>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. 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." >> the light down under, england wins the fourth attempt to retain in australia. west african heads of state to issue an ultimatum to the ivory coast. russia launches an investigation and clashes between angry passengers. welcome to bbc news broadcast to our viewers in america and around the globe. tens of thousands of passengers remain stranded in northeastern america. and water rationing in northern ireland.

hello, and a warm welcome. england has retained the ashes in australia for the first time in 24 years. the victory means that they have a 2-1 lead in the five match to take the ashes back to england. on the fourth day, still to hundred and 46 behind england. they lost an early wicket with some resistance that soon passed the partnership. finally, the victory prompted ecstatic scenes from fans at the

cricket ground. the british prime minister has sent his congratulations. it was a very special and to the year and a very late christmas present. our sports news correspondent saw the victory had told me that depending on how they get the ashes back, england will enjoy the moment. >> i am standing among the army. halfway across the world, there are thousands of them here. england fans are trying to get into this. they are celebrating and they're going to be here for some time because this is really a great

victory. there are noisy people, but the atmosphere is quite extraordinary. they have found themselves over the last few days, none of them have expected the way that australia has leveled its theories. [unintelligible] there are very few australians on the ground today. and thousands of very happy english.

the australians would try to keep some pride. it will be determined to win the series. whatever happens now, england has retained the ashes. >> running me now on the line is the australian commentator. thank you for your time here on bbc news. in england to deserve this win? >> they played some outstanding credit when it mattered. they're batting was a superb. the conditions that prevailed, they were able to get some reverse wins and impeccable. the decision to play ahead was inspired.

it has been absolutely brilliant. he deserved the match. >> let's talk about the australian team. are they in decline. >> they have been in decline for a while. and there is no sign at the moment that they are beginning to make a recovery from that. there seems to be instability there. he is under pressure to keep his position as capt.. beyond that, perhaps he will take over. of australia is in disarray at the moment because they cannot but aside together to be confident of making 20 wickets are making enough run to put pressure on the opposition. >> one assumes that the future

is very much on the agenda of the australian collective. >> they might well be giving him an out on the shoulder because it sounds as if they will keep playing. this is going to be your last as captain. the needs to be a change. given the horrible form that he described himself, it would be no surprise of his career is over after the match in sydney. >> how would you sum up? >> apart from the performance that comes as an aberration because mitchell johnson, the one time in this series was able to swing the ball and had an amazing spell, they are a very

solid performance. they have not been able to develop partnerships to defy them when it mattered. it cost australia dearly. there were opportunities that england grabbed. this match, they have not yet won the series. perhaps there is pride in sydney. >> there is one more test to try to square that series. >> in england fan, he saw the collapse on day 3. >> he really did.

[unintelligible] they just seemed to be there in every department, really. there were no weaknesses that we can see. australia was a bit worried. no doubt about it. no one would have seen them coming. [unintelligible] it was pretty special, i must admit. >> that was, reporting -- tom reporting. here in the uk, he has been following the series from

london. >> they played splendidly. it was a closer series than they ended up being [unintelligible] the cook is averaging better, i think. they must therefore be australia. the headline has collapsed.

-- collapse. it was a bit more discipline. this does seem to be quite a decline. you don't consider it to be quite so easily. >> to other news now, west african leaders refusing to stand down. he risks a military action if he does not cede power. the dispute has led to widespread unrest, tens of thousands fleeing. >> he welcomes were warm and the packs on the cheek presidential.

in just a few minutes, three west african leaders greeted the man who insists he is still the ivory coast cozied president. he lost the election but he is clinging to power. the message was blunt. step down or face military intervention. behind closed doors, they gave him a stark ultimatum. afterwards, there was little away. it is nothing more than a pledge to stay in touch. his opponents hope that the calls for him to go will one day be heeded. for now, it continues with tempers frayed. violence has claimed more than 170 lives. this is the man the un says won the election.

hold up and the hotel, he has formed a shadow administration but he is still reliant on un troops to protect him on the ivory coast. he has powerful friends abroad. >> an election was conducted there. that is quite a position. >> the supporters hope that international pressure will eventually help. but when that pressure seems to be diplomatic and becomes military. >> people have been killed in a fire in an abandoned building in new orleans. they kept in the house to keep warm and it has birds to the

ground. -- burned to the ground. authorities believe they were overcome by carbon monoxide. others say the car had engine problems. at least six people have been injured when a ski lift be railed -- derailed in maine. two were taken to the hospital. it is unclear if it was caused by mechanical problems or the weather conditions. this is bbc news, london more ahead on the program. elton john's become -- elton john becomes a dad. police have a post-mortem examination shelling the body

discovered on christmas day 3 miles from her home in clifton. for 11 days, mystery has surrounded the final hours. the family released these photos after a summer press conference confirmed what they feared -- a somber press conference confirmed what they feared. among the numerous lines of inquiry to be followed up our three unanswered questions. the gillette and though her killer, like the behavior suggests she might have. turkeys were found inside of the property. was there a siding in the vehicle that might of played a part in her of the action?

when looking across crystal, the police have an advantage. a shorter route would include the suspension bridge. the car would have to stop for a few moments before making the crossing. the bridges equipped with a number of closed-circuit cameras and it becomes a valuable source of information. somebody out there knows what happened to joanna. we need to provide her family with the answers they want. as police wait for more forensic results, they know that a dollar public may yet survive the missing information that they urgently need.

>> this is bbc news. the headlines this hour. england and has retained the ashes in australia for the first time in 24 years. the heads of state have told the ivory coast to risk -- to step down or risk military intervention. russia oppose the president has ordered to investigate moscow's international airports. fights broke out involving frustrated passengers. bad weather forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. passengers stormed passport control. >> a modern transport with thousands of people desperate to get away for the new year holidays. the chaos started when ice

brought down power lines. emergency generators brought in in the passenger backlog has not gone away. the airline staff seems to of disappeared. >> people are really desperate. there are fights. water supplies broke out and passengers told local radio that passengers were demanding $16 for a bottle of water. they are putting the blame squarely on the airport management saint it should have told passengers to stay away. problems were the result of a shortage of de-icing spray. >> we have been waiting here since early morning. they are cheating us. on tv, it is a lie.

>> on monday, passengers mounted an impromptu demonstration of security controls. an inquiry has been launched. in the meantime, the transport ministry is encouraging them to abandon their flight plans. the journey takes three times as long by rail, but at least it gets there. >> of the northeastern united states is trying to get back to normal after thousands of their passengers are stranded and many people without power. many passengers were expected to be stranded until the end of the week after 7000 flights were canceled over the holiday period. they told me the situation is improving, but slowly.

>> it has begun to clear. we had a fairly mild day. there is still enough to be causing problems at the airport. they are operating at reduced capacity. that presents a problem in itself. some of the passengers have been getting in the air and have been experiencing some pretty severe problems. the flights that came in from hong kong forced them to sit on the tarmac for 11 hours because there was not a gate ready. a similar thing happened to a british airways flight. the reason is foreign -- for airlines checking schedules and not clearing this with the

airports. they said the airlines weren't notifying. >> looking ahead to the end of the week, is the new year. it is a holiday season. what is the prospect for them getting out and about? >> of the weather looks like it is going to be fine, the problem is the backlog of passengers. it is very difficult, particularly at this time of year for airlines to clear a backlog because they are relying on extra seats on planes. airplane flights had to be booked a very close to capacity. finding that extra space is difficult. if you can avoid travelling

across hall than a year, best to do so. >> thousands are without water. the water company is giving out bottled water. >> christmas has been more than a washout. >> it is awful. and unbelievable. christmas is over. >> many businesses and farms have been without supplies. many people are driving around frantically trying to buy bottled water. hundreds of shops are already sold out. the one behind me has literally just exhausted its supply.

people are forced to fill bottles in the streets. >> [unintelligible] >> there is nobody answering funds, -- phones. put on the computer, we foudn t -- found there was water. >> the entity responsible is the government owned commercial entity. >> there are issues with contact because it put them under severe pressure. they are doing everything in their power. >> northern ireland water says the reservoir is running low and to look for it on their own

property. the company has never experienced a problem on this scale perform. all problems have been affected and will likely remain so for days to come. >> sir elton john and his partner have become parents of the sun born to a surrogate mother in california on christmas day. officials apparently thought he was too old to become a father. >> sir elton john is celebrating their partnership five years ago. they have been a couple since the early 1990's. now their parents think to a surrogate baby boy who born on christmas day. ♪ it is not the first time they have attempted to raise a family.

in 2009, they tried to become parents. >> i would love to adopt him. i dunno how we do that. but he has stolen my heart and david's heart. it would be wonderful if we had a home. >> their offer was rejected by the ukrainian government. it does not recognize civil partnerships. the baby was born in california three days ago. they were overwhelmed with happiness and joy. adding that he is healthy and doing really well. adding that they are proud parents. >> this is a designer

accessories. it seems money can buy anything. the baby needs a mother and father. it seems an act of pure selfishness to deprive a baby of the mother. >> when they return here to their home, it is likely to work hard to also protect the privacy of their new child. for now, they are celebrating the ideal christmas present. >> our main news again, england has retained the ashes in australia for the first time in 24 years. three african heads of state have the incumbent president of the ivory coast to resign in favor of his rival. those are the main headlines on

bbc news. thank you for watching. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. 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? >> there is one stage that is the met and carnegie hall. >> o, that this too, too solid flesh -- >> it is the kennedy center. >> check, one, two. >> and a club in austin. >> it is closer than any seat in the house, no matter where you call home. >> the top of the world, and i'm there, i'm home. >> pbs -- the great american stage that fits in every living room. your support of pbs brings the arts home. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.