this is bbc america, and now live from london, "bbc world news." >> hello, i'm david eades with "bbc world news." our top stories. president putin reassures russians. he says the economy will rebound and the ruble will stabilize. hollywood hands out poor reviews for sony as it cancels the release of a comedy about a fictional plot to kill north korea's leader. the mourning continues in pakistan for victims of the pesh war school attack after funerals are held for the children who were killed.

hello, thanks very much for joining us. a new berlin wall. that's how president putin described nato's recent actions against russia during his annual tv address to the nation, which has now been going on for two hours. mr. putin said the currency crisis was not a result of russia's annexation of crimea earlier in the year. he also insisted the ruble will stabilize. he did concede, nonetheless that the government and central bank could have acted more swiftly. we're just on some live pictures from that news conference, which is continuing, as mr. putin replies to a question from our own foreign affairs editor john simpson, who's just been given an opportunity to speak to the president.

1,200 journalists there with a chance to throw questions. there's john simpson. throw questions to mr. putin, as he has spelled out that the country still runs a surplus and that pensions and public sector pay will be protected during what he recognized to be an economic crisis, which he blamed to around about 20% to 30% on the effect of western sanctions on russia. earlier in the day, mr. putin had been telling russians that the country does have the reserves to cope with the situation, and that is, above all, the falling oil prices. the ruble has plummeted because of it. the sanctions over ukraine are certainly hurting. and he added that in the worst case scenario, it could take two years for the downturn to come to an end. >> translator: factors influence our situation. of course primarily the oil price and the gas price. and i think that the central

bank and the government are taking adequate measures in the currency situation. yes, there are some questions to the government. as to how timely their measures have been. but overall, they're quite adequate and moving in the right direction. i hope that what happened with the currency rate today and yesterday, some strengthening of the ruble will maintain. is it possible? yes, it is possible. are the oil prices dropping? yes, it's possible. >> let's just listen in to what mr. putin is saying. and he is still responding to john simpson's question. >> translator: we want equal relations, yes, we do want them. but in condition of respect of our national interests, in

security and the economy. for 19 years, we have been talking of downing world trade organization. we made compromises and we have seen that these agreements were solid. i'm not going to say who's right and who's to blame here. i think that we are right in the ukrainian crisis and i said that many, many times. i think that our western partners are not right. but let's leave that aside. okay, we joined wto, but in violation of all these rules, and united nations stated now there are sanctions against russian economy. one-sided, illegal. are we not right here? we want to develop equal, normal relations in security and terrorism. we'll continue working on nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. we will continue to work together on such threats as

drugs, organized criminality, infectious diseases, including ebola. yes, we want to continue to work together, including the economic sphere. if our partners want that. >> president putin there taking the questions, not least from the bbc, of course, and the bbc's moscow correspondent sarah rainsford is across all of what has been -- or is turning into a suitable marathon performance. does it go beyond the president essentially trying to reassure russians is not insurmountable, they'll be okay? >> well, i certainly think that's what his advisers will have been telling him is his

main priority, should be his main focus in this press conference. it's what some of the newspapers were asking for this morning of their headlines, saying all their hopes from president putin as the ruble's been sliding, people wanting to know what he planned to do, how he planned to keep russia afloat, if you like. so i think yes, certainly, the idea from mr. putin was to send a message of calm to the people of russia, to prevent a major panic here, a major run on the ruble, and to try to set out some kind of plan for how russia can pull through this crisis. what he's come up with is a bit of reassurance and some warnings for a difficult future. he's talked about the fact that, for example, he said there will be a budget surplus this year. he's talked about the central bank. on the whole, he said, acting in an adequate manner, taking the right measures. so supporting the central bank

in its latest interventions to defend the ruble. but he has warned the russians that there will be difficult times ahead. he said in a worst possible scenario, this crisis could last for two years, but he insisted at the end of that, russia will pull through, the economy will recover, russia will rebound. >> on this sort of diplomatic front, and john simpson was putting a point to president putin there as well, do you get any sense that there is an opportunity now for more between russia and the west? because a lot of the rhetoric was pretty powerful in terms of blaming the west, wasn't it? >> i'd say the public rhetoric ha hasn't changed much. president putin was strong again, talking about blaming the west for being aggressive in its policies towards russia, not vice versa, saying, for example, when john simpson asked him about fighter jets crossing into

foreign air space in a threatening manner, he said well, the americans have never stopped doing that until the end of the cold war, we stopped until two years ago, who's the problem here? saying that russia does want to develop normal relationships with the west. mr. putin said russia will continue to cooperate in the fight against terrorism, in the fight against nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and so on and so forth, and that russia is still prepared to cooperate with the west in the economic sphere, too, if the west so wants that. but of course, the big issue between russia and the west at the moment is the issue of ukraine. we have seen some suggestion of a softening in the president's rhetoric on ukraine, talking about the need for united political space in ukraine, east

and west ukraine united, but still talking about a coup in kiev and about the ukrainian military being responsible for the violence in the east, not admitting to russian responsibility there as well. >> sarah, thanks very much indeed. that's been going on for two hours now, president putin, and it is still going. but of course, so many ramifications. not just for russia about the effect of the global economy. aaron, that boils down at the moment above all to the price of oil. >> russia's economy, it all hinges on where the price of oil is going. and doesn't look like they're going up any time soon. a line hot off the press in the last half-hour from saudi arabia's oil minister. of course, the biggest producer of the opec cartel. he says it is difficult or even impossible for saudi arabia or opec to lead to any measures. saudi arabia doesn't want to cut their oil output and see others outside of the cartel take up the market share.

so that means oil prices will probably remain low for some time, certainly as you've been hearing, president putin has tried to down play the fears over the russian economy. in his annual address, as david said, he is still talking. he blamed the dramatic drop in the value of the ruble on outside forces but he says russia's central bank should not use its near $420 billion of reserves to prop up the currency. of course, it comes after we've a hugely turbulent time for the russian ruble, which is down around 45% against the dollar so far this year. at one point, as low as 50%. the main problem for russia, as i've been mentioning, falling crude oil prices, which is their biggest revenue. that's how russia gets most of its money. brent crude oil has dropped to this, around the $61 a barrel mark. whilst mr. putin pointed out that russia's economy grew in the first ten months, the first ten months of this year. the prediction now is for a significant recession next year. down possibly by 0.8 of a

percent, and the crisis isn't over yet. so we're going to have a lot more coming up on "gmt" in just over an hour's time. but the plunge in the price of oil has -- well, look, yeah, it's been a bonus. it's been a bonus for drivers and energy consumers around the world, but it has caused havoc for oil-producing countries, driving down the value of their currency. yes, of course, the biggest loser has been russia, but that ruble crisis has had a knock-on effect on emerging economies across the globe. let me show you some of the damage being done so far. despite moscow's attempts to support the ruble, it still loss around half to the u.s. dollar. that's since the beginning of this year, it's not the only one. the brazilian real is at its lowest in ten years. it's down some 13% this year. the turkish lira is at a record low, down almost 10%. nigeria's currency is also at a record low. it's lost some 13% of its value. again, so far this year.

what does it mean for these countries. imported goods? they buy in. means it's a lot more expensive to buy that stuff. also the government finances are under increasing pressure. we're going to have more on that from around the world. again, coming up on "gmt," as i said, in just over an hour's time. lots going on. follow me on twitter. tweet me. i'll tweet you back. that's it with the business for now. plenty more throughout the rest of the day. thanks a lot. let's go to pakistan now, where mass funerals are being held for victims of the peshawar school attack, as the country still tries to come to terms with this appalling tragedy. schools, businesses, markets, they all remain closed in mourning for the victims of the massacre carried out by the taliban. 132 school children, eight teachers, all killed in that attack. our pakistan correspondent shaiimar khalil has been speaking to one of the students. >> the people have been gathering here, many students

who have come here in solidarity and support of their fellow students who have been attacked by taliban militants. i'm here with one student who saw all of this happen. thank you so much for speaking to me. >> translator: i am 18 years old. this was my last year. i'm about to graduate when this happened. >> reporter: there's still a bit of blood on your jacket. >> translator: my shoulder. it's all bloodstains. >> what happened? >> translator: i came downstairs. i saw these three gunmen. one of them, he just shot at me. with a pistol. i ducked underneath a wall. and i stared for at least five minutes. i took refuge in a classroom. i stayed there for at least one hour and 30 minutes.

kept getting, you know, injured guys from the auditorium. my brother wasn't even in the auditorium. so i don't know what he was doing or where he was. i didn't know even if he was alive or not. >> reporter: standing here outside the gate where this happened, describe to me what you're feeling now. >> i'm still geared up. i want to go in. i want to enter those classrooms. i want to enter that auditorium where we used to sit and study. they cannot defeat us. we are still up. >> reporter: do you think that you'll come back to the school? >> definitely. that's why i'm wearing my uniform. that is why i am here. >> reporter: many, many thanks. this is a message of defiance and it's also a message of support. many students have come here in their uniforms, saying despite the school behind me being a scene of utter devastation, they are determined to go back to school. >> real fortitude. shaimaa khalil there. now to some pretty serious

stuff for what's meant to be a comedy. sony pictures have decided they're not going to release their satirical movie about a plot to kill kim jong un. it's called "the interview." a group of hackers warned people they shouldn't watch the movie and rather spooked cinemas by threatening 9/11-style attacks if the film was screened. the threat came from a group called "the guardians of peace." they hacked sony's systems last month, they leaked some movies. they also leaked embarrassing e-mails from within the company, criticizing stars including angelina jolie and george clooney. today, though, some of the stars have been speaking out. steve carell tweeted, sad day for creative expression at sony's decision not to put the film out. the writer aaron sorkin described the cancellation as a pretty horrible precedent to set. with more from hollywood, here's alistair leithead.

>> reporter: there's been speculation that north korea has been behind the cyber attack on sony, since the details of the attack first emerged. it's targeted their christmas comedy "the interview" and its controversial plot line. >> you want to go kill kim jong un? >> totally. >> reporter: it's already had a devastating impact on sony pictures with confidential data leaks. but when hackers threatened a terror attack on cinemas showing the film, even government reassurance didn't help. as soon as the threat was made, sony picture s gave cinemas the choice wlorpt to run the film. overwhelmingly they decided not to given the security concerns, which left little choice other than to bow to the hackers demands and not release the film. the company reacted with a statement, calling the hack an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. cinema-goers have been shaken by the threat of violence. >> we'll be vigilant. if we see something we think is serious and credible, then we'll

alert the public, but for now, my recommendation would be that people go to the movies. >> reporter: if the fbi finds a clear link to north korea, this becomes far bigger than just the cost of cancelled movies and corporate crime. alistair leithead, bbc news in hollywood. >> from hollywood, let's go to seoul now. the bbc's steve evans is there for us. steve, it's an extraordinary state of affairs really, this whole story. is there a north korean response yet? >> reporter: no. silence. but they've said enough in the run-up to this. they promised before the hacking of sony pictures that there would be merciless retaliation. they called the making of the film an act of terrorism, so there's no doubt that they were angry about it. also, they've got previews in this case. they hacked -- shown to have hacked south korean tv channels. so there is a lot of

circumstantial evidence pointing towards north korea. it has denied that it was involved in that hack, its denials have been equivocal. they've said we didn't do it, but we can quite understand why this righteous act was committed. so all the assumption is that it was north korea, but without that final element of proof. >> steve, we've got hollywood stars left, right, and center condemning the sony decision, if you like, saying it's an attack on freedom of expression, etc. can you just give us a sense, though, as to how offensive this idea of the film against kim jong un is felt in north korea? >> well, it's hard to know what is officials reacting to what he think he might feel and the common people. i'm not convinced the common

people were outraged by this film, if they even knew about it. but if you have a despot like kim jong un, presumably the people around him react for him early, as it were. and one imagines that somebody said, that's film about the supreme leader, we don't like that, he won't like it, we need to react. now, if you've seen the trailers of the film, he comes over as a bit of a lad, maybe a buffoon. it's a comedy. a lot of people wouldn't have heard of this film had there not been that reaction. >> steve, thanks very much indeed. steve evans. do stay with us here on "bbc world news." still to come in the program, three men go on trial in myanmar accused of insulting the buddhist religion, after a picture of buddha was used to promote a drinks event. we'll get the latest on that.

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you're watching "bbc world news" with me, david eades. the latest headlines. president putin speaks to the nation. he sends a message of reassurance as russia's economy struggles to cope with falling oil prices and western sanctions. sony faces counterterrorism after cancelling the planned release of a film about a fictional plot to kill north korea's leader. that followed threats from hackers. out of myanmar, a new zealand bar manager and two burmese men have appeared in court accused of insulting the buddhist religion. they were arrested after posting an image on facebook. it featured a psychedelic picture of buddha wearing large headphones, all to promote a drinks event. if they're convicted, they could face up to two years in prison. from yangon, here's jonah fisher. >> reporter: this is one of the more up market neighborhoods here in yangon, and until a week ago, this was one of the newest

bars. it was a tappas bar, but as you can see, it's now been closed down. it's all shuttered up. and the reason for that is a picture which the management here posted on their own facebook page. i'm not going to show you the picture for fear of being prosecuted myself, but it's a picture of the buddha with big headphones on surrounded by psychedelic pictures and he's advertising a buddha bar event involving cheap drinks. now, that picture went viral on facebook. there were lots of complaints. and then someone got in touch with the police. the management of the bar, philip blackwood from new zealand and two burmese colleagues were arrested, and today forced very publicly to walk the final few hundred meters to court. for the last week, they've been held in yangon's most notorious prison. the men have been charged on two counts. firstly, insulting the buddhist religion. and secondly, maliciously insulting.

each of those charges carries with it a maximum penalty of two years in prison. journalists aren't allowed in court and are forced to listen at windows. so it later became clear that a third charge related to causing public offense had been added. its penalty, an additional six months. the men pleaded not guilty to all the charges and have on facebook issued a profuse apology. that was rejected by the monks and buddhist groups outside court. >> translator: that picture insults buddhism. it barely portrays the buddha's image, but we're upset. it's good the authorities took immediate action. >> reporter: buddha was a compassionate man. would he have not had forgiveness for someone who admitted they made a mistake? >> we'll just wait and see. there are specific rules and regulations that will decide what they get. >> reporter: mr. blackwood and his fellow defendants were

returned to prison. they'll appear in court again next week. under burmese law, this offense is so serious that there's no point even applies for bail. jonah fisher, bbc news, yangon. just one or two other stories i want to bring to you. the largest colombian rebel group has called an indefinite unilateral cease-fire from saturday. the announcement was made in cuba where the farc has been holding peace talks. the rebels say the cease-fire will only be suspended if they come under attack by the armed forces. in mexico, at least 11 people have been killed in a shootout between vigilante groups. the two rival groups clashed, they are locals trying to protect themselves from drug cartels. earlier in the year, the government did try to gain control of these vigilantes by integrating them into a rural police force. to nazareth in israel, as the festive celebrations are under way now with the lighting

of a 20-meter-high christmas tree. hundreds of people watched as the bells rang out and fireworks went off over the city, which of course christians believe to be the childhood home of jesus. bells ringing out in the church on wednesday as celebrations also began in the city of nazareth. we'll leave you with these pictures here on "bbc world news." you park your car.

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make the best entertainment part of your holidays. catch all the hottest handpicked titles on the winter watchlist, only with xfinity from comcast. i'm david eades with "bbc world news." our top stories. president putin delivers his annual address to the nation with a comforting message for russians -- the economy will rebound, he says. and the ruble will stabilize. sony faces criticism after cancelling the release of a comedy about a fictional plot to kill north korea's leader. the mourning continues in pakistan for victims of the peshawar school attack after mass funerals are held for the children who were killed. and obesity can be

considered a disability. that's according to a new ruling from the european court of justice after a danish man said he was unfairly sacked because of his weight. thanks for joining us. a new berlin wall. that's how president putin has described nato's recent actions against russia during his annual tv address to the nation, which has been going on for well over nearly two and a half hours now. mr. putin said the current currency crisis was not a result of russia's annexation of crimea earlier in the year. he also insisted the ruble will stabilize despite dramatic falls in recent weeks. he did concede, though that the government and central bank could have acted more swiftly. we have some pictures for you of

the news conference. there are 1,200 journalists also who have been invited, and many of them have had a chance to put a question to the president, including our foreign affairs editor john simpson, as he has not only defended the position of himself and the government, but also had some very harsh words for the sanctions placed against russia by the west. sanctions which he said were 25% to 30% responsible for russia's economic crisis. well, that news conference goes on. but earlier on, mr. putin told russians the country did have sufficient reserves to cope with the financial situation of dealing with falling oil prices, depreciating ruble and sanctions over ukraine. he added that in the worst case scenario, it could take two years for the downturn to turn around. >> translator: economic factors

influence our situation. of course primarily the oil price and the gas price. i think that the central bank and the government are taking adequate measures in the currency situation. yes, there are sanctions, as to how timely their measures have been. but overall, they are quite adequate and moving in the right direction. i hope that what happened with the currency rate today and yesterday, some strengthening of the ruble. is it possible? yes, it is possible. the oil prices keep dropping, yes, it's possible. >> president putin. i'm joined now by bbc russia. i just want to say, a line has

dropped from reuters here, an eu official saying the european union is adopting tighter investment options on crimea, so the pressure is certainly not off. i suppose given some of the rhetoric we've heard in the last two, two and a half hours, it's a mutual feeling. there's no give at the moment. >> i noticed that mr. putin looked very confident at that press conference and he insisted that crimea was not the problem. the problem was that russia had existential fight for its sovereignty and national interests, and the sanctions are part of that fight. >> he also said, didn't he, that there was a need for restructuring if russia. had been for 20 years. the government had failed to do so so far, if indeed restructuring was possible. but what might he be talking about in terms of restructuring? >> well, partly, he is putting blame. many specialists believe the abrupt increase in the basic rate in russia was really a mistake.

he thinks that it wasn't a mistake. it was timely and it was the right decision. what he also said, that there's a differential of different other bank percentage points for different businesses. if you have a business plan, you come to a bank and you won't get your credit for 16.5%. you will have 9% for credit. or even 6%, depending on what kind of project that is. the problem is there are no projects and people don't come to the banks and don't want credits for development. >> right. because in the short term, he seems to be able to say look, we're running a surplus here. which let's be honest. any western nations can't boast that sort of thing. we've got enough money to cope for covering pensions, for public sector wages as well. that all sounds quite rosy. it can't last. >> it will last for two, maximum three years, and then, if there's no structural change, then things will shift. >> perhaps that is why there is still so much that he has to say about this berlin wall going up

again, the west trying to encoach all the time on their borders. >> absolutely. we expected that he would say something new about the relationship with the west. the other point which i think is very interesting is when there was a question referring to elites. so how he would build his relationship with the national elite. what mr. putin said was farmers are the elite. the farmers are the elite. brokers are the elite. that shows that he works -- and his words are for a very certain constituency in russia. he makes sure that that constituency supports him. >> they might like the sound of that, but to a certain extent, it's skirting around the question. thanks very much indeed. president putin is still talking. in fact, we can listen back in

to what he has to say. just got one question from a journalist here. >> translator: she's not saying the right things. never violated any constitution. you lied shamelessly. i was not stopping you from asking your question. >> well, we've just got caught up in what looks like a local disagreement between the journalists there, but i think president putin will have made most of his most salient points in the course of the last two and a half hours, so i'm going to switch our focus now to pakistan, where mass funerals have been held for the victims of the school attack in peshawar, as the country still tries to come to terms with this appalling tragedy.

schools, businesses, markets, they're all closed again in mourning for the victims of the massacre which was carried out by the taliban. 132 school children, eight teachers killed in that attack. our pakistan correspondent shaimaa khalil has been speaking to one of the students who was at the school at the point the attack took place. >> reporter: the people have been gathering here outside the gate of the army public school for the day, putting flowers, paying respects, lighting candles. many of these people are students who have come here in solidarity and support of their fellow students who have been attacked by taliban militants. i am here with one student who saw all of this happen. thank you so much for speaking to me. >> i am 18 years old. this was my last year. i am about to graduate. >> reporter: and i am standing here with you looking at your uniform, and there's still a bit of blood on your jacket.

>> yeah, if you can please show my shoulders. it's bloodstains. >> reporter: what happened? >> i came downstairs. i was having my examination. i saw these three gunmen coming in. one of them, he just shot at me with a pistol. i ducked underneath a wall and stayed there for at least five minutes. i took refuge in a classroom. i stayed there for at least one hour and 30 minutes. getting, you know, injured guys from the auditorium. my brother one even in the auditorium. so i don't know what he was doing and where he was. i didn't know even if he was alive or not. >> standing here outside the gate where this happened, describe to me what you're feeling now. >> i'm still geared up. i want to go in. i want to enter those classrooms. i want to enter the auditorium where we used to sit and study. we are still up. they cannot defeat us. we are still up. >> reporter: do you think that you'll come back to the school? >> definitely. that's why i'm wearing my

uniform and that's why i am here. that is why i am here. >> reporter: many, many thanks. this is a message of defiance and it's also a message of support. many students have come here in their uniforms and saying despite the school behind me being a scene of utter devastation, they are determined to go back to school. >> shaimaa khalil reporting. now to what is pretty serious stuff really for a comedy. sony pictures have decided they won't release their satirical movie called "the interview." a group of hackers are warning they shouldn't go watch the movie by threatening 9/11 style attacks if theaters chose to screen the film. that threat came from the group that calls itself guardians of peace. they're the ones who hacked sony's systems last month. you may remember they leaked some movies. they also leaked e-mails from within the company which proved embarrassing for stars like angelina jolie, and indeed

george clooney. some in hollywood, though, have criticized sony's decision to pull the film. steve carell tweeted, sad day for creative expression. also the writer aaron sorkin described the cancellation as a pretty horrible precedent to set. here's alistair leithead. >> reporter: there's been speculation that north korea has been behind the cyber attack on sony, since the details of the attack first emerged. it's targeted their christmas comedy "the interview" and its controversial plot line. it's already had a devastating impact on sony pictures with confidential data leaks. but when hackers threatened a terror attack on cinemas showing the film, even government reassurance didn't help. as soon as the threat was made, sony pictures gave cinemas the choice whether or not to run the film. overwhelmingly, they decided not to given the security concerns,

which left so little choice other than to bow to the hackers' demands and not release the film. the company reacted with a statement, calling the hack an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. cinema goers have been shaken by the threat of violence. >> we'll be vigilant. if we see something that we think is serious and credible, then we'll alert the public, but for now, my recommendation would be that people go to the movies. >> reporter: if the fbi finds a clear link to north korea, this becomes far bigger than just the cost of cancelled movies and corporate crime. alistair leithead, bbc news in hollywood. >> i've also been speaking to the hollywood journalist jeannie wolf, she was in our l.a. bureau. >> they're unhappy, they're disappointed and they're very afraid. people are afraid that this could set a precedent. people are afraid that a mere threat of cyber attack or a mere

threat of violence in the theaters could change the artistic freedom of how movies are produced in america. i know that sounds farfetched, but this has been very frightening and nobody can remember any situation in which a studio has completely pulled a film because of a cyber attack. >> it doesn't sound that farfetched. this is pretty much unprecedented. i wonder, though, given some of the threats that were laid at the door of cinemas who might want to screen this film, whether they felt they had a choice. >> i don't think they fell they had a choice. the holiday film season is very important economically in hollywood. and the idea that there would be metal detectors or increased security wouldn't give people comfort when they went to the movies. i think it would increase the fear. and i don't think then after that, after the movies, after

many of the theater owners decided not to run the movie, sony felt that it had a choice. however, that loss of choice is what is spreading fear in hollywood. >> i suppose there's one thought about this film, which is it pulls no punches, does it? it's satirical. it has a dig at a man who leads a country after all. is there a point at which a line should be drawn under the levels of satire, of fun poking that can go on in cinema? >> i've seen this movieing and it is very funny at the beginning. yes, it goes far at the end, but when you're a comedian, you know, you want to be emphatic. it gets dark. it gets bloody at the end. and certainly, there is plenty to be offended about. >> the latest there from hollywood. do stay with us here on "bbc world news." still to come in the program, the buddhist bug. how a cambodian-american performance artist is using her

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you're watching "bbc world news." i'm david eades. these are the latest headlines. president putin speaks to the nation. he sends a message of reassurance as russia's economy struggles to cope with falling oil prices, and western sanctions. sony faces counterterrorism after cancelling the planned release of a film about a fictional plot to kill north korea's leader. it all follows threats by hackers. the european court of justice has ruled that obesity can be considered a disability, but obese employees do not merit special protection. the court was adjudicating in the case of a danish care worker who says he was sacked unfairly

because of his weight. with me now is our legal affairs correspondent clive coleman. you better explain this one, clive. >> let me tell you a little bit about the case. this danish man, he was some 25 stone in weight. he had a bmi of 54. he was dismissed from his job, he said, on grounds of his obesity. the danish government referred the case to the european court of justice, which, as you know, is the court whose rulings are definitive on matters of eu law, and binding on all member states. so this was a judgment that was eagerly awaited by employees around europe. now, what the court has done -- and i should say, by the way, that in july of this year, there was a written opinion from the advocate general of that court that said in effect that what is sometimes known as morbid or complex and severe obesity could be considered to be a disability. and that was assessed on the basis that someone has a bmi of

over 40. what the court's done today, it hasn't made a direct lung between the bmi and disability, but what it has said is that if an employee is obese and is hindered in doing their job because of their obesity, then they can be considered to be disabled and what that means for employers is that they need to make special, reasonable adjustments. >> that was what i was going to ask. if he's considered disabled and therefore unable to complete the task that he was employed for, it seems reasonable for an employer to say you can't do the job. >> yeah, well, it's not. what the employer has to do is make reasonable adjustments so that you can do the job, so that you're on a level playing field with everyone else. this could mean, for instance, bigger chairs. it could mean having car parking that's closer to the building. it may mean that someone is restricted in being given walking duties.

this also affects service providers. restaurants, shops, cinemas. they will also be under a duty to make reasonable adjustments as well for those circumstances. it's very difficult. as a shop owner, you don't really know who is going to walk through the door. it may be that special seating arrangements need to be put in place. >> so there's a precedent here, but to what extent do you think this grows? he's an extreme case, isn't he? >> i'm not sure. we know that obesity is a real issue. i think what it does do is that it is a very clear statement from this very, very senior court that they need to watch this. in appropriate cases, it will be done on a case by case basis, but reasonable adjustments need to be made. it also means that such employers must be protected from verbal harassment.

i think it's raising fingers as far as obesity is concerned. a so-called humorous comment about a wheelchair, but they might against someone overweight. you think that might change as a result of this. >> very interesting. thank you very much. greece is bracing itself for more political and economic turmoil. the country's parliament has failed to agree on a new president and that means a general election could be in the au offing. if a deal suspect reached soon, greeks will go to the polls. from athens, chris morris reports. >> reporter: arriving at parliament to vote or not for the country's next president. greek mps know they could force a snap general election. inside the chamber, only 160 voted in favor of the government's presidential candidate. 20 short of the number they

need. this was only the first round of voting, but the whiff of early elections is already in the air. earlier, a protest in the athens rain. public sector workers who have been laid off marched towards parliament with their baerns and slogans. close to christmas, but not much seasonal cheer.nners and slogans. close to christmas, but not much seasonal cheer. >> right now in greece, there are more than 1.5 million people unemployed, so we're there for them in order to fight to stop this situation. >> translator: i would like to see a radical transformation. we would like to live as humans and to have our society change. it's bleeding now. >> reporter: the government talks of recovery and future potential, but the economic situation is still very fragile, and the financial markets have not reacted well to the procespt of political uncertainty. >> the markets are nervous because greek politicians are

nervous. and unfortunately, we've been through this situation of having a glimmer of hope, and then being overturned by political developments twice or three times already since 2010. so it's sort of grimly familiar, unfortunately. >> there will still be two more rounds of voting here in parliament and there are bound to be plenty of plots behind the scenes, but the betting is the government will fail to elect a president and greece will be heading for an early general election in the new year. it's an election that the radical left-wing alternative will be favorite to win. chris morris, bbc news, athens. a question for you. can art help answer questions about religion, identity and difference, and more specifically, can it find common ground for buddhists, muslims and political extremists? those are the questions which a cambodian performance artist is

trying to address with her work. it's called the buddhist bug series and it's being shown in the cambodian capital phnom penh. here's her story. >> my name is anida yoeu ali. and i am an artist working and living in phnom penh, cambodia, which is formerly home to my parents. i was born in 1973, before the regime came into power and i was one of the lucky children because i was too small to be enlisted into being a child soldier, because they were recruiting all of the little ones through their propaganda to continue being part of the killing machine. we left when the borders reopened in 1979. we were one of the lucky

families that didn't stay too long in the refugee camps, so we sent word to my relatives in thailand. they were able to tell my grandfather in the u.s., and then he was able to sponsor us quite immediately to america. my family is of mixed heritage. we are malaysian, chom, thai. i feel like i grew up more muslim than i did cambodian. i was more surrounded by other muslims, by indians and pakistanis and arabs and egyptians. for me, issues of identity have always been something i've been struggling with. this issue of assimilation has always come to the forefront.

it's not about trying to blend and pass yourself as someone who is part of mainstream culture, but it's actually your difference should work for you. your difference is what makes you who you are. that's what you see in the buddhist bug series. it's a work that uses humor and elements of science fiction to really talk about otherness and to talk about difference and what it feels like to be that other, to be that creature of difference. >> certainly different. now, let me just take you back to president putin, who is currently addressing a question about iran. he's been going for three hours plus now in his news conference. the annual end of the year

address to about 1,200 journalists, and it's focused largely on the economic conditions in russia at the plight of the ruble, which has been dropping through the floor in recent weeks, and of course, as has the value of oil, which is russia's main commodity. and that just goes on. that's it for now here on "bbc world news."

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hello. thanks for joining us on "gmt" on "bbc world news." i'm lucy hockings. our top stories. should sony have cancelled the release of a movie about the assassination of north korea's leader? >> you are entering into the most dangerous country on earth. >> cinemas are refusing to show it after hackers warned the public against going to see it. hollywood a-listers are furious. washington blames north korea. they may only be 90 miles apart, but with the ocean of mistrust between america and cuba be