hacked by the Daily Mirror while he was in charge between 1995 and 2004.

But Mr Morgan mentions the 'trick' of phone-hacking in his own memoirs so was asked how long exactly he'd known about it.

IN: "When were...
OUT: ...can't remember."
DUR: 22 seconds

Mr Morgan, now a CNN presenter, joined the Leveson Inquiry in London via videolink from the United States and he was challenged repeatedly on the issue of phone-hacking.

IN: "Have you...
OUT: ...believe so."
DUR: 23 seconds

But these were at times awkward, even combative exchanges.

And Mr Morgan refused to reveal where he'd first heard voicemails between Sir Paul McCartney and his former wife Heather Mills.

IN: "Well I...
OUT: ...sources."
DUR: 23 seconds

Piers Morgan's evidence comes as the Leveson Inquiry investigates whether phone-hacking was widespread in the British press - going beyond the News of the World which was closed following revelations it had hacked the voicemails of a missing, murdered schoolgirl.

Appearing before Piers Morgan was Steve Turner, general secretary of the British Association of Journalists - he described a culture of bullying at some UK newspapers and an environment in which unethical practices might flourish.

CLIP

The Leveson Inquiry is expected to last many more months - much of it, indeed, has to wait until police investigations into phone-hacking are concluded.

OB, SOC, LOndon

Posted on December 20, 2011 at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

US "Deeply Concerned" about North Koreans' welfare

Suggested intro: In the United States, the Obama administration says it's "deeply concerned" about the welfare of the North Korean people following the unexpected death of Kim Jong Il.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the US is co-ordinating its response with its partners in the Six Party process.

But as our Washington Bureau Chief Simon Marks reports, the Obama administration is being very cautious in its public pronouncements on events in North Korea.

IN: "As Americans…."

OUT: SOC

DUR: 3:33

AIR: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1219koreapkg-sm-air.mp3

ARN: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1219koreapkg-sm-arn.mp3

FRONTIER: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1219koreapkg-sm-frontier.mp3

GENERIC: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1219koreapkg-sm-generic.mp3

ICRT: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1219koreapkg-sm-icrt.mp3

KISS: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1219koreapkg-sm-kiss.mp3

NIGERIA: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1219koreapkg-sm-von.mp3

RNZ: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1219koreapkg-sm-rnz.mp3

VATICAN: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1219koreapkg-sm-vat.mp3

ZIZ: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1219koreapkg-sm-ziz.mp3

VO As Americans digested the extraordinary scenes from Pyongyang….and the extraordinary news that Kim Jong Il is now part of North Korea's past…..all thoughts in Washington were focused firmly on the future.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met the Japanese Foreign Minister for a previously scheduled encounter….but one that suddenly became dominated by the news from North Korea, and the need to gain information about what exactly is taking place behind the scenes.

TAKE CLINTON SOUNDBITE

"We both share a common interest in a peaceful and stable transition in North Korea as well as in ensuring regional peace and stability. We have been in close touch with our partners in the 6 Party talks today We reiterate our hope for improved relations with the people of North Korea, and remain deeply concerned about their well-being".

The Japanese Foreign Minister, Koichiri Gemba, told reporters that he had agreed with Hillary Clinton on the need to share timely information about developments in North Korea.

TAKE GEMBA SOUNDBITE

"We shared the recognition that it is important to make sure that the latest events would not negatively affect the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. For this purpose we affirmed to closely monitor the situation, and to co-ordinate closely with each other by sharing information between Japan and the United States, and among Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea".

And information is what's needed.

The United States and its partners knew precious little about Kim Jong Il.

They know even less about his youngest son, Kim Jong Un.

And they want to know whether the 20-something designated successor really does have his hands on the levers of power in Pyongyang…and even more importantly on the country's nuclear trigger.

John Park is an analyst with Harvard University's Belfer Center of Science and International Affairs).

TAKE PARK SOUNDBITE 2:39 (Super: John Park, Harvard University Belfer Center of Science & International Affairs)

"Right now we're entering a period that can be characterized as the fog of the post Kim Jong Il period. And with this fog, there will be a lot of emphasis on the countries involved, specifically the leaders, to communicate clearly and to communicate often with each other. This is unprecedented in terms of the situation that's unfolding".

VO The next big opportunity to acquire raw information comes on December 28th, when Kim Jong Il's funeral takes place in Pyonyang.

Western intelligence agencies are likely to pour over any footage that is released from the event in a bid to read some of the tealeaves in the North Korean capital.

They'll be especially interested in seeing what role Kim Jong Un plays in the funeral arrangements….and says Mike Chinoy, a former CNN journalist in Asia who is now with the US / China Institute at the University of Southern California, they'll be looking for hints about jockeying behind the scenes.

TAKE CHINOY SOUNDBITE

"The son is very young, he's not even 30, he's untested. We don't know how far his writ extends".

VO Notable in Hillary Clinton's comments here today: an absence of optimism about the future….in contrast with the British government, which called Kim Jong Il's death a possible "turning point".

Also gone from the conversation…any talk of restoring humanitarian aid to North Korea, or advancing the 6 Party Process.

For now at least….the issue for the Obama administration is simply understanding the facts on the ground in North Korea.

SOC

Posted on December 19, 2011 at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iraq war 'ends', Iran conflict looms?

INTRODUCTION:

The United States has declared the Iraq war officially over after nearly nine years, raising questions about whether neighbouring Iran may increase its influence in the country.

The last remaining US forces will leave Iraq in the next few days and well before the December 31st deadline.

Some analysts suggest this will embolden Iran and perhaps increase sectarian tensions in the country.

Our Washington Correspondent Daniel Ryntjes asked Aaron Snipe, the Spokesperson for the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, whether he was concerned about Iranian influence going forward...

IN: Well we see a stable...
OUT: ...for having me.
DUR: 3'27"

http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1218iraq-snipe-iran.mp3

Posted on December 18, 2011 at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NBA season to start

The first few pre-season games for the National Basketball Association have been played, just a few short weeks after a deal was reached between owners and players.

The owners had locked out the players over finances, but now the league is looking forward to a new configuration and emerging stars.

Our correspondent, Priscilla Huff, got the view from the Washington Wizards:

IN: (SFX) "After weeks
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:40

TAKE NATURAL SOUND IN

After weeks of delay, due to the dispute over player payments and
league finances, the National Basketball Association is about to play
its first games.
The fans of the Washington Wizards are excited.

TAKE VOX POPS
"Yes I am, very, very excited about the basketball season."
"It went on too long, they forgot about the fans, the reason why they
exist, but I'm glad to see the season is about to start."
"Yes, yes, I am, I have a free ticket to the first game and I think
we're on the third row, so I'm checking John Wall out Definitely."

TRACK
The delay in the start of the professional basketball season was due to money.
The players wanted a new collective bargaining agreement.
The owners wanted to change how their superstar and workaday players
were compensated.
A deal was reached a month ago, and Washington Wizards Owner Ted
Leonsis wants to share the love

TAKE BITE LEONSIS
"It is a 50/50 deal. we're in a partnership with the players, As I
said to the players of lunch, I only know of two relationships that
I'm in that are 50/50 implications, one of which is with my wife and
teh second is with the basketball team, so I'm gonna love them like
they are family, but I expect them to love back and we all laughed and
we all know we are in it together."

TRACK
With pre-season games getting underway, Wizards Coach Flip Saunders
knows, he's got to demonstrate quickly that he's got a game plan.

TAKE BITE COACH SAUNDERS
(SUPER: Flip Saunders, Coach, Washington Wizards)
"Its how we play, from that standpoint, y'know, we gotta play a lot of
people y'know, we got three rookies who have never played, y'know,
point blank, you gotta get their feet wet if you expect them to play.
Y'know, you've got to try to blend them in with the right players."

TRACK
The season will be compressed into 66 games in just over four months time.
The deal following the lockout is also supposed to even the playing
field between the teams of stars...and the teams which struggle to
even win.
The Washington Wizards are one of the teams looking to rebuild.
They are looking to emerging stars like John Wall.

TAKE BITE JOHN WALL
"We're a team that really can push the ball, we're an athletic team
that can push the ball, we gotta play hard that's one thing for a
young team, y'know, we gotta be very intense on defense."

VO PRACTICE
The Wizards acknowledge they are a young and inexperienced team but
anything would be better than last years 23 win, 59 loss season.
The NBA tips off play on Christmas Day.
The first game for the Washington Wizards is December 26, right here
at home at the Verizon Center, against the New Jersey Nets.
Priscilla Huff, Washington

***ENDS***

Posted on December 18, 2011 at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Russia joins WTO, China celebrates 10 years

Russia has joined the World Trade Organisation at its 8th Ministerial Conference in Geneva.

It's taken 18 years of negotiations for Russia to achieve membership of the global trade body, and it will become official once ratified by the Russian parliament.

It comes as China celebrates the tenth anniversary of its accession.

So, as Olly Barratt reports from Geneva, many are asking what lessons Russia, and the world, can learn from China's 10 years in the WTO.

IN: It's taken...
OUT: SOC
DUR:

It's taken 18 years for Russia to climb to the upper levels of world trade and

succeed in its bid for membership of the WTO.

But despite the long process which has seen Russian accession blocked repeatedly,

as one of the largest economies in the world - it feels it deserves to be here.

Russian Deputy Minister on Economic Development Andrey Slepnev told me it was a big moment.

CLIP

The welcoming of Russia into the WTO fold here in Geneva comes as China marks ten

years of being a paid-up member of the club.

The US and Europe say China still needs to do more to open its economy up.

But the WTO's Keith Rockwell insists the benefits of China's accession a decade ago far outweigh any negatives.

"Are they perfect? No. But we don't have a perfect member...their contribution to

the world economy over the last ten years has been quite outstanding."

But Critics of the WTO like Lori Wallach of Public Citizen say the WTO is in crisis and should be reforming itself rather than admitting Russia as a new member.

CLIP

But Russia's Deputy Minister Slepnev says there is much more his country can contribute to the world economy, and that it can learn from China's decade on board at the WTO.

CLIP

China's economy has changed enormously - and rapidly - in the ten years since it joined the World Trade Organisation.

Russia dreams of the kind of economic growth China has seen in that time and will not suddenly start to see similar expansion just because of its accession to the WTO.

But it does hope to reap benefits quickly - and the rest of the world hopes both the Chinese and Russian economies will continue to open up to international trade.

SOC

Posted on December 16, 2011 at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Christopher Hitchens dies, aged 62

Suggested intro: The journalist and writer Christopher Hitchens has died at the age of 62.

A self-styled "contrarian", he was best known for a series of books questioning public figures including Bill Clinton, Mother Theresa, and the former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Generally considered a liberal, he dismayed many of his readers by supporting President George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.

He devoted the final years of his life to campaigning against organized religion.

Our Washington Correspondent Simon Marks reports.

IN: "In the modern era…."

OUT: SOC

DUR: 7:28

GENERIC: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1129hitchens-sm-generic.mp3

In the modern era, there were few more Bohemian characters than Christopher Hitchens.

I once woke him up at around 11 in the morning for a prearranged interview.

"How are you doing?" I asked after he staggered to his front door.

"It's a little too early to tell", came the bedraggled, hair-of-the-dog reply.

But despite - or perhaps because of - the cigarette-filled ashtrays and the empty bottles of Scotch that littered - yes littered - his home on Capitol Hill….he was, as one of his ardent admirers recently put it, possessed of truly extraordinary talents.

A matchless style…..a vocabulary that would leave his interlocutors scrambling for their Oxford English Dictionaries….. an ability to make historical and literary allusions that rolled off his tongue without notes, while the rest of us needed the Encyclopaedia Britannica and Fowler's English Usage just to keep up.

There were no subjects off limits…no icons above criticism….no policies beyond question…..and absolutely no God-fearing radio preacher likely to be spared.

TAKE HITCHENS/TALK SHOW EXCHANGE

Born in the UK, Hitchens' father was an officer in the Royal Navy, his mother a member of the Womens Royal Naval Service.

He went to boarding school….then Balliol College in Oxford where he was introduced to the works of Arthur Koestler, Dostoyevsky and George Orwell…..three authors that affected him profoundly.

He joined Britain's Labor Party.…but was thrown out over his opposition to the war in Vietnam….which was supported at the time by the country's Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson, but forever opposed by Hitchens.

AXX: HITCH ON VIETNAM

"It is not the case that Vietnam was a quagmire into which an idealistic United STates was drawn by an excess of good intention and shortage of care. That is a disgusting rewriting of a history of guilt and crime, it is a lenient rewriting of the history of an aggression for which the United States has yet to make restitution".

VO Hitchens career in political journalism began at the New Statesman magazine - the weekly journal of Britain's left.

In 1973 - while his career and the world were consumed by Watergate - Hitchens' mother committed suicide in Athens…..found dead alongside her lover, a former clergyman.

Hitchens travelled to Greece to repatriate the body.

Eight years later he moved to Washington…started writing for "The Nation" and "Vanity Fair"…..and quickly established a reputation as a free-spirited, independent thinker….unafraid to pass judgement on American icons like Henry Kissinger….

AXX: HITCH ON KISSINGER

"He's a thug, and a crook, and a liar, and a pseudo-intellectual and a murderer. All those things are factually verifiable…..factually verifiable"

Global icons like Mother Theresa.

AXX: HITCHENS ON MOTHER THERESA

"She was a fanatic and a fundamentalist and a fraud. I think probably the most successful confidence-trickster of the last century".

And a new generation of leaders like Bill Clinton.

AXX: HITCHENS ON BILL CLINTON

"I think he is even by the most relaxed standard, an unduly hollow and empty and cold individual and completely ruthless".

VO His supporters on the left didn't all agree with him about that….and they certainly didn't agree when Hitchens voiced support for George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein.

But Hitchens argued simple morality demanded action against an Iraqi dictator who was brutalizing his own people and threatening the world.

AXX: HITCHENS ON IRAQ

"Well, there were weapons of mass destruction. I'd go further than that. The common view now is that the hunt for Weapons of Mass Destruction pulled up an empty net. It did nothing of the kind. It didn't find stockpiles on a shelf, but it found a very well-organized program for the making of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and for the concealment of that program".

VO His final battle in many ways was not with the cancer that would ultimately kill him….but with organized religion.

His 2007 book "God is Not Great" became for want of a better word a bible for the atheist movement.

And Hitchens became omnipresent on American television…and on the global lecture circuit….his arguments often echoing Orwell's writings that had so profoundly influenced him.

AXX: HITCH ON RELIGION

"It is a horrible idea that there is somebody who owns us, who makes us, who supervises us, waking and sleeping. Who knows our thoughts, who can convict us of thought-crime, thought-crime, just for what we think. /// \\\ Who can create us sick as apparently we are, and then order us on pain of eternal torture to be well again. To demand this, to wish this to be true is to wish to live as an abject slave".

VO He waged his battle with cancer in public….he was diagnosed while on a book tour promoting his memoirs.

He continued to write prolifically, turning out another book of essays from his sickbed.

And in what was to be his final public appearance, at the Texas Freethought Convention, he showed that despite his imminent date with death….he wasn't finished criticizing the power of organized religion.

AXX: HITCHENS LAST SPEECH

"Grand rabbis. Chief Ayatollahs. Infallible Popes. The peddlers of surrogate and mutant quasi-political religion and worship, the Dear Leader, Great Leader, we have no need of any of this. And looking at them and their record and the pathos of their supporters, I realize it is they who are the grand imposters. And my own imposture this evening was mild by comparison. Thank you very much".

VO CONTINUES Christopher Hitchens was a polarizing character.

People either loved him or loathed him….his kept his friends like Martin Amis…Christopher Buckley….Stephen Fry close….his enemies wanted nothing to do with him.

He proudly said that Henry Kissinger refused to give any TV interviews unless the producers agreed not to ask questions about the Hitchens critique.

It was just the kind of public spat he loved….though many wondered why he failed to go after the Bush administration with the vehemence he meted out to the pillars of Richard Nixon's White House.

Hitchens would defend himself against that last charge with the clear-eyed, fast-thinking, verbal touche that was his trademark.

How will the world manage without Christopher Hitchens?

As he would have put it: It's a little too early to tell.

Posted on December 16, 2011 at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WTO conference opens amid eurozone gloom

The 8th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation has opened in

Geneva amid warnings protectionism could rise because of global economic slowdown.

The summit will see Russia formally accede to the WTO, and China is celebrating

its tenth anniversary of joining the organisation.

A deal has been agreed to no progress is expected on the stalled Doha round of

trade talks.

And, as Olly Barratt reports from Geneva, the eurozone crisis and weakening world

economy, provide a difficult back drop.

IN: "Officials..
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:55

Officials have gathered in Geneva to discuss global trade knowing conditions for

it are perhaps tougher than they have been in a generation, and warning the world

must avoid a protectionist response.

Keith Rockwell from the WTO says for one thing - it wouldn't work.

"History tells us very, very clearly that when you resort to protectionism in

times of economic duress, that you only make things worse. Protectionism doesn't

protect anyone, in fact it just makes things worse. And we know this historically,

and politicians know this in their heads, but protectionist pressures build

particularly as unemployment rises."

Delegations here in Geneva know the eyes of the world are on the eurozone crisis

and they are painfully aware they cannot do anything here to solve it.

But many attendees still insist the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the

WTO which now envelopes it do play an important role.

RONALD STEWART-BROWN, Director, Trade Policy Research Centre and an author

for the Institute of Economic Affairs, says without GATT and the WTO we'd be in an even worse place.

"If there is a disorderly break up of the eurozone that will over-ride anything

decided in Geneva this week. But nevertheless there are grounds for hope, there

must be. The WTO system is committed to liberalising world trade, making it freer

and fairer, that's what it's been doing ever since it was launched twenty years

ago now, and that's what the GATT system has been doing before and it's very

fortunate for the world we have it - without it we would have a lot to worry

about."

The WTO has been able to announce a new Government Procurement Agreement -

designed to open up government contracts.

42 countries have signed up - China and others are still in negotiations to join -

and the WTO's Keith Rockwell says it'll be worth 100 billion dollars a year to world trade at a crucial moment.

"Well at a time when people are really groping, governments are groping for some

kind of a stimulus and they're finding that the cupboard is bear when it comes to

fiscal stimulus and interest rates are already very, very low, one very good way

to try and stimulate demand is through trade."

It would be easy to write the WTO off, along with this conference, as irrelevant

with the eurozone crisis and ongoing economic slowdown occupying everyone's

thoughts.

But officials here insist the WTO's role is more important than ever as it works

to guard against protectionism and a breakdown in co-operation on global trade.

Posted on December 15, 2011 at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Obama marks end of war in Iraq

President Barack Obama has marked the end of the US war in Iraq with a speech honoring America's fallen soldiers.

Speaking in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the president welcomed home troops who had served in Iraq, and described the end of the conflict as a 'profound' moment in history.

All US troops are due to withdraw from Iraq by the end of December.

Kate Moody reports from Washington.

IN: "Almost 45...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:18

Almost 45 hundred American troops have lost their lives in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.

Now, President Barack Obama is marking the end of a war that has divided public opinion at home and around the world.

clip

Speaking to soldiers at Fort Bragg, he paid tribute to America's armed forces.

clip

Earlier this week at the White House, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki insisted that his country is ready to take responsibility for its own security and political stability.

Here, the voice of an interpreter.

clip

The leaders said they would forge an equal partnership as sovereign nations.

But there are concerns that Iraq could see a surge in violence, after negotiations to leave a contingent of American troops for training and special operations collapsed.

clip

Stephen Biddle is a defense expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

clip

Obama himself was a fierce critic of military action in Iraq - in 2002 as a state lawmaker he blasted it as a 'dumb war,' and he opposed the troop surge as a Senator in 2007.

As commander-in-chief, he now says history will judge whether the invasion was in fact 'dumb' - but has clearly felt a sense of personal responsibility as he fulfills his campaign promise to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end.

Posted on December 14, 2011 at 07:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Troops return relieved as 8 1/2 year Iraq conflict wraps up

NTRODUCTION:

The final remaining US troops in Iraq are returning to their homeland, bringing to a close eight and a half years of conflict. They are getting out soon before the end of year deadline announced by President Obama in October. Since the conflict began in 2003 almost 4,500 American forces have been killed and 32,000 injured. Our Correspondent Daniel Ryntjes reports from El Paso Texas, on the return of some of the last remaining US forces...

IN: At the height...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2'32"

AIR: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1213troops-dr-air.mp3
ARN: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1213troops-dr-arn.mp3
FRONTIER: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1213troops-dr-frontier.mp3
ICRT: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1213troops-dr-icrt.mp3
KISS: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1213troops-dr-kiss.mp3
NIGERIA: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1213troops-dr-von.mp3
RNZ: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1213troops-dr-rnz.mp3
VATICAN: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1213troops-dr-vat.mp3
ZIZ: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1213troops-dr-ziz.mp3

SCRIPT

At the height of the U.S. military surge 168,00 US troops were based in Iraq. Now the remaining few thousand are coming home before the December the 31st deadline.

Lakesh Rivera is awaiting the return of her husband, who will meet his young son for the first time. He was able to watch the birth, from his base in Iraq, through the online video chatting service Skype.

TAKE LAKESH RIVERA

"I mean we Skype on the computer maybe three or four times in the night, he talks to the baby and I push him close to the computer so he can have a good look and I mean he's excited, he's just more excited, he wants to hold him, so."

Lakesh and other families are lining up to catch their first glimpse of the plane bringing them home to the Fort Bliss base in the Texas border town of El Paso.

About 3,500 Soldiers from this brigade are returning from Iraq after a five month deployment, which was cut short when President Obama announced in October that there would be no further extensions to the agreement laid down by his predecessor, President Bush.

From this base alone 57 have died while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their most recent mission has included helping to advise, train and assist Iraqi security forces and to transfer US bases located in places like Mosul, Al Asad and Nasiriyah to Iraqi control.

REPORTER ON LOCATION:

"So the soldiers have come have come off the aircraft, they briefly saw their loved ones from afar. But they were marched here to hand in the weapons. But they are all on tenterhooks because they want to be able to go into another room over there, to attend a formal ceremony and what they've all been waiting for, to finally greet their loved ones."

Staff Sergeant Ronald Harvey fought in Iraq from the very beginning an has been deployed five times, in the toughest possible fighting conditions.

TAKE STAFF SERGEANT RONALD HARVEY

"It brings closure not just to the Iraqi people, but it brings closure to a lot of soldiers, especially myself, who was there during '03 and came all the way out to close out the war. It's definitely a great feeling and it's a g good feeling, but especially to all our veterans that can't be with us today, God bless them all."

His wife Tatiana is equally relieved.

TATIANA HARVEY

"I'm absolutely happy because, like he said, this is our fifth tour and it's been hard but I'm so happy that he doesn't have to go back."

All of these soldiers must now stay at the base for at least ninety days for "re-integration training" to help them make necessary psychological adjustments towards life back in the United States.

ENDS

Posted on December 13, 2011 at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cameron defends EU 'veto'

British Prime Minister David Cameron has been defending his decision to veto EU treaty change in Brussels last week - in front of a rowdy House of Commons.

Mr Cameron insisted he negotiated in 'good faith' but that fellow EU leaders were not willing to grant him 'reasonable' safeguards for Britain.

But opponents claim he has left Britain 'isolated' at the EU.

Olly Barratt reports from London.

IN: "David Cameron
OUT: SOC
DUR: 1.50 seconds

David Cameron was forthright in defence of his decision not to sign up to an agreement reached in Brussels designed to safeguard the future of the euro.

CLIP

And he insisted he was 'reasonable' in his negotiations in Brussels.

CLIP

Mr cameron has been welcomed back from brussels by backbenchers in his own party as a hero - they want him to go much further now and begin repatriating powers from the European Union.

Some hope this is the start of the process which sees Britain leave the EU.

But opposition leader Ed Miliband told the House of Commons the Prime Minister had failed.

CLIP

During rowdy exchanges, Speaker of the House John Bercow had to intervene repeatedly.

But most notable perhaps was an absence from the chamber.

Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister, normally at David Cameron's side for statements like this.

Mr Clegg has made it clear he, and his Liberal Democrats, disagree with his boss's position and were shocked by last week's outcome in Brussels.

Now everyone will be watching for further signs of strain in the relationship of the two men - and their coalition govergment.

Posted on December 12, 2011 at 06:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Swiss glockenspiel returns to London's Leicester Square

SUGGESTED LEAD

A 10 metre high Swiss glockenspiel has returned to London's Leicester Square, after being removed three years ago.

The landmark has been refurbished in Britain in collaboration with Swiss artists.

And the musical clock - featuring 27 bells and moving Swiss farmers - has been officially inaugurated at a ceremony in London, attended by our reporter Olly Barratt.

IN: FX FADE IN
OUT: SOC / FX
DUR: 2.30

TAKE FX

"5.4.3.2.1. GO.

DING DONG CLING CLANG"

The sound of the Swiss glockenspiel returns to Leicester Square in the heart of

London for the first time in three years.

It's been rebuilt and spruced up, and in front of hundreds of people the Lord

Mayor of Westminster Susie Burbidge welcomed it back.

CLIP

The Swiss clock - as many locals know it - was removed in 2008 when the Swiss

Centre was demolished and replaced by a hotel in a new development.

But among those who fought to make sure the glockenspiel came back was Albert Kunz

whose idea the original glockenspiel was.

It was presented as a gift to the City of Westminster in 1985 by Switzerland and

Liechtenstein as a token of centuries of friendship.

CLIP

And Swiss ambassador to the UK Anton Thalmann says it's not just a sight for

tourists in London - it's an important landmark.

CLIP

And as if to prove how capable the newly refurbished clock is...

It played to the assembled dignitaries along with a band - including an alphornist

- to the delight, and surprise, of the many tourists who happened upon the

inauguration ceremony.

TAKE FX

SOC

Posted on December 04, 2011 at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

World Aids Day

***

SLUG: World Aids Day

***

Today is World AIDS Day.

The theme for this years events is "getting to zero."

But, with 34 million people around the world infected with HIV, the goal of ending the epidemic seems very far off.

However, even at this time of economic downturn, campaigners are confident, there is hope.

Priscilla Huff reports:

IN: "To get to
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3:30

****

TRACK
To get to zero on the AIDS epidemic, by 2015, the United Nations wants to ensure 15 million people are on anti-retroviral drugs, to cut the sexual transmission of HIV in half, and to close the funding gap.
Chris Collins is the vice president for public policy at the American foundation for AIDS research.

TAKE BITE
"I think it is possible to move in an accelerated fashion toward zero. Its gonna take a while before we really eliminate the epidemic and ultimately to end the epidemic, we're going to find a vaccine and we're going to need a cure, so increased research in those areas are absolutely critical."

Scientists have been heartened by the experience of one man.
Infected with HIV and suffering from leukemia, he endured two bone marrow transplants and has lived seemingly AIDS free for four years.
This so-called sterilization treatment is expensive...as is much AIDS care ... at a time when money is short.
Ahmed Magan is the UNICEF representative in Lesotho

TAKE SOUNDBITE MAGAN
“The global economic crisis has resulted in SACU revenue going down which is really the main revenue that the country is receiving for its budget. Now that has gone down by 50 per cent and that will have a major impact on the social services that we will be able to provide for children and women.”

TRACK
The bad news is that the Global Fund for AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis has cut off grants the next two years.
The good news is that while anti-retroviral treatment costs on average in the United States $15-thousand annually, the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief has worked to get treatment costs down to just $335 annually for low-income countries.
Michael Sidibe is the executive director for UN-AIDS

TAKE SOUNDBITE SIDIBE
"Even in this period of very difficult financial crisis, we are producing results, results for people. We are seeing more countries stabilising their epidemic and even reducing the number of new infections."

TRACK
The United Nations AIDS agency reports, the infection rate has dropped 15 percent over the past decade.
The report also says that testing and treatment still does not reach high-risk populations, such as sex workers.
Again, Chris Collins of AMFAR

TAKE BITE CHRIS
"So, what we're going to need to do, as Secretary Clinton said earlier this month,is get better at investing in programmes that we know can work. We need to go to scale on things like male circumcision, prevention of vertical transmission, from mother to child and using treatment both to bring down mortality, but also the prevention impact that treatment has."

TRACK
Knowledge and prevention is key.
Here in the United States, 1-point-two million people are thought to be infected with HIV, but the Centers for Disease Control estimates, about one-in -five, or 240-thousand do not know they are infected.
Going forward
In July of next year, a bit of history will be made.
For the first time in 22 years, 25,000 scientists, campaigners and people living with HIV will convene here in Washington for the nineteenth International AIDS Conference.
That's thanks in part to a change in American law.
Organizers are hoping the meetings live up to their theme - that it will be the moment when the tide is turned against the epidemic which has devastated so many lives.
Priscilla Huff, Washington.

Posted on December 01, 2011 at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hundreds of thousands strike in UK

Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers have taken strike action in the UK over planned changes to pensions.

Unions say it was the biggest walkout in a generation - it closed schools, disrupted public services and saw hospital operations cancelled.

Public sector workers say they are being asked to work longer before retiring, AND contribute more to their pensions only to receive less.

But the government says it will not back down from its plans as it attempts to cut Britain's budget deficit.

Olly Barratt reports from London.

IN: FX FADE IN
OUT: SOC / FX
DUR: 2.30

***

TAKE PROTEST FX

Tens of thousands of protesters descended on London to make their feelings clear to the government as it attempts to make changes to public sector pensions - as part of its austerity drive.

TAKE PROTESTER VOX

Public services up and down the country felt the effects as hundreds of thousands of workers walked off the job.

And the private sector felt it too - with thousands of schools closed many parents could not head into work.

But Prime Minister David Cameron insists the country simply can't afford to leave public sector pensions unchanged.

CLIP

But Current opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband pointed the blame for the strikes at the government's economic policy of public sector cuts.

CLIP

TAKE PROTEST FX

There were outbreaks of trouble but largely the protests were peaceful - public sector workers insist though that they are being punished for mistakes made by governments and bankers.

The coalition government is sticking to its guns though - and unions show no signs of backing down.

Both sides are therefore preparing themselves for the prospect of further, perhaps longer, strikes in the not too distant future.

OB, SOC

FX FADE

Posted on November 30, 2011 at 05:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Judge throws book at Michael Jackson doctor

Suggested intro: Michael Jackson's doctor has been sentenced to the maximum sentence possible - four years in jail - for his role in the pop icon's death.

Dr. Conrad Murrary was convicted earlier this month of involuntary manslaughter.

Owing to prison over-crowding in California, he may end serving much of his sentence at home.

Calling Dr. Murray a "danger to the community", Judge Michael Pastor passed sentence in Los Angeles.

Our Washington Correspondent Simon Marks reports.

IN: "If Dr. Conrad Murray…."

OUT: SOC

DUR: 3:34

If Dr. Conrad Murray walked into the court-house in Los Angeles expecting any kind of mercy from Judge Michael Pastor, he was to be sorely disappointed.

Just a month after being convicted of the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson, the pop icon's physician had to endure a scathing critique of his behavior by the judge.

His actions in prescribing the anesthetic propyfol to Jackson were described as "unconscionable"….he had engaged in a "cycle of horrible medicine"….demonstrated a "pattern of deceit and lies" and - in short - was the only one to blame for the superstar's death.

JUDGE 3

The judge preserved his most withering remarks for Dr. Murray's decision to secretly tape record his conversations with Michael Jackson.

They were played during his trial, and showed that at time the singer was barely functioning mentally before his death.

The judge suggested that the recordings were made deliberately , and that at a later date Dr. Murray might have used them to bribe his patient.

SOT - JUDGE2

Dr. Murray listened to it all, his hands clasped against his chin….his lips tightly …his features drawn as the judge - describing him as a "danger to the community" imposed the maximum sentence permitted by the law.

SOT - JUDGE1

That satisfied the Jackson family.

Before the sentencing, their attorney Brian Panish said they wanted the doctor to face a sentence that sent a message to other physicians.

SOT - PANISH1

But while the sentence was harsh…and the judge made it clear that he doesn't believe Dr. Murray should be allowed to practice medicine again….it was delivered against the background of California's very unique circumstances.

Prisons in the state are so overcrowded and budgets so strained….that at a minimum, legal analysts say Dr, Murray would spend 2 years incarcerated…..and they believe that he may end up serving most of his sentence in the comfort of his own home, monitored by an electronic tagging bracelet.

The hardest part of Dr. Murray's experience may prove to have been the judge's harangue delivered in court on Tuesday morning.

SOC

Posted on November 29, 2011 at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UK growth forecast downgraded ahead of major strike

British Chancellor George Osborne has announced further public sector pay restraint in an Autumn Statement on the economy.

Public sector pay rises will be capped at 1 per cent after the current pay freeze - a move set to anger unions ahead of a major strike over pension reform (on Wednesday).

George Osborne has also confirmed UK economic growth forecasts have been cut.

But he insisted extra spending on infrastructure spending would boost the economy - and that the UK remains a safe haven amid a eurozone debt crisis.

Olly Barratt reports from London.

IN: "On Wednesday...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3.23

On Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of public sector workers are going on strike in the UK, angry at planned changes to their pensions.

Their feelings towards the government are unlikely to have been improved by the Chancellor's announcement that once a public sector pay freeze has ended - a pay cap will be introduced.

CLIP

George Osborne insists he must remain strict with spending, even as the economy slows, so Britain doesn't find itself on the list of European countries needing help because of debt crises.

CLIP

He admitted the UK's growth forecast for the coming years has been cut and that borrowing will have to be higher than he wanted.

But Mr Osborne told the House of Commons infrastructure spending would be boosted - partly via investment from some of the countries Britain wants to emulate.

IN: "See what...
OUT: ...them too."
DUR: 29 seconds

But with growth being downgraded and borrowing still high, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls told the Commons his opponent's policies have been a 'colossal failure'.

IN: "Growth...
OUT: ...tatters."
DUR: 29 seconds

But Britain's borrowing costs remain low compared to many struggling European economies - which the Chancellor says is proof a strict austerity plan must be stuck to.

And in the city of London the markets seem to be on George Osborne's side - chief market strategist at IG Index is David Jones.

CLIP

That though sets the scene for more industrial action from disgruntled workers who feel they are paying for the mistakes made by government and on financial markets.

Wednesday's strike will see disruption to airports, schools, hospitals and elsewhere.

And it may be just the start.

SOC

Posted on November 29, 2011 at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Americans go hungry at Thanksgiving

Millions of Americans are sitting down to their Thanksgiving feast.

But the sheer volume of food on their tables highlights an ironic
problem - millions do not get enough to eat.

Priscilla Huff has more.

IN: "The centerpiece
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3:18

****TRACKThe centerpiece of the American Thanksgiving dinner is roast turkey.
Rock Harper, the chef at DC Central Kitchen, is cooking dozens of
turkeys are for those who might otherwise go without.
TAKE BITE ROCK - about 330 in"We cook a lot of turkey, as you can
imagine, so we're cooking turkeys all week long, and we're fabricating
them down, we're doing like a roast pulled turkey, with gravy of
course."
TRACKChef Rock is working with dozens of volunteers to cook 6,000
meals for Thanksgiving, chopping, and prepping and stirring.Brian
MacNair, the chief development officer for DC Central Kitchen says,
many want to volunteer at the holidays, but the need is year-round.
TAKE BITE BRIAN MacNair at 3:35"Everyone wants to volunteer on
Thanksgiving, but we literally do this 365 days a year."
TRACKDC Central Kitchen provides meals for the hungry in the American
capital.However, across the U.S, nearly 49 million Americans are
described as food insecure - or not certain they've got the resources
to have enough to eat.The Reverend David Beckmann heads the hunger
advocacy group, Bread for the World
TAKE BITE BECKMAN - at about 1310 in"its a great paradox that a
country as wealthy as the United States has wide spread hunger. One in
five U.S. children lives in a household that sometimes runs out of
food. They're not hungry like people in Ethiopia, but they're hungry.
TRACKMany Americans do associate hunger with the images of famiine -
especially the recent crisis in the Horn of Africa.Hunger in America
is made worse by some government policies.Farmers of some foods - such
as soybeans and corn - receive billions in subsidies, but growers of
fruits and vegetables do not - making high calorie food cheap, but
good nutrition expensive.Bread for the World's David Beckmann is
pressing the U.S. Congress to change these policies.
TAKE BITE BECKMAN - at about 1210 in"AT thanksgiving, we think about
hunger, and I give thanks that the world has in fact made siginificant
progress against hunger poverty and disease. The global economy has
been tough on a lot of poor people the last few years, but if you look
over the past three decades, we've made more progress against poverty
than in any time in human history."
TRACKBut, its not just about changing government policies.At DC
Central Kitchen, Brian MacNair says, its also about learning skills so
people can hold decent-paying jobs.
TAKE BITE BRIAN MacNair at 28 secs"Now, with that meal, goes the
message, if you come back here and there's a 12-week program that
trains the men and women living in the shelters, transitional homes
and half-way houses dealing with addiction or out of prison, or trying
to find a job, we train them in the food service industry and they all
leave here in 12 weeks with a food handler's liscence and a job."
TRACKBut first, thousands of meals must be prepared - turkey,
stuffing, gravy, candied sweet potatoes and more - something that Chef
Rock Harper takes great pride in.
TAKE BITE ROCK - about 228 in(SUPER: Rock Harper, DC Central Kitchen
Chef)"We're changing the world and we're helping people that need some
help, and that's what America is about."
TRACKEven with nearly one in six Americans worried about where the
next meal is coming from, campaigners feel, hunger in America could be
eliminated within five years, if certain policies were
changed.Priscilla Huff, Washington

Posted on November 24, 2011 at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

US retailers hopeful about 'Black Friday'

Retailers across the United States are preparing for 'Black Friday' - the day after the Thanksgiving holiday that marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season.

Many retailers offer specials and discounts, opening as early as 4am, and customers often line up and camp out in order to take advantage of the deals.

Towards the end of a rocky economic year, businesses hope it will boost sales.

Kate Moody reports from Washington.

IN: "Black Friday...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:37

Black Friday has become an American tradition - on the day after Thanksgiving and to kick off the busy holiday shopping season, stores offer major discounts and extended hours to entice customers to begin shopping.

In recent years, boisterous crowds have lined up overnight to get the best deals - in 2008, a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death as shoppers rushed into the store.

And some chains try to cash in even earlier, opening their doors before Black Friday even dawns...

UPSOUND - OPEN 9PM ON THANKSGIVING

Many major retailers rely on the holiday shopping season to make up for lost profits throughout the year, according to Ron Goodstein, a marketing professor at Georgetown University.

"Your holiday period, between Halloween, the end of October through Christmas is - either you're going to make money or you don't. And if you miss that period, you're not going to be around long."

That's not always the case for small businesses.

"I have never seen that Christmas rush to your neighborhood store."

Lynn Skynear is the owner of the Skynear Designs, a furniture and accessories store in the heart of Washington DC.

"When I was in a mall we knew - ok, November, December, we're gonna make up everything that went wrong from January to September. And now - it's never like that, at least for us."

Skynear is among the companies taking part in Small Business Saturday - an event organized to raise awareness of local stores and help them compete on Black Friday weekend.

"We're not trying to be a discount store, because you can't really compete in the global world on that. But on that Saturday there will be 'Skynear Dollars' we'll be giving away when you buy something, there will be an opportunity - like if you buy five chairs you get the sixth one free, you know you may get one of our designers to come in for free design service, so we will offer those kinds of things."

And analysts caution that with consumer confidence at record lows, the culture of 'buying' in America may be shifting.

Again, Professor Goodstein.

"The days where we see the malls just overflowing with people on a regular day - I think they're gone for a long time. Because our economy has been bad for so long that we've just gotten used to going around with less.//\\ But in general, people just don't believe our economy has turned around. And I think until we have a successive six-months, seven-months of boost in consumer confidence, they're not going out to spend all their money - despite the sales that retailers might have."

Still, most stores across America are gearing up for Black Friday - and what they hope will be a busy holiday shopping season to follow.

SOC

Posted on November 24, 2011 at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Republican Candidates debate US national security

***
SLUG: Republican Candidates debate US national security
***

Eight of the Republican candidates who want to run for the White House addressed the questions they might if they were the US Commander-in-Chief.

It was the 11th debate of the Republican nomination process, and afterwards, observers were more surprised about what was NOT addressed - Asia.

Priscilla Huff reports from Washington:

IN: "For the Republican
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3:05

****

***

TRACK
For the Republican candidates, it was an opportunity to differentiate themselves from the pack.
There are just weeks to go before the first votes that count...will be cast.
Mitt Romney remains the man to beat.

TAKE BITE ROMNEY on PAKISTAN

TRACK
The spotlight was on Newt Gingrich.
He's the latest to rise in the polls, following major gaffes by Texas Governor Rick Perry and businessman Herman Cain.

TAKE BITE GINGRICH on IMMIGRATION

TRACK
The debate itself was official about national security and foreign policy.
But the candidates found, they could not ignore the state of the U.S. and the global economy.
Jon Huntsman, the former U.S. Ambassador to China summed it up.

TAKE BITE
Take Economy bite

And for some of the candidates, the problem was a clear inability to master the issues.
The former senator from Pennsylvania, first took credit for writing the legislation which has helped treat so many AIDS patients in Africa....and then Rick Santorum said this....

TAKE BITE calling Africa a country

TRACK
But speaking to the sponsors of the debate - which included two politically conservative think tanks - debate watchers were surprised by what was NOT addressed.
Derek Scissors follows China for the Heritage Foundation.

TAKE BITE
(SUPER: Derek Scissors, Heritage Foundation)
"So, its to the credit of the candidates that we didn't get into this mindless round of China bashing. The debt is a real problem, its not China's problem its about US. And, so because its a national security debate, there wasn't a lot of scope for China to come into this, but when you talk about jobs and trade, that's what really surprised me, we didn't talk about trade.

TRACK
His comments were echoed by an email with quotes from scholars the American Enterprise Institute - the cosponsor.
After 11 debates, the candidates will meet again on a stage in Iowa in a few weeks.
The eight main candidates have 40 days and nights to win over voters before the Iowa Caucuses.
And yet, only Mitt Romney can say, he has not lost a debate, and support for his candidacy remains steady.
Priscilla Huff, Washington.

***ENDS***

Posted on November 23, 2011 at 06:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Leveson Inquiry into misconduct by British media

An official investigation into press standards in the UK has heard from celebrities like Hugh Grant and victims of alleged media misconduct including the parents of the murdered school-girl Milly Dowler.

Lord Leveson [Leh-ve-son] was instructed by Prime Minister David Cameron to look into the culture, practice and ethics of the press after the News of the World newspaper admitted to phone-hacking.

The first of two parts to the Leveson Inquiry is already underway...(Monday) Today's hearing saw the questioning of four high profile witnesses, as our correspondent Sandra Gathmann reports from London.

IN: "The phonehacking..."
OUT: "...year."
DUR: 3'13"

SCRIPT:

The phonehacking scandal has shed a strong and focused spotlight on the illegal practice of voicemail interception at the former News of the World newspaper, but it's also sparked a wider investigation into malpractice by the British media.

More than 50 particpants linked to press misconduct, including Harry Potter author JK Rowling, actress Sienna Miller, and Gerry and Kate McCann, the parents of missing child Madeleine will be testifying before the committee.

The inquiry heard from the parents of the murdered British girl Milly Dowler whose voicemails were intercepted after her murder in 2002.

The Dowlers recalled the moment they were led to believe their daughter was still alive after her messages were found wiped...

SALLY DOWLER: "I rang her phone and it clicked through onto her voicemail so I heard her voice, and I jumped, shes picked up her voicemails Bob she's alive!"

Also testifying before Leveson was Journalist and former partner of MP Dennis McShane, Joan Smith, whos personal information was found within the private notes of phonehacker with News of the World, Glenn Mulcaire...

She wants to see a real change in British Tabloid culture.

JOAN SMITH: " Everything has become a story, and were all caricatures, Ive said this in my writing, I think to the tabloid press were just two-dimensional, we're all fodder for stories...."

Not only is the inquiry striving toward uncovering the proliference of illegal access of private information, but also media ethics as a whole including addressing the rising number of defamation cases and injunctions.

Media lawyer Graham Shear also expressed concern over the common practice of calculated risk-taking and weighing out circulation profits over legal fees.

GRAHAM SHEAR "So what I have seen is a reluctance by the media generally to put sotries pre-publicaiton and to stand back and await the flalout after publicaiton, some people view it as once the stable door is open and private information is now in the public domain, whats the point in litigatin after the event it only reinforces and reminds the reader and those who perhaps didnt even read the information about the private information "

He also said that he was certain the News of The World was not the only culprit and that the fast dissemination of information implicated many other publications in leaking private stories.

Actor Hugh Grant, echoed his suspicions, telling the inquiry that he believes the Mail on Sunday may have hacked his phone.

He also responded to suggestions that he banked on his fame.

HUGH GRANT "...funnily enough I read in the intependent this porming that I do the same thing I trade on my good name and therefore there's a public interest defence in going into my private life but I wasnt aware I traded on my good name, I never had a good name. I'm the man who was arrested with a prostitute and the film still made tons of money...it doesn't matter "

Their testimonies so far have sought to illustrate a British media culture gone astray.

A second Inquiry into News International has been put on hold-- as investigators continue to look into the phonehacking scandal which led to the closure of the News of the World this year.

Sign Off.

Posted on November 21, 2011 at 06:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yemenis Abroad

As anti-government protests continue in Yemen, it's difficult for Yemenis living abroad to keep track of the latest situation in their home country.

There are poor communications networks and restricted internet access in Yemen - and with few foreign journalists on the ground, reliable information is difficult to come by.

Nabil Mazen owns the Queen of Sheba Yemeni restaurant off Edgware Road, central London.

He believes President Ali Abdullah Saleh must go - but watching from London, he also has harsh words for prominent Yemenis like Sadiq al-Ahmar, a tribal leader, and Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, the general of Yemen's army.

Olly Barratt reports.

IN: FX.
OUT: SOC
DUR: 4.27

FADE IN RESTAURANT FX

In Nabil Mazen's busy Yemeni restaurant the talk often returns to what is happening back home.

Nabil and his friends who have family still in Yemen get as much information as possible direct from their relatives.

But that's hard.

CLIP

"It's not easy to call them to be honest. You have to keep calling and calling to get the line to get them to answer you."

Nabil watches Arabic news channels for updates too but says TV reports often differ from what he hears from his relatives.

CLIP

"er. most of them, they don't give the correct, what's going on. because what our friends back home, what they're saying and what comes in the news, is totally different."

And watching from afar, Nabil is sceptical about Yemeni politicians at home who are suddenly now opposing President Ali Abdullah Saleh amid anti-government protests.

CLIP

"In the news, they follow, they say it's from the public that doesn't want ali abdullah saleh. It's not only the public. There is a lot of public, they love ali abdullah saleh, and they hate Sadiq al-Ahmar and his family. because they have very black history in yemen, before what's going on here, now. and Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, he's one of the biggest thiefs in the country. and they don't want him as well - but what is going on the news, they saying they need ali abdullah saleh to go. ok fair enough, ali abdullah saleh goes, but what after. You still have another two big familyes, with weapons and everything. They will never go easily. If America and the United Nations and everyone want to help this country - they need to get rid of all these guys. Why don't you pay the public, give them their money and their land back? If you want to be innocent - not while you have all the weapons and you protect yourself and you tell me ali abdullah saleh. Ali abdullah saleh goes, what are you going to do to us?

It's not about the signature, he's going to leave and that;s it. It's not going to finish like that."

Nabil thinks the situation in Yemen is too complicated to simply call for the West to get more involved, or to protect civilians.

But he is clear that Yemenis need protecting.

CLIP

"we need to save the public. the people there, they're suffering from everything. and every day it's getting worse"

And it's not just the threat to lives - Nabil's relatives report the Yemeni economy is falling apart.

CLIP

"Every day the prices are going crazy. The gas is finished, no petrol, nothing, they can't leave, no electric. THere's nothig there. day to day they get more people get killed - every body there in san'aa - they sleep and they don't know if they are going to wake the next day."

Nabil moved to the UK in 2000 and hopes the situation in Yemen improves to the point where he can return to his home country every now and then.

But he's happy now, here in London.

CLIP

"We are happy here, we've got our life here, and everything, but still we'll be going on and off as we need to do...still we've got family there but this is as well I feel it is my country as well. I feel to England, the same as I feel to Yemen. This country has given me a lot, I can't just say I'm going to my country. I have, what they call it, loyalty to this country, it's the same."

Nabil, like others, may want to stay in London now it is his home - but in this and other places where Yemenis come to catch up - it is events back in Yemen that are likely to dominate lively discussion for the foreseeable future.

Posted on November 20, 2011 at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Occupy protesters stand firm in Portland, Oregon

In the United States, the Occupy Wall Street movement has been underway since September, but in some places, it's shifting gears.

Over the weekend, authorities in cities with local occupy movements moved to shut down encampments, arresting hundreds of people.

In cities from Detroit to Oakland, occupy activists are now considering their next steps.

Today we go to Portland, Oregon where a park that had been a sea of tents for weeks is now cleaned out and fenced off.

Emily Harris reports.

IN: "A chain...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:35

A chain link fence topped by barbed wire went up hours after officials cleared the Occupy Portland encampment from two downtown parks. Police stuck around even as clean up crews moved in. The activists moved on, but not away from the issues that fuel this movement. Nina Reierson volunteers giving out information about Occupy Portland.

I think it's bringing awareness to the larger population. People who haven't been affected // by all the cuts, they're having to notice how many people are affected by those things.

CHANTING:
Six, five, four, three, two one, yeah

Saturday night, occupy campers and supporters counted down to a midnight deadline to start moving out. One person was hospitalized during an arrest. Portland Mayor Sam Adams set the eviction in motion late last week.

At 12:01 AM, Sunday, November 13 all persons and property, in Lonsdale and Chapman parks will again be subject to enforcement of all the laws :12

Mayor Adams said that after weeks of encampments, the occupy movement now needs to evolve. And in another public square in Portland Monday night activists gathered to discuss how to move forward. Jacob Clary said he's never been involved in a political movement before this.

I feel like I'm working for radical political change, social change. Not a hippie, but thought change. :10

NAT SOUND:
Crowd

Portland's tent city may be gone, but the people involved in the Occupy movement still carry a strong sense of purpose. The question now is what next. Jordan Benning wants to camp again.

What I would like to see next is a new encampment. Just getting our community back, rebuilding, then working on direct actions. :14

Mitch, also at the gathering, wouldn't say his last name. But he said camping isn't the only way.

Camping doesn't really do anything, it's occupying within. // We have all these social tools, you can talk to your neighbor.

Here, and around the country, demonstrators are now talking over options to keep the occupy movement visible without tents. In Portland, they may move inside, or create small neighborhood groups. They may find a home on a college campus. Those involved say they certainly aren't going away.

Posted on November 15, 2011 at 09:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hu commits to protection of intellectual property rights

INTRODUCTION:
President Hu Jintao has raised the issue of protecting intellectual property rights during an address to business leaders attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Honolulu. The Chinese Premier linked the protection of creative ideas to the development of high-value products in China. The US business community has consistently pressed the Obama administration on the issue, to protect US innovations. But even with strong laws or political commitments enforcement is a challenge even in the United Statess. Our correspondent Daniel Ryntjes reports from the APEC conference in Honolulu.

IN: Hawaiian inventor...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2'44

SCRIPT:
Hawaiian inventor Dr. Robert Yonover has worked with some of America's premier research institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT - and the NASA Space Agency. His sea rescue inventions are designed to save lives - and they do. But now he believes his patented product designs are being copied and sold in other countries.

TAKE DR. ROBERT YONOVER, PRESIDENT, SEE/RESCUE
" It's absolutely of paramount frustration because we're trying to encourage innovation in this country and in the world. And if the small guys who are usually the most innovative can't innovate then that's really discouraging.":

Chinese Premier Hu Jintao mentioned it as one key priority among several trade related issues to business leaders at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

TAKE HU JINTAO, CHINESE PRESIDENT
"Step up intellectual property rights and make China a country driven by innovation. China takes protecting intellectual property rights seriously."
President Hu is making it clear that China is working to find ways to support those who can bring high-value ideas to fruition.

TAKE HU JINTAO, CHINESE PRESIDENT
"China will work hard to transform itself into an innovation driven country, bring in high calibre and innovation driven professionals from overseas and achieve the transition from "Made in China" to "Created by China".

The enforcement of intellectual property rights is also an issue that US business leaders are keen to promote. In his address to business leaders, President Obama praised the strides China has taken within its economy, but made it clear that he would like to see more action on intellectual property.

TAKE BARACK OBAMA,US PRESIDENT
"For an economy like the United States, where our biggest competitive advantage is our knowledge, our innovation, our patents, our copyrights. For us not to get the protection that we need in a large market place like China is not acceptable. "
Inventor Dr. Robert Yonover says many smaller scale inventors face prohibitive costs within the US legal system when filing and defending patents.

TAKE DR. ROBERT YONOVER, PRESIDENT, SEE/RESCUE
"So in my case I've been fortunate because I have broad patents and I have strong patent attorneys so I'm able to enforce the patents I do have. But for the small inventor it's very difficult because of the money involved, the time and the juice involved to get a patent attorney to take your case and be willing to fight the big guys."

The reality of globalization adds another level of difficulty for small enterprises who don't necessarily have the legal muscle to protect their ideas in multiple countries.
ENDS

Posted on November 13, 2011 at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sec. Clinton - trans-Pacific alliances will take time

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized at the APEC summit that the U.S. is working on a broad range of issues with a diverse number of Asian countries, and it will take time to forge a true trans-Pacific partnership, just as the trans-Atlantic alliances took time to shape.

The 21 nations of APEC - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum have been meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, focusing primarily on economic issues, but also some key security issues as well.

Our own correspondent Daniel Ryntjes was one of two reporters to ask U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a question.

IN: "(Daniel's voice) Thank you Madame Secretary....
OUT: ...thank you very much (Victoria Nuland's voice)"
DUR: 3:38 seconds

CLIP: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1113APEC-ClintonQuestion.mp3

***

Posted on November 13, 2011 at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

James Murdoch faces second grilling by UK MPs

Chairman of media giant News International, James Murdoch has returned to the UK to answer more questions about the phone hacking scandal.

He was recalled for a second appearance before MPs after conflicting accounts pointed to discrepencies about knowledge of phone hacking when evidence of the practice was known to be widespread.

Testifying before a parliamentary committee, James Murdoch maintained his decisions did not condone phone hacking at News of The World.

From London, Sandra Gathmann reports.

IN: "For Two..."
OUT: SOC
DUR 3 minutes

SCRIPT

For two and a half hours, James Murdoch sat through a grilling by a group of MPS determined to get to the bottom of a scandal that's put News International under an intense UK-based investigation.

During the sit-down he rejected accusations that he had lied in his initial testimony where he categorically denied he knew about phone hacking at the now defunct News of the World newspaper.

Many MPs expressed they had trouble believing Mr. Murdoch;

One MP, Tom Watson -- an active investigator of News International-- likened the company's behavior to a secret-harboring mafia.

TAKE TOM WATSON/ JAMES MURDOCH

Since a hearing last June also attended by James' father Rupert Murdoch,
Former news of the world legal adviser Tom Crone and editor Colin Myer both claimed they remember James Murdoch was shown the infamous 'For Neville' email, that suggested phone hacking was more widespread than the lone crimes committed by jailed reporter Glen Mulcaire.

TAKE TOM CRONE AND COLIN MYER

James Murdoch disputed their claims, saying he was made aware of the email's significance but did not know it contained thorough evidence in the form of a voicemail hack transpcript.

When pressed about the possibility of hacking at his other subsidiary newspapers like The Sun, Murdoch signalled he would not rule out shutting it down if the evidence surfaced.

And though James Murdoch denied incompetence in managing a company of more than 50,000 employees, he did express a few regrets.

Last June, his father Rupert told the committee he was deeply affected by the phone hack traced to the voicemail of the murdered Milly Dowler.

TAKE RUPERT MURDOCH

This time, his son James assured MP's he was also sorry.

TAKE JAMES MURDOCH

There are still many issues to be addressed but now it boils down to credibility.

and James will meanwhile be fighting for his corporate survival within News International, in the face of unease amongst company shareholders.

The Parliamentary Committee will now digest evidence gathered over the last 5 months, with a report due to be presented before the House of Commons by the end of the year.

SOC

Posted on November 10, 2011 at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

APEC PREVIEW: Obama's Asia Pivot

APEC PREVIEW: THE PIVOT

Suggested intro: As APEC leaders prepare to descend upon Honolulu for the upcoming annual summit, all eyes are on the United States….not only because it's hosting the meeting.

The Obama administration says it is now ready to "pivot" its attention away from Europe….and towards Asia.

The new thinking in Washington comes at a time of crisis for the Eurozone…..but, US policymakers believe, a moment of opportunity for the White House in Asia…..as our Washington Correspondent Simon Marks reports.

IN: "With US forces...."

OUT: SOC

DUR: 2:34

SCRIPT:

VO With US forces already leaving Iraq…..and their colleagues in Afghanistan also guaranteed to be "home for the holidays" by President Obama…...the White House views the APEC summit in Honolulu as an opportunity to refocus US foreign policy.

The President, say analysts, understands that trade will top the agenda at APEC.

But they expect President Obama to begin unveiling a new security policy in Honolulu….then keep laying it out in his visit to Australia and the East Asia Summit in Bali.

Ernie Bower heads the South East Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

TAKE BOWER SOUNDBITE

"He's going to say that this is the place where we're going to grow. This is the place where we are going to continue and sustain our role as a guarantor of security, and we're going to have to do that through strength and relationships, with allies and through new architecture".

New architecture that will see US forces given greater access to military bases in Australia…..a deal that's been years in the making.

Seeing China's rise, the Obama administration is anxious to double down on its commitment to the Asia Pacific….partnering with China where possible….disagreeing with Beijing where it's not….according to Michael Green, a former official with the National Security Council.

TAKE GREEN SOUNDBITE

"On the question of the European debt crisis, the US delegation will probably find common cause with the Chinese delegation, will certainly have support from Japan, Australia, Indonesia, India. But then, a week later, the US and Chinese delegations will be in a game of chicken over the South China Sea. And there's so much summitry going on that today's ally may be tomorrow' s adversary in some of these things".

The US policy is defined as a "pivot" by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, writing in the latest edition of one of Washington's most widely-read international affairs magazines.

She foresees "careful, steady, dynamic stewardship, an approach to China on our part that is grounded in reality".

She talks of America's "strategic bet on India's future".

And of US moves "to fully engage the region's multilateral institutions".

That pivot starts to occur in Honolulu this week.

But it will cost money….and while the US is publicly voicing its determination to keep resources focused on the Asia Pacific…..the Chinese, the Indians and everyone else knows that America's pockets are no longer as deep as they used to be.

SOC

Posted on November 09, 2011 at 07:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

APEC preview: US to focus on green trade

Leaders from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum - or APEC - are set to gather in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The issue of trade will take center stage, with US officials pushing a deal on environmental goods and services.

Kate Moody reports from Washington.

IN: "The summit...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:10

The summit in Honolulu comes just weeks after the US Congress approved long-stalled free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.

US officials are now turning their attention to the booming Asia-Pacific region.

Ron Kirk is America's top trade respresentative.

"We're focusing here because we have to be linked to the world's most dynamic economies and give our American businesses and workers the opportunity to increase our exports in this region."

In particular, the US delegation will promote trade in environmental goods and services, encourage competition and open markets among its APEC partners, and seek to coordinate the countries' regulatory systems.

Again, trade representative Ron Kirk.

"We believe the best way to create economic growth and innovation is to give consumers and entrepreneurs access to the best products, no matter where they come from, and give them the freedom to build upon and improve these products. And that's why we will be seeking commitments from economies to ensure that our policies do not distort markets or restrict trade in manners that harm innovation."

The negotiating members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership - which includes the US, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam - are also expected to announce some form of a framework agreement in Honolulu.

Michael Green, an Asia analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says the TPP is an increasingly important forum.

"So a big theme for APEC will be not just the technical agreements in APEC to facilitate trade but the president's message to the region and to the voters back home that we've created conditions for American exports with the free trade agreement with Korea and with TPP."

President Obama has vowed to double American exports by 2014 - and much of that trade is expected to come from Asia.

Polls show the American public is increasingly aware that its economic future is tied to Asian economies.

And that's the message President Obama will be bringing to his fellow APEC leaders as he seeks to expand trade and solidify partnerships.

Posted on November 09, 2011 at 05:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nov 2nd: Julian Assange loses appeal against extradition to Sweden

The founder of the whistle blowing website WikiLeaks has failed in his appeal against extradition from the UK to Sweden over allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Two judges at the High Court in London decided that a previous ruling in favour of extradition must be upheld. The 40 year old Australian national made a brief statement outside the court and said he would consider his next moves. From London, Catherine Drew reports.

***

IN: "Swedish authorities...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3:10

Swedish authorities want Julian Assange to answer accusations of raping one woman and sexually molesting and coercing another during a visit to Stockholm in August 2010. the wikileaks founder has always denied the charges and maintained that the charges are politically motivated by those opposed to the whistle blowing website. He has voiced the fear that extradition to swden could pave the way for him to be sent for trial in the US accused of leaking official secrets.

Mr Assange has infuriated the US government by disclosing thousands of sensitive and highly embarrassing diplomatic cables about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other issues.

On the steps of the court he expressed frustration with the European Arrest Warrant system which does not allow a British court to consider the merits of a case.

insert:

Introduced in 2004, the European Arrest Warrant, or EAW, is meant to expedite the judicial process. The requesting country does not have to present evidence and there is no place for the person being charged to argue their innocence.

Speaking at the beginning of this year, Mr Assange has long maintained this is an injustice to those facing criminal allegations

insert:

Earlier this year a district judge ruled that Mr Assange should be extradited to face investigation in sweden. on wednesday two high court judges endorsed that ruling, saying the allegations against him were serious and he should return to Sweden.

Outside the court, assange's supporters gathered to offer support. Tied to the railings were banners reading free assange and free manning. American soldier Bradley Manning is being held in US custody for allegedly leaking information to wikileaks. Some supporters said they were not surprised by the High Court decision.

insert:

Mr Assange have 14 days to decide whether to appeal to the supreme court. Although his lawyers must first seek permission from the high court to do so. They must make the case that there is a point of law that is important and goes beyond Julian Assange as an individual, rather, it is of general public importance.

If permission is not granted, he will be sent to sweden within 10 days. If it is granted, the appeal process for the controversial WikiLeaks founder will continue.

Catherine Drew, sign off, London

Posted on November 02, 2011 at 04:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Republican woes ahead of 2012 election

In just one year, Americans will go to the polls to chose the next president of the United States.

The Democrats nominee is already set - Barack Obama is running for re-election.

But the Republicans are having problems.

There are 10 candidates...and nearly all of them having gotten into hot water.

Our Washington correspondent Priscilla Huff has more on where the U.S. election process is, one year out.

***

IN: "(Cain singing) Amazing grace...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:31

****

TAKE SOUND UP CAIN SINGING
"Amazing grace ... will always be...

TRACK
Herman Cain has surprised the American political establishment....by taking the lead in many polls.

TAKE BITE CAIN
(SUPER: Herman Cain, Republican presidential candidate)
"That Bulls-eye on my back is getting bigger!"

TRACK
But, now, he's run into major trouble, but he insists, he has been falsely accused.

TAKE BITE CAIN
"I have never sexually harrassed anyone."

TRACK
Herman Cain was the CEO of the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s.
This week, allegations emerged that two women received financial settlements and left the organization, after he reportedly created a hostile work environment.
For now, the association seems to be standing by Herman Cain.
But, there are reports in the Washington Post that the two women may be ready to tell their side of the story.
That said,
Herman Cain is focussing on his tax plan

SOUND UP
Our 9-9-9 plan

TRACK
Texas Governor Rick Perry has seen support for his candidacy plummet.
First, his pastor from back home in Texas made insulting remarks about another candidate - Mitt Romney's - religious faith. He's a mormon.
But, now....a recent speech by Rick Perry in New Hampshire is being seen by some as more loose and charming, and others as just unpresidential.

SOUND UP PERRY
"Y'know, We're kinda into those slogans! Live Free or Die! Victory or Death! Bring it!"

TRACK
After some early debates in Iowa, Representative Michelle Bachmann was a darling of the Republican Party...
But the fact that she has not been on Capitol Hill to do her elected job in weeks...and she's made several major factual errors has even prompted her original supporters - the Tea Party groups - to say she needs to get out of the race.

TRACK
former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has clearly mastered the political issues...
conservatives are uncomfortable with his personal life - he's on wife number three.

SOUND UP DEBATE MITT
"We've created more jobs in Massachusetts than this President has created in the entire country."

TRACK
Meanwhile Mitt Romney continues to shore up his campaign...adding endorsements and winning debates.
And, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, John Huntsman, and a couple others contniue to struggle to win any attention from voters.
The political calendar is forcing the Republican party to take a hard look at its candidates now.
The national election may be a year away...
But the first nominating contests, the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries....are just over two months away.
Priscilla Huff, Washington.

***ENDS***

Posted on November 01, 2011 at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cyber conference kicks off in London - China and Russia escape criticism

A major international conference on cyber security is underway in London.

Representatives from 60 countries have gathered along with technology experts to discuss how to tackle cyber crime, and attempt to move towards global action on the issue.

China is attending the summit, despite repeated criticism of its alleged role in cyber attacks.

As Olly Barratt reports from London.

IN: SFX: "As British...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2.53

As British foreign secretary William Hague opened the conference, it
was all smiles and talk of co-operation between nations on cyber
security issues.

TAKE WILLIAM HAGUE

Inside the London conference hall there was little mention of China or
Russia - both of whom have delegations here.

But in the run-up to the conference both countries have been accused
by UK officials of being behind, or sanctioning, cyber attacks on
government IT systems and business interests.

So why such little talk of China and Russia as the conference got underway?

TAKE DAVE CLEMENTE

"If they're looking to begin the discussion on these very broad
issues, and if they're looking also to include the Chinese and the
Russians, it isn't helpful to begin by naming them in the opening
sessions. So I think they're holding off on that, to form a bit of a
framework for co-operation."

China denies it is behind cyber attacks on western interests.

And there has also been talk in the build-up to the conference of how
other countries can learn from China and Chinese companies on cyber
security issues.

In a demonstration of how seriously western countries are beginning to
take cyber security, big name speakers have been rolled out.

From British Prime Minister David Cameron to a videolink up with US Vice President Joe Biden.

CLIP

And Helen Clark, former New Zealand Prime Minister and now United Nations Development Programme Administrator, told delegates the conference can help the UN achieve its Millenium Development goals.

CLIP

The atmosphere at this conference is certainly conciliatory.

Britain wants to take a lead on the issue of cyber security and knows
it will not succeed if it alienates countries like China and Russia.

But it also knows progress will be slow because of the differing
international views on policing the internet.

No grand agreement is expected to be concluded as the summit ends on Wednedsdy, simply areas of co-operation ahead of already arranged conferences for next year and the year after.

SOC

Posted on November 01, 2011 at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

US concerned over "cascade effect" if Palestine admitted to UN agencies

The Palestinian envoy in Geneva Ibrahim Khraishi says a successful vote to approve membership of the UN's cultural agency will "open the door" to joining 16 other UN agencies.

The United States has now cut off funding worth $80 million a year for UNESCO after the vote to approve full Palestinian membership of the body.

The US was one of only 14 nations to oppose the membership vote to join UNESCO, triggering a ban on providing funding in laws enacted by Congress.

If the Palestinians were to receive full membership from elsewhere, the US could be forced to withdraw funding from critical groups like the World Health Organization and the UN's nuclear watchdog the IAEA.

From Washington Daniel Ryntjes reports....

IN: SFX: "The General Conference..."
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3'12

AIR: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1101unesco-dr-air.mp3
ARN: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1101unesco-dr-arn.mp3
FRONTIER: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1101unesco-dr-frontier.mp3
ICRT: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1101unesco-dr-icrt.mp3
KISS: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1101unesco-dr-kiss.mp3
NIGERIA: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1101unesco-dr-von.mp3
RNZ: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1101unesco-dr-rnz.mp3
SCILLY: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1101unesco-dr-scilly.mp3
VATICAN: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1101unesco-dr-vat.mp3
ZIZ: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1101unesco-dr-ziz.mp3

The success of the Palestinian bid for UNESCO membership led to a huge cheer in Paris. But in Washington officials announced an immediate halt to funding of the UN body dealing with education, culture and science. That's because of two laws which in effect prohibit financial contributions to any UN entity that recognizes Palestine as a member. Victoria Nuland is the State Department spokesperson.

TAKE VICTORIA NULAND, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON

"Not paying our dues into these organizations could severely restrict and reduce our ability to influence them, our ability to act within them. And we think this affects U.S. interests, so we need to have conversations with Congress about what options might be available to protect our interests."

The Palestinian envoy in Geneva Ibrahim Khraishi says a successful vote to approve membership of the UN's cultural agency will "open the door" to joining 16 other UN agencies. That could theoretically include institutions like the World Health Organization and the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

TAKE VICTORIA NULAND, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON

"We don't see any benefit and we see considerable potential damage if this move is replicated in other UN organizations."

Brett Schaefer a fellow in International Regulatory Affairs at the Heritage Foundation says the prospect of a withdrawal of US funding will have an impact on the political calculations.

Brett Schaefer, fellow, International Regulatory Affairs, Heritage Foundation:

"What the US wants to stop is the Palestinian membership process building upon itself in these very specialized agencies and therefore wants to send a signal to the UN system and to the other UN members states that if they want to have Palestine as a member of the organization they are perfectly within their rights to do that, but that they will face a cut off of US funding. That could effect not only the activities of the organization but other interests that they may have in those activities being financed through the UN system."

The Palestinians hope the UNESCO vote will also now boost the case for full recognition at the United Nations. The US would veto any vote if it came to the Security Council. Israel is concerned that the Palestinians will use their membership of UN bodies to pursue an anti-Israel agenda. Dr. David Pollock, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy says these moves for international recognition won't change the situation on the ground and will delay a return to credible negotiations.

Dr. David Pollock, Senior Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

"The timing is such that the Palestinians are gaining some genuine, unfortunately some genuine ill-will in the United States, not just in Congress, but I think also within the executive branch, in the White House and in the State Department. Because they are needless embarrassing and complicating and really provoking the United States with this behaviour within the UN."

Profound political changes in the Middle East, in neighbouring countries like Syria and Egypt are adding additional levels of complexity for American policy makers, raising questions about whether the US is experiencing a decline of regional influence.

Posted on November 01, 2011 at 04:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

World's population hits 7 billion

The world's population is set to reach the 7 billion mark.

(The United Nations is highlighting this landmark moment due on Monday, October 31)

In the past 12 years, 1 billion babies have been born.

The acceleration of world population growth has slowed...but
campaigners feel, much can be done to make sure everyone...and every
baby....gets a fair chance at a good life in a more crowded world.

IN: "Every second
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3:20

****

TRACK
Every second, five babies are born....
Today....the populations of India and China are well over one
billion....while tiny Pacific Island nations number tens of
thousands....
The global total is 7 billion.
Peter Yeo heads public policy research for the United Nations Foundation.

TAKE BITE PETER YEO
(SUPER: Peter Yeo, United Nations Foundation)
"It may not be about the number. But it is about our collective
ability, developed and developing, to meet the health and economic
needs of a rapidly growing world population."

TRACK
Babatunde Osotimehin of the United Nations Population Fund is urging
everyone to take time to understand what this number means.

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director,
United Nations Population Fund:
“While our world of 7 billion presents a complex picture and a
tapestry of trends and paradoxes, there are some essential global
trends that we observe.”

TRACK
Those essential global trends are converging.
The majority of the world's population lives in urban
areas....two-thirds of those in Asia and Africa...and, upwards of 90
percent of those in the Americas.

TAKE BITE FAN
(SUPER: Dr. Fan Shenggen, International Food Policy Reseach Institute)
"The concern, in infrastructure, but more importantly, food security.
When people move to cities, they need more land, they demand more and
better food. In the meantime, the rural areas, lose a very productive
labor force. That really creates pressure."

TRACK
That pressure includes feeding all those mouths.
Research indicates, the world grows more than enough calories - 2800
per person per day....while the U.N. recommended intake level is about
2100.
But agriculture reporter...and author of the new book Endless
Appetites, Alan Bjerga says, the problem is getting those calories to
the right destination.

TAKE BITE
(SUPER: Alan Bjerga, Author Endless Appetites)
"Its about the distribution of the food, its about the waste of the
food, and its about keeping the productivity, so that we don't have
shortages down the line. It wouldnt' be very hard, I mean, if you just
raised grain yields in sub-Saharan africa to half the U.S. level and
got it distributed properly, you'd have no problems with that."

TRACK
Another key problem is birth control.
The U-N reports that in 46 countries - many in africa - at least 20
percent of women do not have access to family planning...impacting
their education, career choices, and home life.

TAKE BITE DAISY
(SUPER: Daisy Nyamukapa, Zimbabwe Program Officer, United Nations
Population Fund)
"SO, that's the challenge that I see. That we need to reduce the unmet
need for family planning. The fact that we have for example young
girls, one in every five has a child by the age of 18 years, shows
that there is a need there that we are not able to meet, that we are
still having."

TRACK
Experts feel that the world can accomodate all these people...but
better policies need to be applied....so that basic resources such as
food are getting to where they need to be...and so that each person,
all seven billion of them, can build better lives for themselves,
their families, their communities and their countries.
Priscilla Huff, Washington

Posted on October 30, 2011 at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Global markets jump on Eurozone deal

Financial markets have cheered a deal by Eurozone leaders to contain the debt crisis.

The plan, reached after overnight talks in Brussels, was hailed as a “comprehensive solution”.

But much work remains to hammer out some of the crucial details on cutting Greece's debt burden and strengthening the EU’s bail out fund.

So will the market rally last?

Vanessa Mock reports from Brussels.

IN: "It took...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:50

It took Eurozone leaders eleven hours of talks to put together their three-part deal.

Private banks and pension funds will now accept 50 percent losses on their Greek debt holdings in a move that aims to reduce the overall debt burden for Athens.

The agreement also foresees a recapitalisation of hard-hit European banks and a leveraging of the bloc's rescue fund

But on Wednesday, many analysts warned that the plan to rebuild confidence after two years of crisis could unravel over the details.

“The only positive is that there has been an agreement at all”

Daniel Gros is Chief Economist at the Centre for European Policy Studies. He says the deal to impose write downs or haircut on holders of Greek debt is not enough

“On Greece, its just a commitment by the banks or the banking federation to try to get their members to commit to a haircut - nothing firm. And you need to get all sectors involved, also official sector, only then can you bring debt down to sustainable level”

The most troubling aspect of Thursday’s deal is the promise to boost the EU’s bail out fund. Its now worth 440 billion and through a complex mechanism to leverage the fund, the aim is to boost that to one trillion.

“Its the deal that EU leaders were holding out for, they got to the magic trillion”

Anton LaGuardia from The Economist news magazine

“Is it the big bazooka? Its got lots of zeros, does it also have lots of holes, this has yet to be seen, it’s got lots of caveats”

One part of the plan is to get countries like China to invest in the fund in exchange for guarantees. But Sony Kapoor from the economics think tank ReDefine is doubtful

CLIP SONY “.One part you are first offering insurance, and rhen attracting investors, in the other you are first attracting investors, then offering insurance - but will not be enough to sort out crisis.. In the end the European Central Bank will have to step in”

Geoff Meade is a veteran Brussels correspondent for the Press Agency, whose covered hundreds of summits - and this was his take on the deal, as it was announced at 5am

“We’ve had the series of summits about the same issue - and every time I time I think I could have written the same story. We just say “Eu leaders have made progress etc etc - but I don’t see any real progress!!”

It could take weeks before more clarity emerges over Thursday’s deal - long enough, perhaps, for markets to start doubting whether the Eurozone really has turned the corner

SOC

Posted on October 27, 2011 at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chinese students flock to US - but return home in larger numbers

The number of Chinese students studying in the United States is increasing.

China sends more people to the US to study than any other country, and Chinese citizens account for more than 18 percent of all foreign students at American universities.

But the continuing economic difficulties facing the US are prompting a growing number of Chinese students to return home after completing their degrees.

Steve Mort reports from the University of Colorado in Boulder - a large college just outside Denver.

IN: "The University...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3:04

AIR: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1026Students-sdm-air.mp3
ARN: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1026Students-sdm.mp3
DW: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1026Students-sdm.mp3
ICRT: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1026Students-sdm-icrt.mp3
KISS: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1026Students-sdm-kiss.mp3
NIGERIA: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1026Students-sdm-von.mp3
RNZ: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1026Students-sdm-rnz.mp3
SCILLY: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1026Students-sdm-scilly.mp3
VATICAN: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1026Students-sdm-vat.mp3
ZIZ: http://featurestorynews.com/feeds/1026Students-sdm-ziz.mp3

SCRIPT: of Colorado Boulder has more than 26-thousand undergraduate students enrolled in its classes. There are some 1500 students from overseas studying here, as well 650 foreign scholars.

Among them is Xuanxuan Wu who is working towards a PhD in International Relations. She is one of about 340 students from China currently studying or doing research at CU Boulder.

INSERT: "I like to take academic research as my career, so definitely I think United States is the best place for me to pursue my academic career."

But Xuanxuan Wu has longer term plans. She says she wants to use what she's learned in the US to contribute to China's academic development.

INSERT: "Ideally, I want to find a faculty job here, like in the first 2 or 3 years maybe after my graduation. But I think sooner or later I will come back to China to teach there."

And she is not alone. Hoa Yue Zhang is one of Wu's undergraduate students.

Zhang says she would like to find work in the US after graduation, but expects that to be difficult if the US economy remains weak.

INSERT: "It doesn't matter to me because I feel like China is still a rising power now. So // if the economy have some problems [sic], I still have a chance to come back to China."

Administrators at the University of Colorado say that is an increasingly common sentiment. China reported a nearly 25 percent increase from 2009 to 2010 in Chinese students returning home from abroad.

According to a 2009 study by the think-tank the Kauffman Foundation, 74 percent of Chinese students believe their home country's economy will grow faster in the coming decade, compared to only 7 percent who believe the best days lie ahead for the United States economy.

More than half say they feel strongly that their best job opportunities lie in China. And only 10 percent say they want to stay in the US after they graduate."

Larry Bell - the Director of CU Boulder's Office of International Education - meets regularly with Chinese students.

INSERT: "Fifteen or twenty years ago I would have said their job future is in this country. But today, when I talk to students, it really is more and more that students are interested in getting their degree, maybe a short practical experience, and then returning home."

But despite often wanting to return to China in the long-run, Chinese students continue to flock to the US.

According to the Institute of International Education, there was a 30 percent increase in Chinese students coming to the United States between 2009 to 2010. The US Department of Homeland Security says there are currently more than 150-thousand Chinese studying at American academic institutions - more than from any other country.

And here at the University of Colorado, officials expect the number of admissions of students from China to continue to climb for the foreseeable future.

Posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Italy under pressure ahead of eurozone summit

The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is struggling to rush through an emergency growth plan which the European Union has demanded in time for Wednesday’s summit.

European leaders have ramped up the pressure on Italy, saying it must do more to protect itself from market turmoil. But that could push the government to the brink.

Vanessa Mock reports from Brussels

IN: "There are...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:46

There are few heroes in the Eurozone saga. But at least one clear villain has emerged. And that’s the Italian Prime Minister.

Silvio Berlusconi was pulled aside during Sunday’s summit and told by his colleagues to pull his finger out to sort out the hideous state of Italy’s finances.

European President Herman van Rompuy (speaking through interpreter)

"We’ve asked italy to reassure us that the courageous measures that have been agreed are executed quickly, courageous measures on the budget and on state reforms… ”

Italy was also singled out by Germany and France, which have had enough of Berlusconi backtracking on promises to reform. Italy has a debt of 1.9 trillion euros, making Greece’s 350 billion look like mere pocket money.

CLIP “Italy hasn’t done anything until early august to put their house in order. And that Berlusconi told us “this crisis will not affect us”

Karel Lanoo is an economist at the Centre for European Policy Studies

CLIP “But at the same time they need to make sure their economy continues to grow, it’s one of the laggards of Europe”

The EU has now called on Italy to raise its pension age from 65 to 67 and change its laws to encourage business and growth. But now Berlusconi has lashed out, saying he wont take orders from Brussels. Not very helpful, says European Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj.

“It’s not about lecturing, challenging sovereignty, humiliating. At the same time we have 27 governments that have agreed on coordinating surveillance and policies. It’s one of the lessons of this crisis. “

EU leaders have demanded a list of reforms in time for their summit on Wednesday. But that call has sent the Italian government teetering on the brink of collapse. As politicians fight, the hope of a breakthrough is receding. Commission Spokeswoman PIA AHRENKILDE says the EU is still waiting

CLIP “We have not yet received the list of commitments from Italy they said they would make…I have nothing more to say”

Italy’s financial and political turmoil is adding to the mood of nervousness here in Brussels ahead of Wednesday’s summit. EU leaders had pledged to come up with a plan to bolster the Eurozone. But now a preparatory meeting of finance ministers has been scrapped and hopes of a major breakthrough are fading fast

SOC

Posted on October 25, 2011 at 07:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wikileaks suspends publishing over 'financial blockade'

Whistle-blowing site Wikileaks is suspending publication operations to
focus on fundraising amid what it claims is a 'financial blockade.'

The site's founder Julian Assange says US-based finance companies are
throttling its ability to function.

It was announced at a press conference in London that Wikileaks is to
take legal action in several countries.

Companies including Paypal, Visa and Mastercard have been refusing to
accept donations to the website.

Olly Barratt reports from London.

IN: "Julian Assange...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2.59

Julian Assange says firms are engaged in a politicised campaign
against his website.

CLIP

Wikileaks has launched an anti-trust complaint at the European Commission.

And pre-litigation action is due against the blockade in Iceland,
Denmark, the UK, Brussels, the United States and Australia.

Julian Assange claims the action by 5 major US financial firms - Bank
of America, Visa, Mastercard, Paypal and Western Union - means
Wikileaks can not survive much longer.

CLIP

The companies were pressured by US authorities to take action after
Wikileaks released hundreds of thousands secret US government files
and diplomatic cables.

But Luke Harding, author of a book on Wikileaks and Julian Assange,
and reporter at the Guardian newspaper, says the so-called 'financial
blockade' is only half the story.

CLIP

Julian Assange remains under strict bail conditions awaiting a
decision by the High Court on the appeal against his extradition to
Sweden to face sex assault charges.

And it's Wikileaks's current lack of direction, says Luke Harding,
that is really to blame for the website's current woes.

CLIP

Wikileaks is setting up new ways of receiving donations and
concentrating on fundraising rather than publication for the time
being.

Julian Assange is insistent though that his expensive legal fees are
not the problem here.

CLIP

Wikileaks claims 95 per cent of its revenue has been destroyed since
last December when the financial blockade began.

Whether the action taken by US firms is entirely responsible for the
funding problems or not - Wikileaks faces an increasingly uncertain
future.

Posted on October 24, 2011 at 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Saint Paul's asks Occupy London protestors to move on

SUGGESTED LEAD:

London's Saint Paul's Cathedral has closed its doors to the public because of the anti-capitalist protets taking place outside.

The Dean of Saint Paul's- who had initially supported the protestors, said he was sorry to have to take shut the protestors out, but had been forced to over health and safety concerns.

The Dean has also asked protestors camping outside, to move on.

The protestors insist relations with the Church are good, and they intend to stay until they are forcibly removed.

Nina-Maria Potts reports:

IN: " Well
OUT: SOC
DUR: 4 mins

Posted on October 21, 2011 at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UK reacts to news of Gaddafi's death

SUGGESTED LEAD

British Prime Minister David Cameron says he is proud of the role that Britain played in the liberation of Libya.

He was speaking after the death of former dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi at the hands of freedom fighters.

The British leader, along with French President Nicholas Sarkozy, led the way in pushing for UN approval for a NATO air mission to support rebel fighters.

But some British Arabs expressed disappointment justice did not get a chance to play out.

UK correspondent Nina-Maria Potts reports:

IN: "Reacting...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:33

Reacting to the official confirmation of Moammar Gaddafi's death, British Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a day to remember all the victims of his regime.

TAKE CLIP

Meanwhile pictures and video purporting to show the dead body of Libya's former dictator emerged amid initially confused reports about his fate.

It's believed he was seized by soldiers fighting to free Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, when they cornered him. One video shows a large number of National Transitional Council fighters yelling in chaotic scenes around a khaki-clad body, which has blood coming from the face and neck.

Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam said fighters had told him they had seen Colonel Gaddafi's body, and other officials also said he was dead.

Mahmud Nacua, Libya's ambassador to Britain spoke outside the embassy in London to welcome the news.

TAKE CLIP

Libyan activists around the world have been celebrating reports of Gaddafi's death.

In London, Guma El-Gamaty (pro: goo-mah el-gah-MONTY) the UK coordinator for the National Transitional Council in Libya had been closely monitoring events- he insisted Libyan freedom fighters were behind his capture.

TAKE CLIP.

International reaction reflected the strenght of sentiment in Britain.

U.S. Secretary of Hillary Clinton said another obstacle had been removed toward the path to the future of Libya.

TAKE CLIP.

But back in the heart of London's Arabic Community, in the Edgeware road, there was disappointment justice had not had its chance to play out.

TAKE VOXES

The news that Gaddafi has gone has brought relief to the UK government after months of military intervention.

But even Downing Street accepts that though an end of the chapter's been reached, the real work has only just begun.

SIGN OFF

Posted on October 20, 2011 at 06:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gaddafi: EU expresses relief, vows to help country rebuilt

In Brussels, the news of Gaddafi’s death has been hailed as the end of a brutal and bloody period of repression for Libya.

The EU has promised to support Libya through its transition.

Vanessa Mock reports from Brussels

IN: The news
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:27

SCRIPT

The news of Gaddafi’s death has been greeted here in Brussels with unreserved joy.

Speaking just as the news of Gaddafi's death was confirmed, the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso Libyans would now be able to move on from a bloody chapter in their history

IN: This marks… end of a period of repression…

The EU was among the first to recognise the new authorities in Libya and it has donated 150 million euros in direct aid to Libya. Michael Mann the spokesman for the EU’s high representative Catherine Ashton explains

IN: We are the friends of Libya group.. We are helping to rebuild schools etc

But there are also concerns about where Libya will head. Diplomats here have for months been looking at some of the reported abuses committed by the new leadership and questioning whether they were up to rebuilding the fabric of the country

Jerzy Buzek heads up the European Parliament and is heading to Libya on Saturday

CLIP

Down the road at NATO headquarters, the Alliance said it was unsure if one of its planes had helped kill Gaddafi.. NATO has has been in the country since the end of March, in a mission led by Britain and France. Operations have divided its members and drained the military budgets of those who’ve taken part in it. And the Alliance has made clear it will pull out just as soon as it gets the signal from the new authorities
SOC
***

Posted on October 20, 2011 at 06:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Police start clearing illegal parts of UK's largest traveler site

SUGGESTED LEAD

The battle to clear the UK's largest travellers' site at Dale Farm in Essex, has reached a climax, as police remove protestors from tree-top strongholds- in a bid to dismantle the illegal part of the settlement.

Residents of Dale Farm said they had appealed for an emergency injunction to stop police from evicting them, but bailiffs had still moved in to clear the site.

Officers in riot gear entered the site on Friday morning; a taser gun was used on one protestor, and seven others were arrested, as our UK correspondent Nina-Maria Potts reports:

IN: " The atmosphere...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:23

SCRIPT

The atmosphere at Dale Farm is tense and highly charged.

But as darkness closed in, Essex police said they were determined to crack on.

Episodes of violence- said Superintendent Trevor Roe- were isolated.

TAKE BITE

He said two officers had been violently attacked, which is when they used a taser gun on a single protestor.

TAKE BITE

[NAT SOUND CHOPPER]

But residents of Dale Farm, the UK's largest travellers site, said they were not planning to give up the battle.

TAKE BITE

51 illegal plots make up the site- which houses caravans and mobile homes for up to 400 people, including families and children. The disputed area is a portion of a wider area.

The local authorities wanted to start the eviction last month after a court victory, but the travellers appealed for a series of last minute delays- this after a ten year legal battle.

There was anger, and determination among the travelers as the police moved in to try and pick off individual protestors mounted on makeshift tree-top platforms, refusing to move.

TAKE BITE

But there was little sympathy from local counsellors and politicians.

Local Council leader Tony Ball said he had no doubts the eviction must go ahead.

TAKE BITE

Though the high- court has ruled the travelers can be evicted, Dale Farm residents are still hoping their latest appeal for an emergency injunction will grant them some reprieve.

But there's a sense in the air, time is not on their side.

SIGN OUT

Posted on October 19, 2011 at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Get this feed via RSS at fsn.typepad.com/fsn_package_feed/atom.xml

Recent Posts

FSN REPORTER TWEETS

CHECK OUT THE FSN BLOG

FSN'S MAIN WEBSITE

FSN Newscast Audio Feed

RSS

FSN Package Feed

RSS FOR PACKAGES

FSN NEWS PODCASTS

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR CLIENTS FROM FSN'S

MANAGEMENT AND STAFF WORLDWIDE.

WELCOME TO 2012…..FSN'S 20th ANNIVERSARY YEAR!