>> this is "bbc world news america." funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. shell. and union bank. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news america." >> this is "bbc world news america." the anger over the economy spills into the streets of athens as warnings of recession strike the west. fighting for libya's future.

after driving out colonel gaddafi, the country's political fate is up for grabs. >> there is no credible sense of solidarity here. people want this revolution to work and are prepared to build a new democracy. >> how this turns in to this. we will bring you the story of an old rail line that has become one of new york's best loved parks. welcome to our viewers on pbs and america and also around the globe. hold on, there might be more economic pain to come. that was the warning from the imf today as they caution that the recession in europe could still be in effect in 2012. this follows a downgrading of italy's credit rating and more unrest on the streets of crease

as trade unions staged a strike against the latest austerity measures. >> violent protests back on the streets of athens. the pain caused by a tough austerity measures it is harder and harder. the eu and imf have yet to decide whether greece gets its next installment of loans but it probably will. many greeks wonder whether any of it is worth their while. >> there is an employment. wealthy people, people who evaded taxes, people who gained money through corruption are not paying what they should be paying. >> the renewed wave of strikes comes as italy digest another downgrade of its credit rating. they fear that they will be drawn further into dangerous territory.

the imf has warned europe's recession next year with the debt crisis and its consequences. to add to the confusion, the senior official suggested that the fund could intervene on the bond markets to support countries like italy and spain only to retract his remarks later. what about the woman on whom so much of this hinges? in brussels, the talk with the european parliament and commission. the german chancellor has a big decisions to make. everyone is waiting for the decision on the inspectors. they will determine whether greece needs more help and whether banks will be asked to take heavy losses. >> we have to look at the current greek figures and see whether they fit or need to be adjusted. we are waiting for the report. >> reese must main part of the

eurozone and greece must be given the opportunity to get back on their feet. -- greece must remain part of the eurozone. >> the banking system is under severe strain and everyone knows it. chancellor merkel made it clear that germany is prepared to move quickly towards recapitalizing banks. she is still speaks of a step- by-step approach. some people will not like that. the solution of this crisis, if there is one, still rests with germany. >> just as they are venting their anger in europe, in new york, protesters are making their voices heard in the continuing occupied wall street movement. for more on what is driving the discontent and what can be done, i am joined by the international economy editor for "the financial times."

seeing these protests all over the place. now this movement is in new york. is there a sense that people feel that the government is out of control and are they right in thinking that? >> the protests have slightly different routes. these protests increase have to do with the austerity measures. -- of these protests in greece. what is puzzling is why these protests in the u.s. have originated now. many people felt that wall street was quite likely but it has taken awhile for that to bubble up into popular anchor. >> the white house said that they are very concerned about the possibility of recession but they don't think this will happen.

do you think that that is a realistic assessment? >> i think this is less and less realistic. it is difficult for the west to continue without other economies. this is a serious dislocation in financial markets as a result of the eurozone but it would be hard for the u.s. to carry on. the u.s. and administration cannot be seen to predict the recession. their jobs bill is a fiscal expansion and this is being blocked by congress. >> in the eurozone, how has this become a banking crisis? are the banks better able to weather the storm this time? >> they have been in trouble for some time. what we have not seen is the collapse of the banking system. we have seen people withdrawing money, atm's running dry, that kind of panic. clearly what has happened over

the past couple of years is that lenders had a huge amount of debt and that was taken on to the government balance sheet. the governments did that by borrowing from investors, particularly the banks. they are now looking like they cannot repay their debts. basically, the bird in goes back to the banks again. this is a question of this going back and forth between the public and the private sector. this looks like it has run out of space and therefore the banks are under pressure. >> thank you for joining us. now to the ongoing violence in syria. the turkish prime minister said that his country would soon impose sanctions on their neighbor in response to the deadly crackdown being carried out by the assad regime. that comes on the heels of a vote in the security council in which both russia and china vetoed a resolution that threat

to international sanctions. this has infuriated the western backers. here to discuss what can be done is marc ginsberg who formerly served as the ambassador to morocco. where does the u.n. go from here? >> no matter what the united nations may or may not try to do, even the most watered-down resolution and it was sponsored by the europeans which was vacated by this if ito. even then, there was several countries that refused to go along with this resolution. for all intents and purposes, the european union and the u.s. were largely isolated. why assad was able to muster the support was based on economics as far as i'm concerned. >> you have said that this was water down. would this have made any

additional practical impact or was it more about a symbolic gesture? >> it would have afforded more force to the international community to force oil sanctions against the syrian oil exports. china and other countries might not have abided by it. this would have imposed an arms embargo. at this point in time -- the mother's milk o of the assad regime are oil exports and farm imports. >> even so, the eu, the west hasn't imposed their own sanctions. turkey is considering it. -- the west has imposed their own sanctions. isn't it countries like turkey that actually hold the key to the crisis? >> i agree. at the same time, if syria is going to be sanctioned further in their oil exports, they get

about $50 million a day in oil revenues. that is enough to buy with a need for russia. even with the u.n. action or lack of action, the noose is tightening and if turkey opposes further economic sanctions, there is no doubt that that will further suffocate the capacity of the regime to survive. >> very briefly, do you think that this is giving the assad government a feeling of the impunity? >> i think that they are given this cents. as long as the russians export weapons and as long as the chinese buy oil. on the capacity of military oppression, they have their lifelines intact. >> in libya, it has been more than a month since colonel gaddafi was driven from power. now the town's the rose up against the leader are arguing

about who should get which posted the new government. is there a threat that the country's revolution could be bogged down by political infighting? >> they have carried the flag of libya's revolution from the start. the mountain peaks. warriors celebrating their new found freedom. this was one of the first places to rise up against muammar gaddafi. they sacrificed much to oust him. this town has lost 250 of its men and the fighters continue to die in battles across the country. there is a slice of power in the new libya. they say that two of the minister should come from their town. >> in the deliberation of the country, there should be a good

piece of the cake. >> hundreds of miles away, misrata believes that it should be rewarded. the political battles are beginning. >> it is here in the street. >> this man helped to lead the revolution in this city. they should have a greater say to libya's future. one and a half thousand of misrata's people died fighting off gaddafi. misrata is putting forward their own candidate for prime minister. as the arguments begin, they're not giving up their weapons just yet. >> it is t o early. no one would like to give up their weapons until there is a

united government. >> in tripoli, there is no national government. this will not happen until gaddafi's hometown falls. this is where libya's tribal leaders use to meet, deciding who gets what shares of the spoils of power will not be easy. they are not about to descend into infighting. after 42 years of dictatorship, there is a sense of solidarity. people want this revolution to work. they are determined to build a new democracy. the problem is they have chased away gaddafi and left behind in libya where no one knows how to share power, even when they are hungry for it. >> a civilian court in bahrain has ordered the retrial of 20 medical staff sentenced to up to

15 years in prison. they were found guilty last week on charges that included in fighting and provoking sectarian hatred. india has launched what they have called the world's cheapest tablet computer with a price of just $60. they hope that the aakash template will bridge the digital divide. they will make it even cheaper for students selling it at a subsidized price of just $35. now to afghanistan where the authorities say they have uncovered a plot to kill the country's president, hamid karzai. six people have been arrested including one of the president's own bodyguards. this comes 10 years after the nato-led invasion of afghanistan and major challenge is clearly remained. the pew research center came out with a poll about the opinions of the americans who served on active duty during the post 9/11 era.

only 50% say the war in afghanistan was worth fighting. for more on the results, i am joined by the pew's executive vice president. what about those who said that it was not worth fighting? what reasons did they give? >> we did not export it that deeply. we look at their experience. this is a very unusual war. it will be the 10th anniversary this week. this was fought by the smallest share in our population, just one-half of 1% has carried this fight. we have asked these post 9/11 veterans about what and has been like to fight this war and to return home. 96% say they are proud of what they have done but they are experiencing a lot of difficulties and a lot of post traumatic stress.

the wounds some carry but others carry psychological wounds. there are two wars being fought, afghanistan and iraq. we find these mixed feelings. only have say that the war was worth it in afghanistan, only 44% say the war in iraq was worth it. this is a higher level of support in the general population. >> is there a disconnect between military and domestic thinking? >> this has been going on for 10 years. we have been tracking public support and it has been on a long steady decline. americans like success. they feel that we are in a bit of a quagmire and they don't see a clear victory. frankly, they are paying attention to other things. only 25% say that they are. this is down from where it was a decade ago. >> does this give us any snapshot about how americans

view their place in the world? >> at the moment, americans, including these veterans who were overseas fighting these wars, they are saying, come home. we have a lot of problems at home. there is tension between internationalism and nationalism. we are experiencing these and this is a very heavy instinct. >> thank you very much for coming in. >> nice to be with you. >> still to come on the program, transforming parts of new york, an old railway line is now home to a city park like no other. the people of hungary have been marking the first anniversary of the red sludge disaster. 10 people died and 150 were injured when an industrial waste reservoir burst its banks. we returned to some of the worst hit areas and we got this

report. >> one year after the red sludge disaster. a village grateful for the attention and assistance it continues to receive. government ministers and rescue workers joined local people to pay their respects and remember the hardest days of their lives. >> it nothing can bring our memories back. the red flood took it all away. >> the hon caring government has promised to clean up this region and have kept their word. a key new housing estates have been built, fully furnished with landscaped gardens. charges have been launched against the aluminum company. >> in the end, the court will

decide about this matter. before the find was issued, the owners offered their ownership. >> in the countryside, the color green is replaced with detail tell red stain. this was one of the most polluted fields. now it is an energy force. beyond arguments of responsibility for the accident, beyond the heroism, these trees bear witness to the amazing recuperative powers of nature. >> in seattle, amanda knox is enjoying her first full day since being released from an italian prison. when she arrived, she said she

was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support after spending four years in jail. >> acquitted of murder and now back home. quite a week for a man tanox. it is i wonder that she is struggling to take it all land. -- quite a week for amanda knox. >> i am really overwhelmed right now. i was looking down from the airplane and it seemed like everything was not real. what is in port for me to say is to say thank you to everyone who believe in me, who defended me, who supported my family. my family is the most important thing with me right now and i just want to go and be with them. so, thank you for being there

for me. [applause] >> relief on the part of her family that she is back home. as for meredith kurcher's, amanda knox's family said to remember merit in their prayers. her father made sure that she would be left alone -- would be doing all she could to allow her to rebuild her life. >> we are doing all we can to rebuild her life and let her do the things she has not had an opportunity to do. some of the simplest things that we take for granted by just walking on the grass in bare feet or something like that. >> the italian prosecutors are appealing the verdict and could call for a man tanox to return.

is that clouding the family celebration, i wondered. >> i would like to say no but the prosecution feels that there is a different circumstance that what the judge and jury of this appeals court felt like. i will tell you that i think the italian justice system worked the way it was designed to work. >> amana tanox's family asked people to play down the homecoming nature of her release. -- amanda knox's family asked people to play down the homecoming. they feel that she was the victim of a massive miscarriage of justice. >> now to new york where one of the runaway hit is not found on broadway. instead, it is an unusual part

attracting visitors in droves. they are visiting the high line, a former railway track which has taken people to a whole new place. ♪ ♪ >> i think that the high line is one of the best things that could happen to manhattan and a long time. i love the picture window where you to sit and look at the traffic. >> i think it is very wonderful shangri-la in the middle of the city. ♪ ♪ >> the story of the high line is a highly improbable one. this is the story of two young new yorkers with no experience in planning, architecture, or the rough-and-tumble of city politics turning an elevated railway line into a unique park.

>> i am a dreamer but i never dreamed that it would be this successful. in some ways, i did not believe it until we opened. i knew there was some the different pieces that could fall apart -- legal, planning, community issues. >> lot robert hammond and his co-founder have devoted more than a decade of their lives to be -- to the project. >> we one of the design to be as interesting and unique and as unusual as the structure itself. i loved what was like before we build anything. i fell in love. >> photographs taken at the time anderson to be published captured this wild skate that the architects made it part of

their design. this is a design which has been winning applause from urban planners are around the world. >> i think that the high line, the best new public space we have had in new york in a long time. this kind it merges the idea of the street which is really the quintessential york public space which is the street itself. it merges the idea of the street with the idea of the park. what were the reasons people are excited is because it is a new kind of public space. >> the high line has become a venue for all manner of a fence. 3 million people are expected to visit. -- the high line has become a venue for all manner of events. >> it slows people down. that is the one of the secrets of his success. -- of its success.

♪ >> the report from the city that never sleeps and the new place that people can start to get away from it all. that brings today's broadcast to a close. you can always get constant updates on our website. to find out what we're working on, make sure to check out our facebook page. from all of us, thank you for watching and see you back here tomorrow. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and

honolulu. newman's own foundation. union bank. and shell. >> this is kim - about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell, we're developing more efficient fuels in countries like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy resources. let's use energy more efficiently. let's go. >> "bbc world news america" was presented by kcet los angeles.

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