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first session of the u.s. congress. democrats severely weakened and likely trouble ahead. the state funeral of the punjab governor. the flood in queensland is so vast the global economy may suffer. coming up later. the day in the venue are set. more details emerge about the royal wedding. weedy -- we'd travel into the himalayas for a tale of murder and jealousy.

the new year, a new political season and a new u.s. congress. it looks almost certain to be fresh trouble for barack obama and his party. two months after midterm elections, heavy losses for the democrats. more than 80 new republicans in congress. they controlled the house of representatives and they are threatening to derail the president's programs. the balance of power has shifted for sure. this session is to be divisive and partisan. >> if you look at it from a 61 a one perspective, it does not appear as though we have the votes to repeal the health care law. it is a statement made to the country and people who have been elected, we have come here to make changes.

we're not going to back down because we do not have the votes. we are doing what the people have elected us to do. either the votes will be there or the conditions will be there so we can incrementally take down this health care law or do it in one fell swoop. >> katty kay, good to talk to you. how is this going to play out? >> the president i imagine you are thinking of is bill clinton who was in this position in 1995. guess who has been a visitor recently? bill clinton talking about how you deal with divided government. i think there is a risk. he pointed out this is going to cause trouble for the president.

there is also some good news. it gives him some one he will run against. if the unemployment rate in america is still up at 9.8% or thereabouts, the president can say, the republicans were in control of the house of representatives, there were part of government and unemployment has not come down. it is a republican problem as much as a democratic problem. >> history holds lessons for the republicans. with this kind of power comes responsibility. >> it is interesting. republicans i have been speaking to, this is their moment. they keept talking about cutting spending. this is thwhat the tea party has been elected on.

they could cut things so much or try that the public could say we do not want those kind of cuts. if they do focus on trying to overturn president obama's health care reform, it could have some voters saying why are you so focused on repealing president obama's health care reform? and not on bringing down the unemployment rate. >> we have to leave it there. thank you. you can get the latest on the u.s. congress at our web site, bbc.com, including analysis and

reflection from our american editor. let's move you on around the globe. a huge crowd turned out for the state funeral of the governor of punjab province who was assassinated on tuesday. there was tight security and some relief it went offseoff smoothly. >> thousands came to bid farewell to the liberal governor who try to challenge extremists and paid foit and and with his life. the self confessed assassin was

greeted with cheers. an elite bodygaruard shot him 27 times. this supporters chanting you did the right thing. on the streets, we found some who said the governor deserved to die. he would have killed him himself if he had the tense. the fear is that moderates will be silenced. >> everyone was in the public

space has learned to speak with more hesitation in the aftermath of the assassination. people are afraid for their lives and afraid for the families. people are afraid for this country. most of all, people are afraid for the future. >> some were raising their voices today. they gathered at the spot where the governor was killed, honoring his memory and his courage. the mood here is defiant. people are battling to fight. liberals in pakistan have been reminded how vulnerable they are. some see the assassination as part of growing extremism and a warning for pakistan and the west. there is a battle here. a fight for the nation in

crisis. the killing has exposed deep division and heightened fears about where pakistan is heading. >> the militant shiite cleric -- shia clerk muqtada al-sadr has returned. his army fought troops and he was an opponent of nouri al- maliki. an unusual late night statement, the north korean news agency has said there should be unconditional dialogue with south korea as soon as possible. it said north koreans are ready to meet anyone anytime and anywhere. the special envoy has arrived in the region.

john kerry is saying he is encouraged by the latest news on referendum on independence. he is positive and wants to see two strong states emerge if there is a vote for separation. damage from flooding is so extensive in queensland it will affect the global economy. the task force has been sent to help the state recover from fundinflooding. one of the areas worst effected is the city of rockhampton. >> in milan not used to dealing with the extremes of nature, it is the magnitude of the flood that has taken austria by surprise. this is one of the great agricultural centers. we're massive forms have been

reduced to small islands. one of the powerhouses of the economy will be paralyzed for weeks. it is hard to appreciate these gale of the disaster. -- the scale of the disaster. we're seeing a small fraction of the flooding. this is an area covering over 1 billion square kilometers. it is the small, low lying suburbs in rockhampton that are being swamped. hundreds of homes have been inundated. more than 500 have either fled or been rescued from their homes. we kept coming across residents determined to stay. >> people will come and break into the house. >> the level of the water did not peak as high as the

authorities predicted. 9.2 meters rather than 9.4, a crucial difference. many emergency services were busy. with roads severed, the fear was that rockhampton would be cut off as it was for two weeks during the flood 20 years ago. this was the clearest indication that the city has dodged a bullet. traffic still able to go north. >> a blockade is still in place around the hotel in ivory coast where the recognized winner of the election last month has taken refuge despite assurances from laurent gbagbo. alassane ouattara remain sealed off from the rest of the country by military checkpoints.

alassane ouattara said he preferred a peaceful solution but dismissed negotiations saying he had to leavlead. >> when we take on responsibilities, we do it whenever they circumstances. i have formed a government and we're trying to govern as best we can and to look at issues including security, finances, communication. it is not easy, but we're doing our best. there appears to be a standoff. laurent gbagbo is not moving and the there you. what keeps you going? >> i have to say the situation

is the standoff. it is he who was hanging onto power. 54% of the population voted for me. in transparent and democratic elections. elections that were supervised by the united nations. it is laurent gbagbo who was hanging on and causing the standoff and it is unfortunate. >> to get out of this situation, there have been several suggestions. there have been talk of economic sanctions and the military option. today's question is, do you think the time has come for the military option? there's nothing left to negotiate? >> i told laurent gbagbo to leave power. they told him to leave on december 20 but he will not leave. he will have to face the consequences. i am for peace.

i prefer a peaceful solution, a negotiated solution. i hope in the next few days since, i hope you will step down. the ivory coast cannot remain in the situation. it has been five weeks since i was democratically elected by the people of the every coast. with an unprecedented turnout. he is hanging on to power with excuses that are not acceptable. >> good to have you with us. do stay with us if you can. if you want to get clean, you have to pay. why cubans may have to stay dirty. a scare of poisoned eggs have escalated. thousands of chickens are being culled.

authorities are trying to control the crisis affecting industry. farms are closed if they had links to the producer of contaminated feed. >> as a precaution, we closed because we found them on the delivery list where dioxin- related and that was used. >> the dioxin was detected on this farm in the north of germany. by the time of the discovery, 55 tons of the substance had been fed to chickens and more than 100,000 contaminated eggs had gone to market. >> the worst is the loss of rec- reputation. we're not responsible for what is happening. it is a mistaken whether it is deliberate or due to negligence is secondary. the damage to our images there. >> chemists were trying to pinpoint the source of the dioxin.

one theory was that the contamination occurred because chickens were fed with feed made partly from fatty waste of a process that turns soy and other feed into industrial lubricant. that was never intended for food. there are so many unanswered questions and that is why it is hard to make a recommendation. if you want to be sure, you should avoid poultry and eggs were few days until these questions are answered. the authorities think iit may be weak until they trace the dioxin truck the industry. -- a week until they traced the dioxin throughout the industry. >> the latest headlines. the first session of the u.s. congress is open. democrats are weakened and

likely trouble ahead. cubans will have to pay more if they want to stay clean. the government has removed its ration of soap from the ration card. is trying to improve the economy. here is our havana correspondent. >> there was a run on the ration shops on the buildup to the new year as cubans stocked up on soap, toothpaste and detergent. all these items shot up in price on january 1. part of the move to do away with expensive universal subsidies. >> they should not get rid of them. some people have access to dollars. that their relatives sent from

abroad. other people do not have it that easy, like the elderly and they need to be able to wash and maintain hygiene. >> providing we can get these items, we will not have to buy them on the black market. people can afford it by the subsidized so. instead of using it, they sell it for profit. >> potatoes and cigarettes and chickpeas were removed last year. rice, beans, eggs, and small quantities of meat remained. rationing was introduced almost half a century ago by fidel castro. insuring that no one went hungry after u.s.-imposed trade embargoes. his brother has tried to win the nation of unaffordable handouts and subsidies which he claims discourage people from working harder. plans to replace -- he

plans to replace the rationing. >> venezuela's national assembly has convened in caracas. its influence has been curtailed. some laws will be passed without the backing of lawmakers. a cease-fire that has ended has raised concerns about peace talks due to resume. dozens of dead birds have fallen from the sky in southern sweden days after thousands died in a string of similar incidents in the southern u.s. something like 100 dead jackdaws. the cause is unclear.

prince william and his fiancee reveal details of the wedding. it will be friday, april 29 when they tie the knot. the plot -- palace released more information about what will happen on that day. >> they are determined to keep control of the arrangements for their marriage. william in particular was anxious it should not be seen as a rerun of the wedding of his mother. lady diana spencer went to her wedding in 1981 in a coach. kate middleton will travel to her wedding by car from clarence house, a short distance to westminster abbey. william knows that abbey well and was there a few months ago.

the abbey sutta them because despite its grandeur in connection with will take a one to get to the altar, it is a small and intimate area. it was here more than 63 years ago that his grandparents, princess elizabeth and the duke of edinburgh were married. william and kate are said to be mindful of economic difficulties but aware of that to millions are expecting a show. >> it is an occasion. we're presenting this to the world and it will be celebrated. >> afterwards, they will board a horse-drawn carriage at westminster abbey for the procession back to buckingham palace. the route will take them across

parliament square and once again to buckingham palace, they will attend a wedding buffet hosted by the queen. history will repeat itself. just as his grandparents did in 1947, and as his parents did in 1981, the wedding will be seen as an appearance on the palace. all the memories of past will weddings, this couple intends to make their day and do it their way. >> the himalayan mountains are home to buddhist communities that live in isolation for centuries. it is one of the most beautiful and most remote places in the world. it has been rocked by jealousy, crime, and murder.

from annapurna, here is our correspondent. >> here, life is harsh. it is one of the most remote and undeveloped regions. they make their living through farming. tourism brings some money. people come from around the world to enjoy the scenery. there are few other economic opportunities for the mainly buddhist population. recently, this has been changing. an ancient medicine that can be found above 3,000 meters. the brown part is a fungus. it has been prized for centuries as an aphrodisiac by the chinese.

it can sell for $10,000 u.s.. it has brought great wealth for those who find it in great misery. in two dozen 9, 7 outsiders who came to these mountains to find the drug were murdered by a mob. 36 men from one village were arrested and brought here to a makeshift jail in this town. half the men were let out on bail. the rest spend their days waiting for a verdict. most of them have confessed to the killing. they say it was not premeditated and they were defending their territory. others say they were not involved. while they remain here, there is no one to tend their fields. in the high mountains, older people have to support the village. he says it is no surprise that to it has brought such bad luck.

it is a traditional belief that it should not be harvested. >> the old people never allowed us to pick it. the young people do not listen to us. will the people were not educated and we know nothing about the world. the young know the value of money and the are replacing us. >> the verdict in the murders is expected in february. until then, the village will have to survive without its young men. many will question whether it is worth relying on the drive to change their lives. -- a drug to change their lives. >> for much more and the international news, bbc.com. thanks for watching.

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