Transcripts For BBCNEWS Witness History 20200126

We could see some snow. It is an awkward wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow that could give rise to some really icy conditions across parts of scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England for the monday morning commute. Further south wont be quite as cold, so most of the showers here will be falling as rain, or maybe a bit of hail included in those showers. Much of central and Eastern England will start the day dry, and for Eastern England and eastern scotland, they will have the lions share of the dry weather for the day. Still wintry in the north west, and quite a lot of snow piling up in the northern parts of scotland. And the showers really start to get going for wales and the south of england later in the day. It is a chilly day, quite a windy day. Those winds will strengthen for the evening, ifanything, particularly for the english channel. Lots more showers to come, and it could be quite an icy start to tuesday morning. And then this little frontal feature could bring our next area of rain, sleet and hill snow. Quite a small feature, so uncertainty about exactly where it will turn up, but the northern parts of the uk could see some further wintry weather through the day on tuesday. It is again a day of sunshine and showers, quite a breezy day and highs of 8 degrees. So a cold start to the new working week, with snow and ice for some of us. Mid week it will turn a little bit drier, but then another change. It turns milder, but wetter for the end of the week. Hello, this is bbc news. The headlines the death toll from the coronavirus in china rises to 56 officials warn the spread of the virus is accelerating and the country faces a grave situation. As the United States announces plans to fly some of its citizens home, the Foreign Office is urging britons to leave the province where the outbreak began and advising against further travel there. A member of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Panel resigns over links with the firm that supplied the tower blocks deadly cladding. 35 people are dead after the powerful earthquake in eastern turkey more than 1,600 are injured. Now its time for witness history. Hello, and welcome to witness history, with me, razia iqbal, at the Royal Academy in london. Today we will hear from five people who have lived through incredible moments in history. Coming up. The woman who defied the salvadoran government over the murder of six priests. The town that was poisoned by asbestos. And the agricultural scientist who helped save a billion lives. But first, of all of the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe just over 30 years ago, the overthrow of nicolae ceausescu and his wife, elena, in romania, was the bloodiest. The uprising began in the western city of timisoara, where a local pastor, laszlo tokes, took a stand against the authorities. The unrest started in timisoara in transylvania, following the arrest of pastor laszlo tokes. Laszlo tokes, who was an outspoken critic of the government, refused to leave when the secret police came to arrest him. Several hundred churchgoers gathered to stop them. I did not want to become a revolutionary. But step by step, my attitude was radicalised because we had to speak out. He was a stalinist type dictator. The romanian system became more and more cruel. We were under total control by the securitate, the romanian secret service. The church became a centre of peaceful opposition. I did not make politics, i only tried to express that we must obey god, rather than men. It wasnt just that he was a gifted preacher. He was the first man they had ever known who was prepared to stand up and challenge the ceausescu dictatorship and its deadly security network. People began to gather around my church. Looking out through my windows, on the large crowd, sincerely to say i was frightened of the probable consequences of their brave demonstration. I remember people began to sing patriotic songs, to shout against the regime. Liberty, liberty down with nicolae ceausescu the army were very cruel, very violent. About 50 people were killed in a day. That was the Bloodiest Day in timisoara. In very short time, the demonstrations enlargened into the neighbouring cities. Nicolae ceausescu is fighting for his political life in the only way he knows how the violent suppression of any kind of protest. In the morning of the 17th of december we were taken by the securitate in a very brutal way. It was clear for us that we are to be executed or imprisoned. My wife was pregnant with our second child, which later on was born. I think it was our angel in that time, and protected us when we were prepared for the worst. Romanians went on an anti nicolae ceausescu rampage as the army joined the revolution. Thanks to god, we had a little radio apparatus, and we were informed that the ceausescu couple is on the run. Translate romanian brothers, we come here to the Romanian Broadcasting Company to tell you that the dictator has fallen to let you know that the country is free with an angry rooftop mob closing in on them, the ceausescus panicked and made their escape by helicopter. It was a wonder, and we considered it a gift of god on christmas for the people. That was the most joyful day in our full lives. Laszlo tokes on the romanian revolution of 1989. Next, a story of identity, loyalty and betrayal. In the 1950s and 60s, the french colony of algeria in north africa was battling for independence. But some algerian muslims chose to fight on the side of france. They were called the harkis. When france lost the war in 1962, it abandoned its former colony. And in post independence algeria, thousands of harkis faced brutal persecution for siding with the former colonial ruler. Serge carel was one. And he has been telling witness history about his ordeal. Translation the harkis were local forces, on the side of the french army in algerias independence of the war. We gave everything for france, but what we didnt know was that france would abandon us. News reel as tensions rises in french north africa, france arms her algerian supporters for defence against rebels raids. The prefect of 0ran province, monsieur lambert, personally hands out weapons to muslims recruits at nadroma, where hundreds are being enrolled daily. Translation i was about 17anda half, 18 years old at the time. You had to choose between france and the rebels. My father had been in the french army and had fought in world war i. My brothers were also in the french army. So i chose france. I was proud of what we did. Proud of serving france. We were always sent out in front of the french troops. If there was an attack, the harkis would be the first to die. We had to get rid of the fln fighters, who were terrorising the population. Translation we always knew that one day algeria would gain its independence. What general de gaulle should have done was take all the harkis and their families to safety in france. But when independence was declared in 1962, the french disarmed the harkis and left them defenceless. The fln took advantage of this and began to round us all up. They took me to a barracks, where there were about 50 other harkis prisoners. There was blood everywhere. They stripped me naked and started torturing me with electric shocks. Each time a new group of soldiers came on shift, they began again. The same thing every day. The fln even made us dig our own graves. Some people were thrown in alive, some were thrown into the river and the jackals did the rest. I was arrested on july 8th,1962. And i escaped on september 10th 1962. It took me a long time to feel welcome here in france. I decided to change my name and convert to catholicism. I wanted to make a fresh start. I could say that i was born under a lucky star, and that i am lucky. But not all the harkis were so lucky. And that is the fault of france. Serge carel, an algerian muslim, who fought on the side of the colonial power, france, in the war for algerian independence. Now to australia, and a tale of environmental devastation. The town of wittenoom, in western australia, emerged in the 1940s and 50s around a profitable blue Asbestos Mine. Asbestos, a naturalfire retardant, was in high demand. But in wittenoom, people were unaware that raw asbestos could be lethal. Thousands died, and the town is now almost completely abandoned. Bronwen duke grew up there. People were warned, but they didnt take it seriously until people started to die. I lost both parents, both grandparents, my brother, three uncles, about four cousins that i can think of, and thats just the immediate family in my world. I was born in 1958 in the far north of western australia, in the pilbara, in a little town called wittenoom. The blue Asbestos Mine was the genesis of the town. Asbestos is a naturalfibre that is encased in rocks. They would extract the asbestos out of the mine, and the mill would actually then bag it and ready for shipment, and it was sent to all places around the world for the various things that they use asbestos for. Newsreel fire resisting, sound insulating product known as asbestos is a piece of rock. The practical uses of asbestos are very numerous. At least 18,000 articles are made of it. Ranging from packing for steam engines and linings for friction surfaces, to bulkheads for aeroplanes. There were a lot of immigrants that came into australia after the second world war. A lot of them were just looking forjobs, and there were jobs to be had in wittenoom. My dad was one of them. He was the jack of all trades. He used to drive the bus to take the guys from town to the mine every day. My mum and her sisters all met their husbands up there. It had all of the elements of a normal country town. They used to have race days, and there would be balls, and all sorts of social activities that everyone was involved in. But my parents were not aware of the dangers at all. I dont think a lot of the people in town were aware of the dangers. Asbestos fibres get into the lungs and those fibres can cause asbestosis or mesothelioma. It encases the lung in cancer and prevents it from breathing. In wittenoom asbestos wasnt confined to the mine. Asbestos was used in gardens, it was used on driveways, it was used up on the roads. It was literally everywhere. If you went out to play, as all small children do, youre playing in asbestos. One of the flying doctors flew into town and said, as soon he got there, he said we have to close this, this has to stop. Well, the mine was very profitable, so it was decided that that wasnt the case. It was 1966 before they actually closed the mine. But people had started to die. We left when my dad got sick. We now know in actual fact that he had asbestosis at that time. Its almost like having an asthma attack where you cant breathe and youre fighting to catch your breath. My mum and my brother died from mesothelioma. Theres just hundreds of people from wittenoom, that i know of, that have gone with mesothelioma or asbestosis. None of my family thats in their photo are alive. Theyre all gone. Every one of them. There is no compensation for taking away your parents. 0ryourfamily. Theres no justice in that at all. Nothing. Money does not bring them back. Money doesnt compensate for their death, or what you miss. Bronwen duke on the devastating legacy of asbestos in one western australian town. Remember, you can watch witness history every month on the bbc news channel, or you can catch up on all our films, along with more than 1,000 radio programmes in our online archive. Just Search Online for bbc witness history. Now to central america, and the civil war in el salvador. Throughout the 1980s, left wing rebels were fighting the us backed government. In 1989, government soldiers dragged six jesuit priests from their beds and murdered them. It changed the course of the war. The salvadoran government tried to blame the killings on the rebels. But one brave woman stood up to the authorities, providing important testimony that contradicted the official version. Lucia cerna told her story to witness history. The priests funeral took place at the university where they were murdered. They were el salvadors leading left wing intellectuals. Thousands came to mourn, not just for the dead men, but because theyd symbolised the hope that el salvador might one day become a country where power came from the ballot box and not from the barrel of a gun. Translation the priests were always on the side of the poor. Thats how they were. It still hurts to remember them and to remember what happened. I will keep telling this story until my dying days. I can never forget it. The Government Troops are fighting the biggest guerilla offensive since 1981. The rebels appear to have moved into the capital in force and have held position for more than 12 hours. Translation there were soldiers and rebels shooting all over the place. We couldnt go out, and food and water were running low. I was very nervous. I worked as a cleaner at the jesuit university. I called one of the priests, and asked if we could come and shelter on the campus with my husband and daughter. He said, yes, of course, come. It all happened just after midnight. We were woken up by the sound of gunfire near the entrance to the university. I got up and went to an open window to look out. I could see the shadows of men by the entrance to the rooms where the priests slept. They were soldiers. I heard one of the priests calling out, that it was an injustice. A disgrace. Then i heard shouting, and more shooting. After that, there was just silence. The killing that has caused the greatest outrage is the murder of the six catholic priests dragged from their beds and shot yesterday morning. Translation the government said it was the guerrillas who had killed them. But i said no, it was the army, and that id seen the soldiers. They did not like me saying that. After that, i was taken, with my husband and daughter, to the airport and put on a plane. Thejesuits said that they could not protect me in el salvador. I guess that i was there for a reason that night. Another person might have kept quiet and not spoken out. But as god says, you have to do something in this life, and i did something. Lucia cerna, on speaking out against the El Salvadoran government. Our final story is about a man whose work is said to help save a billion people from hunger and famine. In 1970, the american scientist Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering work developing disease resistant crops. At the time, famine and malnutrition were claiming millions of lives across the world. Dr borlaugs work meant countries like india were able to become self sufficient. Witness history hears from his friend, ronnie coffman. If the field is uniform, you get a general picture of what it is likely to yield. The man who fed the world. Norman borlaug, praised for saving more lives than anyone in human history. We were in the field, hard at work, and we looked up and saw a car. And dr borlaug said whoa, that looks like margaret. Margaret was his wife. And she gets out, she says norman, you won the nobel prize. He didnt really believe it. He comes back, and we go back to work. Obviously i am personally honoured beyond all dreams by this election, but the obligations imposed by the honours are far greater than the honour itself. He grew up on a farm in iowa, coming of age during the great depression. He saw a lot of breadlines, a lot of people out of work. He saw a lot of poverty. I think that set him on his career to do something that would benefit society. He started his work in mexico in the 1960s, developing high yielding disease resistant wheat that boosted harvests in what became known as the green revolution. He was trained as a plant pathologist, trying to protect plants from diseases, and specifically, to do something about the rust disease which was wiping out the crop in mexico. What is rust disease . Its a fungus, its carried in the wind. It is the worst plant disease in the world, so he set about to develop rust resistant wheat varieties. I was in my 20s at the time, he was in his 50s, but i had trouble keeping up with him. There are those who now say that food is not the problem, i say it will be a continuing problem. India is especially concerned. Over half its population extremely vulnerable to famine. India didnt have a chance of feeding their population. Tens of millions of people were dying from hunger, and malnutrition, so it was considered at the time a hopeless situation. The green revolution essentially eliminated famine. This did not necessarily solve all the problems of hunger, but it gave india a chance. His techniques did attract critics. The plants, it was said, were too reliant on chemicals, the farming too intensive. Butjust imagine in the absence of the green revolution what might have happened large numbers of hungry people, an environmental disaster. The figure that was always used was that dr borlaug saved a billion lives, and i think its probably true. Ronnie coffman, remembering his mentor dr Norman Borlaug and his revolutionary work to create new grains. That is all from witness history this month here at the Royal Academy. We will be back next month, with more first hand accounts of extraordinary moments in history. But for now, from me, and the rest of the witness history team, goodbye. Hello, it has been a day of big changes in our weather. The grey, gloomy, benign conditions of the last few days have been swept away by this band of cloud and rain. Behind that, a real change in the feel of the weather. Some cold air pushing in from the north west and you can see these speckled clouds on the satellite picture. A lot of showers waiting in the wings, some of which will be wintry. The colder air has brought more sunshine across parts of northern scotland, for instance, but also a scattering of hefty showers. And that is the sort of weather we can expect really over the next couple of days, rain clearing across the south east corner this evening and then some clear spells, and then here come those showers. Some real downpours in places, with hail and thunder, and across the northern half of the uk, where temperatures will be at their lowest, there is going to be some wintriness mixing in. Not only over the highest hills either. Even to relatively low levels, say down to as low as 100 metres in parts of scotland, we could see some snow. It is an awkward wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow that could give rise to some really icy conditions across parts of scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England for the monday morning commute. Further south wont be quite as cold, so most of the showers here will be falling as rain, or maybe a bit of hail included in those showers. Much of central and Eastern England will start the day dry, and for Eastern England and eastern scotland, they will have the lions share of the dry weather for the day. Still wintry in the north west, and quite a lot of snow piling up in the northern parts of scotland. And the showers really start to get going for wales and the south of england later in the day. It is a chilly day, quite a windy day. Those winds will strengthen through the evening, if anything, particularly for the english channel. Lots more showers to come, and it could be quite an icy start to tuesday morning. And then this little frontal feature could bring our next area of rain, sleet and hill snow. Quite a small feature, so uncertainty about exactly where it will turn up, but the northern parts of the uk could see some further wintry weather through the day on tuesday. It is again a day of sunshine and showers, quite a breezy day and highs of 8 degrees. So a cold start to the new working week, with snow and ice for some of us. Mid week it will turn a little bit drier, but then another change. It turns milder, but wetter for the end of the week. This is bbc news. The headlines at 5pm the death toll from the coronavirus in china rises to 56. Officials warn the spread of the virus is accelerating and the country faces a grave situation. As the United States announces plans to fly some of its citizens home, the Foreign Office is urging britons to leave the province where the outbreak began, and advising against further travel there. A member of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Panel resigns over links with the firm that supplied the tower blocks deadly cladding. More than 35 people are dead after the powerful earthquake in eastern turkey. More than 1,600 are injured. Three million brexit coins go into circulation on friday,