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>> and now, "bbc world news america." >> this is "bbc world news america" reporting from washington. making history in burma, hillary clinton dines with aung san suu kyi. syria's opposition and army defectors unite just as a top u.n. official announces the country is in a state of civil war. >> the right hon. gentleman knows that we had no choice but to close the pool. >> meryl streep takes on margaret thatcher on the big screen. she talks exclusively to the bbc about her role as the iron lady. >> i wanted to in some way

capture what ever it was that drew people to her. >> welcome to our viewers on pbs and around the globe. it is not too often that you get dinner with an icon of peace but today the u.s. secretary of state makes history when she had dinner with the nobel prize laureate, aung san suu kyi. hillary clinton is the most senior official to visit the country in more than half a century. where is the guarantee that this new openness will actually last? our reporter is traveling with mrs. clinton and her report has flash photography. >> an american secretary of

state shaking hands with the president's, thein sein. then a meeting with the opposition leader, aung san suu kyi. both were unthinkable merely months ago but this is a sign that things are changing. the burmese president laid out his program. he seems keen on the outs had expertise on this unfamiliar path towards change. -- he seemed keen on the outside expertise. the foreign ministers scored an invitation to visit washington. this is the beginning of a long process. >> we want to see political and economic reforms take hold and i told the leadership that we will certainly consider the easing and elimination of sanctions as we go forward in this process together. >> and this is the reason for

the very cautious optimism. for years, the burmese people have suffered terribly at the hands of the country's junta. hundreds of political prisoners are in jail and fighting continues. aung san suu kyi herself was only released from house arrest last year. she told mrs. clinton that it was important to reform the hands of the opposition and the government. she says she trusts the present. it is clear that not everyone in his entourage is on board with change. the american secretary of state said this would not be a solitary visit but the beginning of a long partnership between the united states and burma. this all depends on part whether the leadership can demonstrate that they are serious about reform. washington and the burmese

opposition will be watching president thein sein's every word. >> for more on the historic visit and what it goes for the future of the country come i'm joined by the former u.s. state bar and spokesperson. let's pick up on what was said to the end there, what is it that america would like to see that would reassure that these are for real? >> more action on political prisoners. they have released roughly 200 so far. there are roughly 2000 or so still and custody. also at system that is based on this. there is dialogue going on with the various ethnic groups that the government has been at war with for decades. that needs to mature into a cease-fire going forward. the u.s. expressed concerns today about burmese relationships with north korea.

a longstanding concern about missile issues. they want a commitment that that will relationship cease. >> what kind of carrot and the u.s. offer to encourage this? >> the u.s. will match actions with actions. the visit is a big deal. any time you're talking about the first visit in 50 years, this is historic. this gives the burma something of great significance. she announced small announcements today and initiatives and some activity with the u.n. and the imf. this opens the door and it reduces somewhat of the isolation that burma has felt for quite some time. going forward, things like improvements in relations. we could update to a full- fledged diplomatic relationship. the sanctions are something that obviously burma once. the longer this goes on, the

more things opened up. on a timetable going forward. what she wanted to do is to say, is this for real? looking at someone straight in the eye and saying, can they do it? >> what has motivated the changes we have seen so far. it is incredibly exciting to see hillary clinton meeting with aung san suu kyi. >> there was a meeting a few years ago to try to engage with countries like burma. finally, you have a leader who was willing to change the status quo. as the ask any report said, the real question is, while he seems committed to reform, how deep is it? aung san suu kyi seems to trust this reform. that would be very important in the u.s.. >> thank you for coming. syria is in a state of civil

war. that was a declaration from the u.n. the human rights chief says that 4000 people have been killed. the announcement comes at the same time that the main political opposition has joined forces with the forces of the syrian free army to work against president assad's government. >> opposition to president assad comes in many forms. there are those who campaigned oversees building diplomatic support for their cause. there are those who fight, risking all inside of syria. until now, there has been little connection between the former soldiers of the free syrian army and the academic uofficials of the syrian opposition group. now they have met and turkey and agreed to work together. the freak army recognizing the council's role in the

revolution and their non pilot program. they believe that their main job is to protect civilians and will resist provocation by the assad regime. they have formed a committee to coordinate their campaign. all of this is important to bring the armed wing of the opposition under the umbrella of the civilian council. can the stop the slide towards civil war? the problem is that many of those that have taken up arms are only loosely under the command of the free syrian army. they might not want to stop ambushing government forces. anchor in the syrian communities of the death the protesters would make it hard for the armed men to restrain themselves and the death toll is causing growing alarm. >> as soon as there was more and more defectors looking to take up arms, i have said this in august before the security council, that there is going to

be a civil war. at the moment, that is how i and characterizing. >> it is the prospect of the civil war that has cost turkey to bring these groups to get there. of fence on to the other side of the border are proving hard to predict. -- events on the other side of the border are proving hard to predict and control. >> the european union has tightened sanctions against iran following the storming of the british embassy in tehran on tuesday. 180 iranian companies and individuals have been blacklisted and there are plans for an oil embargo. there -- the plans highlight concerns over the country's nuclear program. the president of france nicolas sarkozy said that he and the

german chancellor, angela merkel, would seek a new european union treaty to have greater quarter nation in the economy. the recent crisis revealed major weaknesses in the european union and the block needed to be rebuilt. there is new evidence that the crisis in the eurozone stretches far beyond europe. we tend to think of china as economically indefensible but the world's second largest economy has seen their economy shrank because the eu is not importing as many goods. >> shanghai, china, the world's second-biggest economy. still growing fast while western economies stagnate. the eurozone is floundering under its debt and they are not buying as much chinese stuff. all those troubles some western

debts, some say that china is partly to blame. look at the extraordinary wealth that the chinese economic miracle has generated. the way that china has exported so much more than they import and they produce so much more than they consume. that puts the global economy on a fragile foundation because their money has been lent to us so that we can buy their stuff. in the process of debt in the u.s., the u.k., much of the eurozone has become an unsustainably large. just a few miles outside of chanshanghai is a farmer who was working in conditions of the sort we have not seen in britain for 100 years. the economic miracle has allowed his son to escape the poverty of the land. >> my son does not too far more land.

we live at the mercy of the elements which means that the income is not stable. my son does not want to work on a farm. >> because of the millions coming on the jobs market every year, tiny and -- chinese growth of 8% or more to prevent economic unrest. purchases of chinese products by western consumers probably will not deliver prosperity anymore. i asked some newly made billionaires' it the chinese themselves can be persuaded to spend more. >> yes, this has happened, consumption is growing at a faster rate than the economy. workers' wages have been improving and that will drive consumption. the older generation does not spend as much money but the younger generation has almost the same spending habits as their american counterparts. >> if the chinese engineer the

economy so that the chinese people consume more and save less, that would allow it to reconfigure our economy. we can hardly sell less to the economy whose future determines all of our future. >> china perhaps a bit less booming then you might think. as the u.s. prepares to bring home its troops, human rights groups say that the international community is preparing to abandon them. 10 years ago when the u.s. arrived to topple the taliban, improving the lot of women was cited as a major objectives. now, there are fears that all the progress will be lost. >> fashioning the new future for themselves and for their country. every single stitch is a testament to a fragile freedom. under the taliban, afghan women were trapped at home, and

educated and employed. move forward 10 years and they make up half of the work force at this company where they toiled alongside men. this woman says she is proud to be the breadwinner for her younger brothers. the company's founder worries about the outlook if there is reconciliation with the insurgents. >> none of the taliban have come forward to say i am a moderate and i believe differently. we are fully ourselves if we believe that the taliban have changed their mandate, their view has changed, their philosophy has changed. they have not changed. -- we are fooling ourselves if we believe that the taliban have changed. >> there are big plans for this business. they hope to begin exporting to the u.s. and europe and

eventually creating a few hundred jobs. all of this might be possible in the future of the future is not shaped by the taliban. in the areas under their control, women are still voiceless and defenseless. this woman is 25. her final moments are captured in this footage which emerged in january. for the crime of adultery, the taliban shot her. this is another of their targets. she is a prominent member of parliament who survived a taliban ambush on her car last year. this outspoken activist refuses to be silenced but she fears that afghan women could soon be abandoned by the international community which promised them so much. >> they have seen to turn their face on the woman's issue and they just want to say goodbye

and leave afghanistan. we have been outspoken about what want -- about what we want. >> her oldest daughter is studying hard. she would like to be an aerospace engineer, but she and her younger sister are afraid for themselves and their mother. they want a future outside of afghanistan. >> afghan women, the people who will pay the price when foreign forces pull out. you are watching "bbc world as america" still to come -- combating aids in the american south. elizabeth taylor was known for her glitz and glamour and announce some of hurt jules and close will be auctioned off in new york. -- and now some of her jewels

and clothes will be auctioned off in new york. >> the epitome of glamour. elizabeth taylor was a star. she married the actor richard burton twice and he showered her with diamonds. she was groomed to be a star from childhood. she was a product of the studio system. now, her spectacular collection of jewelry and clothing is for sale. if you have a few million dollars to spare, you could try your luck on this emerald and diamond necklace. as richard burton said, i introduced her to be here and she introduced me to bulgaria.

she and richard burton used to go shopping for jewelry in their down time. this ring was for every day, another gift of mr. burton. >> he thought it over for $300,000 which at that time was a huge amount of money. she wore it every single day. this is the piece that she was photographed the most with. she loved to where it. >> this is a glimpse into the lustrous life style of a hollywood actress of yesteryear. the entire collection is valued at $30 million. the auction house that the limit -- the auction house is hoping that elizabeth taylor factor will drive prices higher. >> we can beat this disease, that was president obama's about today as he spoke at an event marking world aids day turned

down there is growing evidence of a geographic divide in the battle against aids. a disproportionate number of re aiv- hpositive lived in southern states. we traveled to south carolina to explore why. >> they don't want to talk about it in church, they don't want to talk about it in the home, they don't want to warn their children. people don't want to talk about it. >> with the numbers continuing to be higher in the south, there is a need for people to say there is a problem and we need to address it up front. that has not happened yet. >> the cemeteries of south carolina. scores of those buried here died from hiv-aids. such is the stigma of the

disease many took the true cause of their debt to the grave. >> i have lost my sister, i've lost my niece, in-laws. >> this reverend is determined that the tragic truth is told. >> life still goes on. >> a pastor in a pentecostal church, she is one of the few to speak out about a disease that has overwhelmingly affected african americans. >> people find out that i pass out condoms, that shook clover. how can i be a woman of god and to give someone a condom. i said, i would prefer to give you a condom then recheck your funeral. >> the response was different.

>> in new york, the gays spoke up and they spoke up right away so officials had no choice but to respond. >> this journalist is the author of a book which chronicles the rev.'s story and the aids epidemic in the south. >> unless there was a major shift in the cultural attitudes, this will still continue to play to the south. >> a short drive from clover, this clinic treats some 450 people in the district who are hiv-positive. the staff says it is an uphill battle getting those at highest risk to seek advice entry bid. >> what we have seen are people who wait longer to come in and they get sicker. that adds to the epidemic because the the amount of virus in the community is higher. >> i don't want anyone to

experience this. they did not die a pretty death. if i can keep one family from going through the agony that we went through, then it is worth it. >> and out to a movie that is generating global buzz even before it hits the big screen. more than two decades after leaving downing street, margaret thatcher is being immortalized in a film on her life. meryl streep played the part and she spoke exclusively to us. >> whose fault is that? >> there might be only one market thatcher but she has had many imitators over the years. >> they cannot teach when there is no heating. >> now, meryl streep is taking a turn to wear the blue suit. what did she want to bring to

what is already a well-worn path? >> i wanted to in some way capture whatever it was that drew people to her and what ever it was that make peopleha a a special venom for her as a public figure. >> you turn if you want to. [laughter] [applause] the lady is not for turning. >> the most difficult thing i had to do was to find the breath to make my point but to make sure that you did not fit your point in at any point. another thing, milk has gone up. 49p a pint. >> meryl streep plays a key margaret thatchers, one is a leader, the other is a frail old

letter -- old lady with dementia. this is not easy. >> there is nothing to grant about her fate. there is a shakespearean element to it, like king lear or hamlet. >> oh, i love you. oh, my god. i always called it lear for girls. this is concerned with the end the game and how power diminishes in every capacity. >> here is a man who knows margaret thatcher well. he found meryl streep's performance totally convincing. his old boss is in old age with failing mental health. >> this is very controversial. margaret thatcher depicted as a feeble old lady, lonely, and some say hallucinating. i found it very painful to watch. if it was about my mother, i

would feel very unhappy about it. i do think that you can defend it as a work of art. >> how do you feel about doing it while she was still alive? >> i felt that if we did it in the right way, yes, it would be ok. members of my family have had dementia. there is a feeling that the walls are just more permeable between the present and the past. >> meryl streep has been nominated for oscars than any other actress, but it has been quite a while since she won. the iron lady might turn that around. >> merrill street. you have to have a quick listen to this. -- meryl streep. >> [singing] we can build a snowman

>> this is president obama singing "winter wonderland" for the tree lighting ceremony at the white house. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its global strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you?