>> meeting face-to-face. west african leaders until the president of ivory coast, laurent gbagbo, to step down or face possible removal by force. a series of bombings since christmas eve. towns are evacuating in northeastern australia due to what has been called the worst flooding in 50 years. welcome to "bbc world news," with me, peter dobbie. and britain is within sight of retaining the ashes.

the incumbent president of ivory coast has been met so that he could be persuaded to step down so that they will recognize the opposition leader, alassane ouattara, as the rightful winner of the recent elections. our international development correspondent, mark doyle. >> it has been described by african leaders as a last chance for a peaceful, negotiated solution. three presidents have come to ivory coast to tell mr. gbagbo his time is up. unless he goes, this key country in west africa, one of the economic powerhouses, could descend back into war. all of the main observers of

last month's elections say that laurent gbagbo lost, that he is no longer the the president of ivory coast. they say that the opposition leader, this man, alassane ouattara, was the winner. the leaders were clear. they have told mr. gbagbo that he has to leave. this could be a long, drawn-out affair. the world is watching to see how africa deals with this crisis, but the on voice of the democratic nations, who have come to the ivory coast, say they are determined and able to sort this out -- but the envoys of the democratic nations say they are determined. for now, the talks are on.

it has been said in no uncertain terms that one way or another, there will be a democratic outcome here, and that may take more than just talk. mark doyle, bbc news, ivory coast. >> a peacekeeper in the ivory coast was wounded in one neighborhood. the convoy was transported 22 peacekeepers. in a statement, the u.n. says it strongly condemns the attack and reiterates its desire to continue. in central nigeria, at least 80 people and killed in a series of bombings and subsequent reprisals. the bombing began on christmas eve in an area where there has been hostility in recent years. a group said it carried out the attacks. we are following the events. we were told what is known about this group. >> the group is an islamic group that has been operating in the

north of nigeria. they are opposed to western culture, and they were involved last year in deadly clashes with nigerian security forces, and this led to the deaths of 700 people. they have been attacking police and local politicians, the local government, so this is something new, and most of the people around the country are quite terrified of them. it is not quite clear who is behind them, and nigerian intelligence has not been able to say what they have found out about this group, so the situation remains quite tense. security has been beefed up, and security from neighboring states have been brought in. >> in northeastern australia, people trapped by major flooding due to torrential rains. it inundated homes and farms and caused millions of dollars of damage to crops. there was an area of queensland,

and many places have been evacuated. we have this report. >> this is what the cyclone mess behind, communities inundated by the worst floods in parts of the region for decades. up to 27 centimeters of rain fell in 24 hours in some areas. hundreds of people in queensland have been evacuated, and many are stranded after a 300 roads were shot across the state. the swollen creek has split one town in two, with more than 100 homes under water. in chinchilla, the creek is at levels not seen for almost 70 years, with water up to the rooftops of some properties. >> i have never seen it before. there will be a lot of mud and cleaning up. >> and a lot of money. the rains have caused at least $400 million worth of damage to crops that were just recovering from months of drought.

the australian prime minister julia gillard has praised the volunteers who are again offering their help. >> we know that when australians have to bear floods and heat, it is community volunteers that do the brunt of that work, in our very best wishes are with them today. >> forecasters have warned that there will be more rain in the coming days along the entire east coast, and many inland communities are also on watch. bbc news. >> two german journalists arrested in iran after covering the highly publicized case of a woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery or allowed to me to their families. iranian officials said the meeting took place on monday. the pair have been held since early october after being arrested after interviewing the sun and lawyer of the woman.

pakistan officials say at least 15 people have been killed in three separate missile attacks in a tribal region. they say the american unmanned aircraft, or derosa, targeted compounds in north waziristan. -- or drone, targeted compounds in north waziristan. one person was abducted by gunmen after her home was set on fire. in the u.s., airports are reopening in the northeast after widespread disruption caused by the severe blizzards. services have resumed into and out of boston, philadelphia, and new york, with strong winds still delaying flights. it could take up to one week to clear the backlog of tens of thousands of stranded passengers. >> the storm lasted less than 48 hours but caused chaos across the northeast united states.

in new york city, they are still playing catch-up. many drivers have decided to give it a go anyway. airlines cannot take that gamble. it took until monday night to get the runways clear. boston, philadelphia, and new york's three main airports, including jfk, laguardia, and newark, they are all up and running again. the problem is those from the canceled flights. at this time of year, the airplanes are fully booked, and this could take warmer weather is forecast for the note rest of the week. -- and this could take weeks. warmer weather is forecast for the rest of the week. bbc news, washington. >> the russian president has ordered prosecutors to investigate two international airports after fights broke out

among passengers who were stranded when bad weather forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. travelers were seen trying to beat of staff at one airport, and passengers at another stormed airport control. >> a modern transport help. thousands of people desperate to get away for new year holidays, swarming. the chaos started when ice brought down power lines. the lines had been repaired, emergency generators brought in, but the passenger backlog has not gone away. airline staff seem to have disappeared. >> people are really desperate. there are fights. there is no help at all. there is no air to breathe. >> water supplies broke down, and passengers told local radio that restaurants are demanding $60 for a bottle of water.

the transport ministry is putting the blame squarely on the airport's administration, saying they should have told passengers to stay away. another said the problems are the result of a shortage of de- icing spray. >> we have been waiting here since morning. not a single plane has left. they are cheating us. it is a sheer lie that things are flying. >> on monday, passengers mounted an impromptu demonstration at security control. there are reports that some have attacked the airport staff, and an inquiry has been launched. in the meantime, the transport ministry is encouraging the stranded to abandon their flight plans and take the train instead. the journey from moscow to st. petersburg takes three times as long by rail, but, at least, it gets there. bbc news. >> russia has reacted with anger

to international criticism about the trial of the former oil tycoon, mikhail khodorkovsky. some say it results in selective justice. "unacceptable pressure." we have this report. >> he was back in court as the judge resumed reading his verdict, but it is already clear that the man who was once russia's richest and his business partner have been convicted for a second time. the judge's decision provoked international criticism over night, not least from the american secretary of state hillary clinton. she says the prosecution raises serious questions about the rule of law in russia being overshadowed by politics. in reply, the russian foreign ministry said that there are statements that have been made in washington and in a number of eu capitals that attempt to exercise pressure on the court

and are unacceptable. claims that justice in russia are selective are groundless. we expect that everybody will mind their own business. >> mikhail khordorkovsky is already serving an eight-year sentence for tax evasion, but they say that the prosecutions were only brought because of his involvement in opposition politics and his criticisms of vladimir putin. a few protesters were back at the court for the second day of the reading of the verdict. >> people were not allowed to pass by. they put up barriers for no reason. what happened here yesterday reminded me of the way the nazi police acted. they took people, some of them disabled. they were beaten and dragged along. this was real fascism.

>> but despite the strong feelings of said the court, the concern about the verdict is far from universal -- despite the strong feelings inside the court. bbc news, moscow. >> you are watching "bbc world news." still to come, new revelations about early man eating vegetables. now, you could say this next item is about the smell of success. in cornwall, world champion. it is called cornish blue. it is designed to be eaten without the need for aging. it triumphed over 2000 other cheeses in the competition. we met the winning team behind

this new cheese. >> the winner of this year's world cheese award. it is produced not in france or italy or even switzerland, but right here, in the heart of cornwall. >> i just stood there for a moment. i could not move. he said, "it is you, it is you," and i said, "i know it is me. i just cannot believe it." >> the form turned their milk into cheese. it is now international champion. >> we thought the ladies would like it. ladies do most of the body, so we thought if we get one that the ladies like, we might have a winner -- ladies do most of the buying. >> the award will, of course, make the company a lot of money,

but its commercial value will be felt far beyond. >> what it will do is raise the profile of not just cornwall but of british food and drink, and that makes it very attractive as a destination. at the same time, export the brand of britain. >> cornish blue is now being exported to japan, california, and even kuwait. other british producers are hoping to get a taste of the same success. bbc news, -- >> you are watching "bbc world news." i am peter dobbie. world leaders have met the president of ivory coast, laurent gbagbo, to tell them to step down or face removal by force. and some people were killed in a series of bombings and reprisals. war on the winter weather.

a danish island on the baltic sea has experienced such a large volumes of snow in the last week that authorities there have asked for extra help from the government to clean up the roads. the island has run short of food and medicine. we have this report. >> this is the scene. the danish island on the baltic sea, which appears to be disappearing under a delusion of snow. the flakes again are falling down. it is thought that there is up to 6 meters of the white stuff in some parts. the situation is getting serious. over 40,000 islanders are starting to run short of fuel, and in some cases, medicine. efforts to dig their way out are futile. police have called for an extra 21 retractors and snowplows to help clear the roads. -- an extra 200 tractors.

nature will not be offering a helping hand anytime soon. denmark's neurological institute says even though much snow will not fall, there will not be much wind, and that means the snow will not drift -- denmark's meteorological institute. pamela emmerson, bbc news. >> sir elton john and his partner david have become the parents of a sunburn to a surrogate mother in california on christmas day -- the parents of a son. he tried to adopt a child from the ukraine, where authorities allegedly thought he was too old to adopt. >> they celebrated their partnership five years ago.

they have been a couple since the early 1990's. now, they are parents, thanks to a surrogate baby boy born on christmas day. it is not the first time they have attempted to raise a family. in 2009, they tried to become parents to a ukrainian boy. >> i would love to adopt him. i do not know how we do that. he has stolen my heart, and he has stolen david's heart, and it would be wonderful if we could have a home, and i changed my mind today. >> however, their offer was rejected by the ukrainian government. it does not recognizable partnerships and also said the couple was too old. now, they have become parents to zachary, born in california three days ago. in a joint statement, they said

they were overwhelmed with happiness and joy, describing the birth as a special moment, adding that zachary is doing really well and that they were proud and happy parents. not everyone though is so happy to see such a high-profile same- sex couples starting to raise a surrogate child. >> now, it seems that money can buy him anything, so he has entered into this arrangement. a baby needs a mother and a father, and it seems an act of pure selfishness to deprive a baby of a mother. >> elton john and david, when they return here to their home, is likely to work out to protect the privacy of their new child. for now though, they are celebrating what, for them, is the ideal christmas present. bbc news. >> in northern ireland, and

thousands of homes and businesses are without water due to leaks in the main supply. the freezing winter weather has caused pipes to burst, and supplies of water are running out, as well, and there are growing concerns about the handling of the situation. >> in parts of one area, christmas has been more of a washout. these homes were filled with sewage as a result of the thought -- thaw. >> it is awful. christmas is over. all of these floors, before the new year. >> many businesses and homes have been without supplies since christmas eve. in belfast, many people are driving around, frantically trying to buy bottled water, but hundreds of shops are already sold out, and this distribution center set up -- the distribution centers set up are running out.

in fact, the one right behind me has exhausted its supply. >> bottled water from the supermarket. using it to flush the toilet. >> there is nobody answering phones. my daughter is staying with us for a couple of days. on the computer, we found there was water begin here. >> the company responsible for the entire network is a government-owned commercial company. >> they have assured me they're trying to resolve all of these problems. they have issues with contact because of the volume of calls that has come in. i have been constantly in touch with them to make sure they are doing everything in their part. >> northern ireland water says its reservoirs are running low and has urged people to look for leaks on their own properties.

the company has never experienced a problem on this scale before. all parts of northern ireland have been affected and are likely to remain so for days to come. and dean martin, bbc news, belfast. >> andy martin, bbc news, belfast. >> there is new evidence that neanderthal man eight cooked vegetables and cook their food. >> this is the vegetable of neanderthal succumb and there was no chemical analysis of their bones. atis perceived reliance on mee has been put forward as one of the reasons they became extinct, as large mammals declines. but now, fossilized grains of

vegetable materials have been found in their teeth, and some of it was cooked. this is the latest study to suggest that far from being british savages, the neanderthal as were more like us than previously thought. >> the english cricket team are on the verge of retaining the ashes going into day four. four more of ricketts -- four more wickets. one could already be in the bag because ryan harris is expected to be unable to bat after he picked up an injury during day 3. it was another day that england dominated. 204 the six runs behind england for australia. 246 ru -- 246 runds behind. >> they need just four more wickets, and they retain the ashes.

this is what shane wathan had to say at his news conference. >> we have not been in a great place over the last couple of days. to be honest, we have not been in a great place from day one, so i think the mood was much, much different. we were in a good place. there was another who did very well throughout the whole game. we thought we were in a great place, and then, unfortunately, it changed. it is extremely disappointing to be in the position that we have. >> manchester united stated the top of the premier league today. there was a last gasp equalizer.

manchester city arnelle level on points. -- are now level on points. others have been reporting good away wins. another took the lead, only to be back level before halftime. the liverpool defender has died in hospital in tel aviv at the age of 54. he suffered head injuries in a motorbike accident last week. he was assigned to liverpool in 1979. you can get our headlines online. bbc.com/news. it is always good to hear from you. you can track us on facebook as well as twitter. drop us an email.

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