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>> and now "bbc world news." >> west african leaders threatened force against laurent gbagbo if he does not step down as president of ivory coast. and christmas in at the site where jesus is said to be born. the cold snap continues into christmas. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, also around the globe. coming up later for you -- white church leaders in iraq urged parishioners -- why church leaders in iraq urged parishioners -- could christmas shoppers and commuters benefit from two lanes of pedestrian traffic?

the west african regional bloc ecowas has given lashkar-e- taiba an ultimatum -- stand down or face legitimate force. -- has given laurent gbagbo and ultimatum. ivory coast has been locked in an election standoff. john james reports. >> holdup in a protected enclave at a hotel, it seems military action will have to drive laurent gbagbo from power. that could be a risky strategy. the other weapon is to make the president's task impossible to govern. the key decision was taken on thursday by finance ministers. they transferred control of ivory coast's state accounts to mr. ouattara.

now it will be extremely difficult to pay civil servant salaries, including government soldiers. laurent gbagbo still has the public backing of the army. if he cannot pay their salaries, he will be severely weakened. december is the biggest month for cocoa imports. the main harvest is coming to an end. the economy in general has come to an almost complete halt over the past few weeks. many foreign businesses like france telecom have spent -- have said expatriate staff overseas. the people worst hit by the slowdown will not be the politicians. however, when it becomes apparent lashkar-e-taiba -- laurent gbagbo'administrations

is impossible to govern, many hope for a diplomatic solution. bbc news. >> the middle east senior catholic cleric has arrived in bethlehem. jerusalem's latin patriarch is to offer a christmas message of peace and reconciliation at midnight mass. he is also expected to speak on the plight of iraqi christians. an attack on a church in baghdad killed 50. bethlehem is the town where jesus is said to have been born. unless urgent repairs are carried out at the centuries- old charge of the nativity, visitation may have to be restricted and in the future. >> christmas where it all started, in bethlehem. yet again this year, thousands of tourists and christian programs that come to this palestinian west bank town, at the place where they believe jesus was born more than 2000 years ago.

yet the focal point is the imposing nativity church. build and the 14th century, it has been damaged by wars and rebuild many times. it is protected in an uneasy agreement with three different churches. the tension between the various denominations can take different forms. if all month uses the wrong staircase, the zero plays can be -- if a monk uses the wrong staircase, the whole place can be closed down for hours. yethe 500-year-old group is the greatest cause for concern. local authorities are standing in the way of critical repairs.

>> it is made of wood since the 14th century. it needs to be restored again. because if they leave the church as it is, it will become unvisitable in the future. >> with church leaders unable to agree who should carry out and pay for the repairs, authorities have stepped in to take charge of the process. work is due to begin in the new year. historical disputes notwithstanding hamas the local principality -- notwithstanding, local prince ability with local to seek the church singing and in the town itself israel effectively controls access to this holy town. bbc news, bethlehem. >> of little later, we will hear

the pope's christmas message in his first ever radio broadcast, given exclusively to the bbc. the russian parliament, the duma, has voted to sign the start treaty with the u.s. it was ratified by the u.s. senate on wednesday. there were hopes that the duma would give its full approval, but the officials cited two more meetings were necessary. rains have brought devastation to parts of colombia. 12 people have been killed in a southwestern town. the japanese government has approved a record $1.1 trillion budget for the first of the year. this keeps new borrowing to $35 billion in line with the

promise to rein in a huge public debt. continuing to paralyzed transport on imports of western europe, 2000 passengers evacuated from the main airport in paris because of too much snow on the roof of the main terminal building. icy conditions and disrupting flights and belgium with severe delays reported in germany. >> christmas 2010 at charles de gaulle airport. once again, stranded passengers. >> we have been asked to arrange basic accommodation for people stop at the airport tonight. many do not have the telegrams or relatives close by. >> 35 flights were closed this afternoon. this is caused by the continued bad weather to add to their

problems, passengers were also asked to leave the terminal earlier. it was a precautionary measure, because and in 2004, a section of the roof collapsed. >> i am very tired and worried, especially for the baby, because he has not slept well. >> air france's head of operations has apologized to customers and staff >> i must say how sorry i into our passengers and stuff for all the problems the snow has created. i can assure you i have not seen anything like this and in the past 10 years, but we are doing everything we can to get things moving. >> at brussels airport, there was a similar mood of frustration. heavy snow fell overnight caused numerous delays and cancellations. this meant few incoming planes

could land. >> despite our efforts, there is nothing we could change. there is snow all over europe they have capacity problems. even though there are 200 airports, they will not necessarily be able to plant. >> other passengers gave up hope of a christmas family reunion. >> for the first time in my life i was going to spend christmas with my grandchildren, and i cannot do it. i am really upset. >> in southwestern poland, there were once -- warnings of delays. polish and german ice breaking crews have been out on the river, crushing frozen water. in germany, express trains stopped overnight between berlin and hanover. the freezing rain has affected power lines.

there is little seasonal cheer for passengers facing the prospect of spending christmas day at an airport terminal. bbc news. >> to pakistan military officials say 11 soldiers have been killed -- where it military officials said 11 soldiers have been killed. around 150 militants are thought to have been involved in an assault before they were beaten back. our correspondent is in islamabad. >> these were simultaneous attacks on five different check post. this is northwest pakistan, very close to the border with afghanistan the army says it is up to 150 taliban militants involved and in these attacks. security officials also say that in each of those five cases, more than two dozen militants were killed.

but it came at the cost of soldiers' lives. this is an area like many others on in this tribal area where the army has carried out many numerous operations to cleanse the area of militants. it is said before that those operations were successful. a few weeks ago, militants carried out a suicide bombing. 40 people were killed. they have shown they have not only retained a presence, but the taliban knows they can still carry out deadly attacks even on the military itself. >> you were watching "bbc world news." still to come -- walking at high speed. how commuters can sidestep shoppers on busy streets. now, buckingham palace has given details on this year's christmas message from her majesty the queen. this is the first time she has made sport the central theme of the broadcast.

here is a real correspondent. >> it is the one speech of the year over which she has complete control. the queen decides what she wants to talk about in her annual christmas broadcast and she and her husband take an active part in writing it. the theme this year is in the royal hampton court where monarchs like elisabeth i held court. so, what is the theme of the broadcast? not the most obvious. at the end of the year when britain has not achieved great success, the queen has chosen to dock about sport and its importance to national life. the queen talks about sport and the way it creates harmony and build communities. >> in parts of towns and cities and village greens up and down the country, hundreds of thousands of people give up their time to participate in

sports and exercise of all sorts. mustn't we encourage others to do so? these kinds of activities are common throughout the world and play a part in providing a different perspective on life. >> the broadcast is illustrated with pictures of princes william and harry playing football with local children during a visit in southern africa earlier this year. >> at the christmas broadcast will be transmitted at 3:00 tomorrow night -- tomorrow afternoon. bbc news, at buckingham palace. >> this is "bbc world news." at the top story this hour -- west african leaders threatened force against laurent gbagbo if he does not step down as

president of ivory coast. more on our top story -- the ivory coast president has thanks the international community for support he has received so far. >> violence has resurfaced in our cities and neighborhoods. serious violations of human rights are being reported. during the curfew, people were abducted and executed by elements of the republican guard and security forces, and were held by mercenaries. i have asked the international criminal court to send a mission to our country in the next few days. >> the authorities in kenya, uganda, tanzania, burundi had issued alerts over possible terror attacks over the christmas holiday.

we have this report. >> the struggle for power in somalia has long been a local dispute with neighbors of war- torn countries increasingly concerned that the islamist threat has crossed borders. until this week, the main somali islamist groups fought for territory. but now, the main opposition force has allies. >> after successive meetings of relentless debate between the leadership of al-shabab, the day we have been waiting for has arrived. >> the two militant groups controlled much of somalia.

this is protected by an 8000- strong african union forced, and it is the countries that sent troops that al-shabab say they will first attack. this week, the u.n. says troops will be boosted by 50%. but it's the weakest neighbors' concerns ride on the kenya, where a blast was gained on the -- was blamed on al-shabab. what's in calling on the public to avoid public places. -- >> i am calling and the public to avoid public places. >> somalia is seen by the west as a breeding ground for islamist militants. that threat was underlined in

australia this week with three men were convicted of plotting an attack against the city army base. according to the prosecutors, one had first visited somalia to seek approval. bbc news. >> as we mentioned earlier, the pope is preparing to hold a christmas mass at st. peter's basilica in rome. thousands of people are waiting to see the traditional nativity scene. bad weather kept the crown -- crowds to a minimum. already the pope has broken new ground by delivering his first ever christmas radio broadcast. the man who helped arrange it, are vatican correspondent, reports. >> this was pope benedict's a very personal way of seeing thank you for the warm reception he received in the u.k. last september. >> this gives us an opportunity

to greet you once again, and indeed, to prepare to celebrate the birth of christ. >> in the company people on all his foreign trips this year. normally foreign correspondent said in the back. this was a rare occasion to get up close. >> well, we have said that palestine's on this program. but there has never been a thought for the day with the pope. this is the first. >> the bbc radio program and would thought for the day -- "thought for the day" is unusual. >> he gives us hope. he brings us life. >> he feels comfortable reading his prepared script. but it is evident warmth that

comes across strongly. >> and in every part of the english-speaking world, and one in no that i keep you all very much in my prayers during this holiday season. >> this was not an occasion to visit the pope of were questions about anglicans coming over to the church of rome next year, nor over the ms behavior of catholic priests. this was simply wait for the pope to say it thank you. bbc news. >> many church services in iraq have been canceled for the safety of christians over this christmas holiday. authorities are warning that celebrations should be kept you on minimum after a group affiliated with al-qaeda have threatened fresh attacks. gabriel gatehouse reports. >> the congregation is a shadow

of what it was. no more than 40 worshipers were killed. suicide bombers stormed the church of the last day of october. this woman was in church that evening. she saw her husband, her daughter in law, and her three- month old grandson killed. she says she wishes she had died as well and she does not know what to do. >> i am confused. one part of me says, i have to leave iraq. i cannot make up my mind. >> after the attack at the end of october. -- after the attack at the end of october, they erected glass walls and increased security. of course, these measures came too late for the more than 40 worshipers that died that day. for many other christians, it is

going to take a lot more than concrete barriers to convince them they are still safe in iraq. following a spate of recent attacks, thousands of families are said to have fled to the relative safety of the north. those who remain behind and warned to keep their celebrations low-key. some church services have been canceled. >> she says she will continue to go to church and is not afraid. but she is overwhelmed by sadness and christmas decorations are hidden behind closed doors. >> across iraq, christians face a terrible dilemma. they face the possibility of more attacks, where they can leave the country of their birth. officially the church says they should stay and keep this agent community alive.

but the situation is nearly impossible. >> if i say you should stay, then asked, can you guarantee my safety? my family safety? the that of my children? and what can i say when i cannot even guarantee my own safety? >> there have been christians in iraq almost since the birth of the of religion itself. the faith of the community is inexplicably bound to the fate of the country itself. people everywhere face everyday violence no matter what their creed. bbc news, baghdad. >> for many, this has been the last day of christmas shopping, but can you bear to do elbowed to elbow battle on the a crowded pavement? the big stores on london's most famous streets are suggesting a solution. a slow lane for shoppers and a

fast lane for commuters. >> oh, dear. christmas in the new year. not a good time to use the pavement if you are a commuter, because there are too many shoppers. and if you are a shopper, there are too many commuters. how about a slow lane for shoppers and tourists, and a fast lane for everyone else? for a nation that loves to queue, is that a good solution? or is it totally balmy? to find out, we took over one of the sections of one of the busiest streets anywhere. >> shoppers in the slow lane, please. commuters in the fast lane. >> and think we were in the wrong lane. we went down the fast lane, didn't we? i am a very fast water.

people are looking at four abreast, five abreast. >> please note to the slow lane. >> i think it is a brilliant idea. >> would you go to the language told to go in? >> i would go to the lane i felt appropriate. >> fast lane for commuters. ♪ >> ridiculous though it may seem, the idea is a serious proposition. companies that represent the big shots here monday fast and -- the big shops here want the planes to be made permanent. >> we can encourage people. they seem to be successful and popular. we need more of that, i think.

>> thank you very much. >> you manage to get around people. it is fine. is this a joke? >> in debug the authorities decide whether the idea -- indeed, while the authorities decide whether the idea is anything more than a bit of fun, the shoppers are flirting with a concept. bbc news. >> finally, thousands of people crammed into the historic cathedral in beijing to observe the christian announced. the cathedral of the immaculate conception is the central -- is in the center of gm and square. although christmas is not an official holiday, it is increasingly being recognized as a major event in china. do not forget -- you can check

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