>> "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."

>> a terror plot aimed at taking revenge for cartoons of mohammed. police and denmark arrest five. tens of thousands of homes without water in northern ireland. doctors warn of a public health emergency. a failed mediation, but west african leaders say they will return to the ivory coast as the international community steps up pressure on laurent gbagbo. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, also around the globe. coming up later for you -- crackdown on corruption, but can china reverse something that critics say is deeply ingrained in its bureaucracy? and 70 years on, how firefighters and winston churchill saved st. paul's cathedral from nazi bombs.

the danish authorities say they have managed to stop the internet terrorist attack in the capital of copenhagen. the target was the newspaper which outraged many muslims by printing the pictures of the prophet mohammed. they have arrested five men who planned to shoot as many as possible. we have this from mike will bridge. >> this is one of the two places in the danish capital where the police swooped up suspects in a plot they described as "terrifying." >> we have been following them very closely until today. we believe the situation has been under control, but we found it necessary to intervene in order to prevent a specific

terrorist attack in copenhagen. >> police say the four arrested in denmark are a 45 -- 44-year- old tunisian, a man born in lebanon, a swedish national coming in at 26-year-old iraqi asylum seeker, while the 27- year-old suspect of tunisian origen was arrested elsewhere. this is where they are said to have hired a car to cross the border. this building is said to be the target, the offices of the newspaper which first published the cartoons in 2005 that challenged self-censorship in the media, an act regarded as many -- regarded by many moslems as an insult to their fate. >> obviously, this is difficult to hear these things as a photographer, but this is something you think about every day. >> kurt westergaard, the artist

who drew the cartoons, expressed sympathy for his colleagues. >> obviously, the cartoons have been used very efficiently by militant islamist groups worldwide in targeting denmark specifically and trying to explain why the violent extremism is necessary. so, denmark has become a priority targets for militant islamist groups. >> swedish police say there is known known a link to the bomb blast and stockholm earlier this -- there is no known link to the bomb blast in stockholm earlier this week. bbc news. >> in northern ireland, 36,000 homes are still without running water due to frozen pipes across

the region. some have had their water cut off for almost a fortnight. and there is growing and there are calls for the chief executive of northern ireland water to resign. >> it is becoming a most unwelcome routine. this is the only way they can be sure of having water. turning the tap still does very little in many places in northern ireland. that is a problem for families. >> anytime you need water -- >> it is too large. -- too hard. >> conditions are improving, but 50,000 homes were still without water. some have not had a supply for up to 11 days. doctors warn that unless something is done quickly, there could be serious health implications. >> we now have a serious public

health emergency in northern ireland because of many homes have been without supply for so long. the key to good health is hand washing and cleanliness, and people have not had the water supplies to be able to do this. >> northern ireland water is a government-and co., and that involves -- that means northern ireland politicians are ultimately in charge. >> the transport minister in scotland had to resign. >> that was a completely different situation. there was a failure to prepare. we are dealing with the situation here where we are dealing with probably thousands of persons, and they are to be on the ground dealing with this. >> but the deputy minister of northern ireland indicated that someone could lose their job. >> that doesn't mean we could rule out. >> and these are the men under pressure.

the leading executive did not want to talk about his future. >> my focus is getting customers back on supply. that is what i am focused on >> all are well aware of the public anger, and they know that will not go away until supplies are fully restored. >> they have to come out to people. >> families are dealing with their own problems dealing with the thought, in is likely to be days before the water is back on. bbc news, belfast. >> the first piece attempt by neighbors of the ivory coast to resolve the country's power story -- power struggle try again. they will try to persuade laurent gbagbo, senior on the left, to give up power and acknowledge alassane ouattara who is widely reported as the winner of the election.

>> tensions are high, and even united nations peacekeepers got into trouble when their convoy took along -- on terror. the crowd here is supporting the incumbent president, the demand that the international community says it should leave power. he is laurent gbagbo, in office now for 10 years. but he has refused to hand over to his opponent, alassane ouattara, the u.n. says clearly won the polls. the luxury hotel where the government in waiting has taken refuge, saying they fear for their lives. the united nations protective detail and guards the government the international community has recognized. the soldiers loyal to laurent gbagbo controlled the back roads, so the only safe way to get there is by helicopter. the government in waiting says its supporters of the detail are being targeted by those forces,

a charge partially backed by u.n. investigators. >> you can see here -- all of us are in this hotel and you're the only ones protected by the international forces. mr. the people outside are threatened by militiamen. >> -- most of the people outside are threatened by militiamen. >> this is as much about form and substance in the government in waiting cabinet meeting. laurent gbagbo still holds most of the power in ivory coast. the situation has been going on for weeks now. almost the entire international community, and crucially most african countries, recognize the president and the government are working in an air-conditioned tent in a hotel. the united nations says it will continue to supply and protect itself and guard the government in waiting of alassane ouattara. but so far, the international pressure on laurent gbagbo has

failed to convince him to leave power. this test case for african democracy is still in the balance. mark doyle, bbc news. >> a court in an glut has sentenced a congolese man to 15 years -- in angola has sentenced a congolese man to 15 years. the government opened fire in a northern province, killing two people. attack was claimed by separatist rebels. four chinese nationals and a south african are due to stand trial in south africa for the seizure of the exotic shellfish. ed this trade result in millions of dollars every year. it has been linked to chinese triads and international drug gangs. we have this report. >> major does not get much better than less. the shores -- nature does not get much better than this. the shores of the western cape,

where if you were lucky, you can see all whale or even two. but this tv spot is a crime scene -- beauty spot is a crime scene. we are on the hunt for poachers, men who hunt the exotic shellfish of east asia illegally. we have had at about that a gang of diverse has been spotted just off the coast. we are trying to track them down. [siren] >> you in the boat. come here. >> as we approach, they ignore us. with thick seaweed slowing our patrol boats down, a change of tactics.

the investigators have moved in to make an arrest. the very fact that the men on board have diving gear means they are likely to face jail. but the coveted shellfish cannot be found. they have almost certainly been dumped overboard. died here and in ads, tools of the poaching trade, but not enough for it -- dive gear and nets, tools of the budging trade, but not enough for a conviction. abalone is considered a delicacy in the far east. 2,000 tons are being smuggled out for every 1,000 ton found like this. local gangs and chinese crime syndicates are tapping into this trade to buy weapons and drugs.

foot soldiers are not hard to find. these fishermen. >> these boats have 40 guys. >> typically how much can you catch in a night? >> sometimes we come in with 1.5 tons, that is out of the shell. about one with 5 tons. 900 kilos. so, quite a lot. >> you can turn of fortune from just one night's work. a hard habit for hungry men to give up. karen allen, bbc news, in the western cape, south africa. >> you are watching "bbc world news." still to come -- it was the big movie trend of 2010, but how much staying power will 3d have.

-- will 3d have? now, what comes to history and the internet age? information at our fingertips, but with hundreds of millions of website, how to preserve it all? we look at web archiving. >> it is hard to believe the world wide web is only 20 years old. trillions of megabytes of information have appeared on line. libraries like a guardian help preserve information for generations. yet now commercial organizations and artists are racing to capture digital information and -- archivists are racing to capture digital information. >> there is a perception is not as important as a hand written letter. we're trying to raise awareness. e-mail is quite often just as important as a handwritten

letter. >> here at the british library, groups like this wind have -- like this one have been saving information for generations. yet, a lot of digital information, which has been around for a fraction of that time, has already been lost. and the british library is trying to do something about here you will find the u.k. are cut, set up to preserve and document websites. it is not just websites and plugs that need archiving. companies are under pressure to preserve information available on their website. by law, companies have to arquette everything on their web sites, facebook -- archive everything under websites, facebook, and put your feet. you may want to think about anything that you're putting on your social networking site.

bbc news. >> this is "bbc world news." the headlines this hour -- 5 arrested in denmark over a suspected plot to attack the newspaper linked to the cartoon row. doctors are warning of the potential public health emergency after tens of thousands of homes in northern ireland are without water. north east australia's worst flooding in decades is continuing to cause chaos. crops have been damaged. steve marshall has the latest from sydney. >> queensland is affectionately known as the sunshine state, but much is under water. nearly half a meter of rain has fallen in the past week, flooding homes and businesses. after recently emerging from a decade of drought, farmland has been turned into lakes and improper these isolated by the

inland sea, with billions of dollars destroyed. with residents fleeing the worst floods in more than half a century, prime minister julia gillard has called on australia to get to the disaster relief fund. >> to the people of queensland, i say our thoughts are with you, and two australians generally, please consider donating to the disaster relief fund as a practical way of showing your support. >> across the state, residents have been forced out of their homes and hundreds of roads and highways remained cut off. >> the city of rockhampton is cut off to the north and south. it is unlikely what the flooding will be to our roads. >> police are arresting people

who recklessly drive into flooded areas and need rescuing. although the rain areas have begun to disperse, water continues to flow across central and southern queensland and you already swollen rivers. the overall damage is expected to exceed over $1 billion u.s. technical difficulties have pushed back the iranian timetable for producing a nuclear weapon. by not revealing how he lived -- reached that conclusion, he said he believed iran was three years away from developing a nuclear bomb. iran denies such intentions and insists its nuclear program is peaceful. the vatican is to publish new rules on thursday to make its

financial operations more transparent. but benedict will issue a decree to set up a new body that monitors all vatican post which handle money. this follows allegations that the holy see has been advocating financial regulations. the chinese government has promised to be tougher on corruption, and in their first ever official report on corruption, the government acknowledged it is a serious issue in the country. we have this from beijing. >> this is the face the chinese government likes to project. but it is tales of champagne communism that anchors the population. -- angers the population. the perks enjoyed life officials

are under scrutiny. they admit it remains a serious problem. >> the number of cases that have been looked into by the inspection authorities, the numbers have increased slightly compared with the same time last year. >> officials are required to declare incomes and investments. it is designed to make the authority more accountable. and in the past, there have been high-profile corruption cases, but as the country becomes wealthier, corruption has increased. and perhaps more worryingly, the gap between rich and poor has widened. that could lead to political instability, the party fears. for all the talk of fine lines and shark fin soup, -- fine wines and shark fin soup, critics say that corruption is

ingrained in the bureaucracy here. bbc news, beijing. >> the south korean president has called for new six-party talks with north korea. he said that there was no choice but diplomacy. this comes after a year of high tension including live fire between north and south. going to the cinema in 2010 has usually meant putting on a set of these unflattering glass says. -- glasses. is 2d and retain it gone for good, or is the future of 3d still blurred? in the johns reports. >> this was the cinema in 2010. from the future with some of "tron legacy" to the nursery. nearly every offering wanted to

offer itself in 3d. this was the first european film ever made in 3d, and according to its producer, there was no going back. >> most of them can be 3d. for us, this is the future. on occasion, we can look at new projects, but it is becoming rare now. >> outside the cinema, three d is a novelty, but the technology is increasing so rapidly next year it should be to all aspects of home entertainment. him knows? even news? the first ever live webcast to brand new tv sets, all in 3d. but it is still seen as something of a gimmick. >> so, sometimes, maybe one

episode of a whole series will be 3d rather than kneehole series or short segments of a program -- rather than the whole series or short segments of a program. yet they do not have the feature film type camera systems. >> but even hollywood's sometimes pales at the price tag. many towns like "gulliver's travels" are converted to 3d in postproduction, because it is cheaper. some film critics are wondering if audiences will eventuate where the spectacles, literally. >> is it going to go to your average, middle of the road family movie? you pay extra for the glasses, they are hurting your nose as he watched the movie. nothing has really happened extra. i can not notice the 3d. >> though, yes, those glasses.

between that and the content, as some believe is a far way from becoming part of everyday entertainment. >> i do not think people see it for four years, maybe more. it will probably have to have another couple years of innovation so you can get 3 d in -- tv in 3d with the glasses at all. >> still, for a generation brought up on the availability of 3 d content, enthusiasm is gaining. the world is at our fingertips. it is up to us to grasp it. bbc news. >> 70 years ago, a picture was taken of st. paul's cathedral and merging intact -- emerging intact from the firestorm. it became one of the world's best known at photos. we have this. >> it is one of london's most

spectacular views, but on a december day in 1940, the dome of st. paul's overlooked an inferno. >> it was the evening of december 29, 1940, and fire rained down on the city of london. >> this evening, at the exact time the siren sounded, a convoy of vehicles retraced the route taken by hundreds of others, a route that led wartime volunteers into a firestorm. >> among them, 16-year-old george wheeler. >> everything had gone up. to this day, i have spoken to the sidney fire office, and they cannot imagine what it was like. >> modern equipment and communications were just a dream. today's firefighters can only imagine what their predecessors faced. >> if you can imagine one

single fire, radiating heat, igniting everything adjacent to it. this was going on all over the city. it was creating firestorms within the city of london. terrifying. >> as water supplies dried up, the prime minister, winston churchill, issued just one order -- "stayed at st. paul's." -- "save st. paul's." >> i was very proud. when the crunch came, i was there, and i did my bit. >> and churchill had been right. near disaster had created an iconic image of resistance and survival. bbc news. >> you can of course find out more about those stories and all of today's stories online -- bbc.com/news. you'll find the latest on those arrested in denmark, lots of background about the

controversial cartoon is thought to be the reason for this alleged plot. and there is more on our facebook page. >> 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.