>> president obama hailed the ratification of a new arms treaty with russia. >> this is the most significant arms agreement in nearly two decades. it will make us safer and reduce our nuclear arsenals. >> the u.n. warns the every coast may be heading once more for civil war. >> we join the secret mission to keep a convoy of dangerous nuclear material out of criminal hands. the two and a half ton of radioactive materials which could be used for a nuclear bomb. >> welcome to "bbc news". the russian agent anna chapman gets a new role in the youth movement.

evidence of another human species is discovered. >> barack obama had major achievements to talk about. he signed the bill which allows gays and lesbians to use in the u.s. military without having to keep their sexuality secret. he won support for the latest nuclear weapons treaty with russia. he has been hosting a press conference. our north american editor reports. >> a broad smile from the president. his party has not had much reason to celebrate after a crushing election defeat. today, in the dying days of congress, the victory is a sheer delight. a battle liberals will be

fighting for generations. >> thank you. >> you are welcome. this is a good day. >> gay people can survive in the military and be open about their sexuality. >> we are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot. we believe all men and women are created equal. >> bill clinton vowed to get rid of the ban. in the face of firm opposition from the forces, the state introduced a queasy compromise. don't tell, don't ask, troops told don't tell. >> i plan to serve my country in some capacity. we are fighting to force in defense of our country. it is something near and dear to my heart. >> at the tail end of the

session, another victory. >> the resolution is agreed to. >> final approval for the start treaty. some republicans are being disgusted -- are disgusted. >> he is doing it with a body that does not have the mandate of the voters and many people will not be returning next year. it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of political opponents. >> he held a quick news conference before heading off to hawaii for christmas. he hopes working with his opponents will change his ratings. >> there will be tough fights in the years ahead. my hope heading into the new year is we can he the message of the american people. and hold to a spirit of common purpose in 2011 and beyond. >> this is the end of the chapter. the president has said in the

last two years, this congress has been among the most productive in history. just before christmas, this lame duck session has laid him a couple of fine golden eggs. >> one major concern about nuclear weapons is the risk of nuclear material going astray. the secret convoy of such material just arrived in russia. it has crossed year before month. its route was classified to avoid being hijacked. it could be used to make a dirty bomb. it has been part of a scheme to get nuclear material to a safe place. our correspondent was the only journalist allowed to follow it. >> the secret operation in the desert -- dead of night. tight security preparing for the most deadly of cargo. inside is nuclear material. the type terrorists have wanted to get their hands on. at 2:00 a.m., the president of

serbia turns up in the woods outside belgrade. >> week have a significant security -- we have a si significant -- a significant security here. >> we were taken to see the aging reactor where the material was stored. >> this is -- >> russia and america supplied many countries with highly enriched uranium. here it came in the form of these fuel rods. getting this material back and to safety has become a top priority. because of its poor security, this was topped a list. behind me, a convoy of trucks, beginning in odyssey across europe. 2.5 tons of radioactive material, including highly

enriched uranium which could be used for nuclear bomb. >> as the convoy heads through the gates, we joined it as it makes its way north. snaking through the deserted belgrade. roads have been closed and guards lined the route. the journey, which will take more than four weeks and uncover -- and cover more than 7,000 miles begins in belgrade and to the border. the containers are loaded onto a train. as well as highly enriched uranium. they carried spent fuel rods. something al qaeda has been looking for to make radioactive so-called dirty bomb. >> if you had a small fuel element which would be highly radioactive, and you grab a couple of sticks of dynamite around it, you could slip it into your purse or backpack and it makes a very interesting dirty bomb which would create havoc in any city. >> of this cargo is the largest of its type ever move.

it is too big and too dangerous to fly by air. this journey has taken five years of planning. the train travels for nearly 24 hours across hungary. its destination is the port in slavonia. the material is loaded on to this ship for a 20 day journey. it will be tracked at every stage along the way. somali pirates tried to hijack this ship blaster and there were no guards on board. it will be closely watched. this is part of a wider ambition. >> this is the sixth country we have cleared out of highly enriched uranium. there are several more countries will need to clean out before now and the end of the four-year plan. >> it makes its way through the english channel, headed for the russian port. some countries would not

provide permission for it to pass through. the material travels by train to a secure nuclear facility where it has arrived today. we agreed not to report their route to i and -- the route for in its completion for fear of attack. >> more top stories for you. european airports are dealing with the backlog of passengers left stranded. schedules are returning to normal. more cancellations and delays are possible. they are working hard to get back to business as usual. striking transport workers at athens, bringing it to a standstill. more tax on a country already

facing austerity measures. the police fired tear grasgas to disperse the crowd. the ivory coast is on the brink of civil war. that is the assessment from the united nations. the world has been almost unanimous in pressing laurent gbagbo to step down. his backers accused u.n. of meddling. here is our correspondent on what happened today and what it means for the region as a whole. >> un peacekeeping mandate has been extended. the un says things are getting more dangerous. they protect the hotels,

sheltering the opposition government of alassane ouattara. thein the eyes of gbagbo's supporters, the rebels. >> we see the strategy to promotvoke the mission. we are sending appeals. [unintelligible] unity personenel are out of therheir home. >> he said there should be no

doubt he has won the election. >> the head of the electoral commission went to the hotel, the headquarters of my challenger. going against all the laws of our country, he announced the results of the elections which were incorrect. the international community has accepted these results and declared war on the ivory coast. prexy has the support of the constitutional council. >> he has the support of the constitutional council. international reports [unintelligible] the un said 50 people have been killed so far. the crisis has been bad for business. in the second largest economy. this is a fragile region. they depend on what happens

here. this is a region that is trying to recover from some of the worst civil wars. they are looking to leave behind decades of military rule. the money invested in disarming liberia -- the un say that mercenary's make up part of gbagbo's army. force seems to be the only way to dislodge mr. gbagbo,. >> more to come. on the streets of baghdad, find out what the new political reality might look like. 160 people described as members

of the tamil tiger have appeared in court. they were arrested after the country's victory over the tigers in 2009. a police spokesman denied any one was brought to court. >> 300,000 fled and there were allegations that some were taken away from -- by security forces. some said their relatives were seen when the war ended but went missing. there are 160 young men who appeared in a colombo court room. they are described as hard-core tamil tigers who were arrested by the security forces and held until now by the terrorist investigation division. they appeared in court without lawyers, although their names

were read out. there have not been charges as yet. the magistrate ordered the y be remanded in custody pending instruction to me attorney general. the lawyer who represented tamil tigers said even though it has taken a year and a half to get to this situation, it was to be welcomed that there was a legal process underway. another lawyer said he believed their appearance was due to international pressure and the fact that a u.n. panel appointed by ban ki-moon could look at possible war crimes in sri lankan is likely to visit the country soon to make submissions to a government appointed panel looking at the final years of the war. in a bizarre twist, a spokesman denied anyone had been brought to the court room. we were unable to contact the terrorist investigation division for comment. >> the headlines for you this

hour. senators in the u.s. have voted to ratify a nuclear arms treaty. relations appeared to have taken a step forward. this news feels like a throwback to the past. the deportation of anna chapman. she made their rare appearance -- a rare appearance today, becoming a leader in the country's youth movement. >> it was the weirdest conference i have been too. the party was vladimir putin's party, the youth wing. since being uncovered as a spy, anna chapman has shied away from

the media. she could not avoid the cameras today. although she tried. there was no more hiding. she made her entrance and completely ignored me. >> bbc news. >> she was declared one of the new leaders of the party. ever since she was deported, and a chapman has been a model, an advisor to abate, and now she is in to politics -- anna chapman has been a model, an advisor to a bank, and now she is in to politics. for the agent, this has been a year to forget. she was arrested in the u.s. and sent back to the motherland, having been part of the biggest spy swap since the cold war. the party >> she is an example ofe

brave girl who is [unintelligible] >> it was a rare appearance but it was over almost before it began. like a true secret agent, anna chapman suddenly disappeared. old habits die hard. >> is today, we bring you news a new government has finally been approved in iraq. after nine months of political deadlock. the new administration was appointed by the shia cleric. concerns the army may be growing. this may be a new political reality on the streets of baghdad. >> this is central baghdad. during the years of sectarian

violence, gangs of kidnappers and killers would from this neighborhood, snatching people off the streets, sometimes never to be seen again. the government started clamping down on the militias. these men were hired to make the streets safe again. there were responsible for putting army members behind bars. they're back out again and like others, he is afraid. we kicked them out of here and we're back to square one. we will all get search. we get killed in the streets because we fought against them. -- will get search. hed. the military was sent in to clear the militia and its strongholds in as root, baghdad, and elsewhere. -- in basra and again and

elsewhere. they do not carry guns on the streets anymore. there is usually -- they are usually identified by their black shirts. right in the center of sadr city, you can see the physical embodiment of muqtada al-sadr's resurgent power. a few months ago, scenes like this would have been unthinkable. at friday prayers, the imam read out a message from muqtada o solder, urging his followers to demonstrate for the closure of alcohol shops and nightclubs. >> we will hold hold a peace w

discussion. >> there seems to be a threat implicit in the cleric's words. as they gather in strengthen confidence, the fear is they could pick up arms in pursuit of its strict interpretation of islam. >> this is a first. the pope will make his first personally scripted broadcast, appearing on bbc radio. here is our latest affairs correspondent. >> never before in its 40-year history hsas "thought of the

day" featured the pope. ♪ the pope will talk about his visit to britain. some saw as a turning point in his papacy. there was a new personal style, pastor of a pope who came up so much to condemn secular society is to engage with it. commentators say britain made a distinct impression. >> the pro bowl is wanted to come to britain precisely because we are at the forefront of secularism and democracy. it is here that the arguments are happening most starkly. >> "thought for the day of" is

an instant that -- in international institution. it has been controversial. caught up in a wider debate about the privileges still given to religion in britain. we know little about what he will say. what he says could prove to be the most significant message ever heard on the program. pope benedict xvi's key concern is to keep religion at the heart of democracy. he sees britain as the birthplace of modern democracy. like other contributors to the program, he will have to minutes and 40 seconds to put his case. -- two minutes and 40 seconds to put his case. >> the discovery of a completely new kind of human being. there were once widespread across asia. the discovery could revolutionize our understanding of early humans.

>> tens of thousands of years ago, our species live alongside a different type of human. neanderthal man. scientists have discovered that they share the planet with another distinct human creature. 600,000 years ago, europe and africa were occupied by an early form of human. those who stayed in europe turned into neanderthals. others became the denisovans. theythey interbred. we know from dna evidence. it is a discovery that has a stand of the experts. >-- astounded the experts.

>> what they discovered is a completely new lineage of dna, not neanderthal and not modern human, it was probably widespread in asia and linked killion to one group of humans. >> -- linked ozian to one group of humans. -- linked in to one group of humans. some neanderthal had him in the amuman dna. >> several types of human coexisted beside our own. why did these others died out? we simply do not know. it has something to do with us. it was shortly after we emerge from africa that other humans became extinct. for a while, there were many others who walked the earth with us.

>> just we need as yo. the spanish lottery has a payout of $3 billion. thousands celebrated winning. el gordo started far back as 1812. president obama has been touting to major excessetwo major succe. the senate has voted to ratify the start arms control treaty. you can get more detail on the international news online a bbc.ct bbc.com. thanks for watching.

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