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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> the flood waters continue to rise in northeast australia as more storms and heavy rains come. still no end in sight. the political standoff in the ivory coast showing no sign of slowing down. and the navy is investigating lewd videos made aboard an aircraft carrier. welcome to bbc news. coming up later, china takes a big step forward in its nuclear power program, which could provide energy for thousands of years.

in australia, floods have now turned large parts of the massive state into a lake. about 200,000 people affected so far. there is a forecast of storms and more rain. the town is looking more and more like an island and the river more like an inland sea. >> queensland is supposed to be the sunshine state, its proud boast that it is beautiful one day and perfect the next. that must sound like a sick joke right now for the people in the cities hit by the most widespread flooding in history. water from the still-swelling river closing airports and cutting the main highway leading to the state capital of brisbane.

rockhampton is looking almost like an island surrounded by an inland sea. the australian military has swung into action. planes are delivering vital supplies. >> the contingency plans are being made to move either by barge or by helicopter. >> residential streets have been turned into the dunes with the locals only able to get about using boats. meanwhile, the streets further inland are lined with ruined remains. these images were sent in to the bbc by an english teacher as he returned to what was left of his home. >> we are not going to be able

to live here. this house is ruin. >> three people have been killed since this began, and 10 have lost their lives since the rain started in november. this has been a slow-moving process. now it is reaching its peak. >> bret williamson is in rockhampton, and he has the latest. >> we are expecting it to stop tomorrow afternoon. the peak is expected to be around 9.4 meters. we are at 9.15. over the last 24 hours, the height has slowed down a little bit. i do not know if that has given us a window of opportunity to prepare, but i am sitting at our studios. the club next to us covered its front doors with plastic. it has sandbagging.

if i look to the right, there is nothing but water after that. if i walk around 20 meters, there is water, and there is a lot of water. there is vegetation slowing down three rivers. we are expecting livestock in the water as well, which is going to be a fairly horrific sight. >> it is quite extraordinary. the people must be devastated, and the cleanup operation is going to be immense, isn't it? >> it is rather unique. there is very widespread flooding in -- over there, but in inland, it is localized. we have seen about 400 houses that have been evacuated. they expect when it reaches 9.4

meters tomorrow that will rise to 4000 houses. rockhampton is the city of around 75,000, so although the direct implications are going to be strong, and the general implications are probably going to be indirectly justice ravaging to the community and in particular the economy and also to small businesses, and they are giving an urgency package to residents that are affected as well, just to make sure the shops can stay open. >> that was fred williamson from abc. still no sign of an end to the political standoff in the ivory coast. they are waiting for him to cede power to his rival, recognized for winning november's election,

but the talks will continue. >> the delegation of west african leaders came here with one aim -- to persuade him to step aside, but after several hours of talks, they came away with little to show for their efforts. >> we have had many different meetings. >> at this stage i can only say we are waiting. >> this is their second meeting in less than a week. they are waiting for the kenyan envoy to the african union. he has been threatened with military action, but he still

stands firm, refusing to concede he lost november's presidential election to the man recognized as the winner puree get he and his team are holed up in a row hotel -- recognized as the winner. he and his team are in a hotel. he insists he will not renounce his claim to the presidency and says discussions are finished. the disputed presidential elections have bought -- from violence and fear to the ivory coast. the un says more than 200 people have been killed or disappeared. after monday's talks, the question now becomes what can be done next. >> police in israel have

arrested two palestinians working for the british consulate in connection with an alleged terrorist plot. they were trying to buy weapons. the bbc correspondent gave us this story. >> officials have confirmed two men who work for the british consulate have indeed been arrested by israeli police in connection with an alleged attack on the stadium in jerusalem. a number of sporting events take place there, and police are alleging a group of conspirators launched over rocket attack on the stadium -- were planning to launch a rocket attack on the stadium, but it never got past the planning stages. they did not have particularly

high security clearances but had been vetted to work at the consulate in the first place. we understand they have been arrested in the last few weeks. the men have been arrested. we do not know if they have been charged or at what stage the investigation is at, but it is clear there was a planned attack on jerusalem, and officials have confirmed that two employees at the consulate were indeed arrested as part of that police operation. >> some of our other main points -- iran has indicted russia, china, the european union and others to stop nuclear sites. the second round of talks is due later this month.

pakistan's prime minister is meeting opposition leaders to try to head off a no-confidence vote. he faces losing a majority. emergency talks have included the chief minister. republican leaders in the u.s. congress have begun the health- care law signed by president obama last year. this was unveiled just two days before the republicans assumed control over the lower house in the congress following november's midterm election. if the attempt to repeal fails, the republicans say they will attack the law through other means. the u.s. navy over the last few days has been exercising damage control after lewd videos made aboard the uss enterprise came to light.

shot several years ago, the footage, which contained case lawyers and suggestive shower scenes, was aimed at the top officer at the time. this has opened a new debate about what is susceptible to the armed forces. >> slickly produced and distributed, the morale- boosting video now feels like a giant foot placed deep in his mouth. >> something foreign to the gay kid over there. >> the video is full of college- level of humor, a body jokes, and repeated derogatory references to gay men. >> i guess we will not be showing this to the kids at

home. >> the u.s. navy first planes downed leaked material. it says the videos were intended to be humorous skits, but the videos it now says are clearly inappropriate. an investigation has been launched. >> i have every confidence in the professionalism and patriotism of our service members. >> the controversy comes a few weeks after congress and president obama swept away the uneasy compromise known as "don't ask, don't tell" on men and women serving in the u.s. military. the video predates that decision by several years. the uss enterprise is heading to sea pretty soon, off two afghanistan. the captain was supposed to be leading it. now his position is unclear. some were outraged that this existed in the military.

others say rough language and filthy humor are normal. >> still ahead, it is good to be back. jerry brown is sworn in as california's governor after he first held the job. here in britain, the sales tax va t has risen from 17.5% to 20%. this is an indicator of plans to cut the budget deficit. miliband discussed this. here is our business correspondent. >> retails have had -- and retailers have had a nightmare so far. and arctic weather has kept people away from the shops before christmas, and this could scare them away again.

vat is added to the price of an item and paid for at the tilled by the end user. these customers had mixed feelings about the impending hike. >> it is over 2.5%. >> it is 50 pounds. perhaps more. >> the cost of living is getting costlier. it will rise from 17.5% to its highest level of 20%, but that will not apply for food or children's clothing. domestic heating charges are soaring. adding to that, the cost of filling our cars approaches near record levels every week. these are flying ship elements in the efforts to cut the deficit, and it hopes to raise an additional 13 billion pounds over the next few days. the danger is if consumers feel this is a tax hike to far, they

may rein in their spending. an additional worry is that additionalvat on popular items will -- that this vat rise will push things up a time people can least afford it. >> you are with bbc news. the headlines so far this hour. in australia, floods have turned much of the town into a lake. there's still no end to the standoff in the ivory coast. christians in the middle east and europe are on high alert after suicide bombings in egypt killed 21 christians. the e egyptians have collapsed

with riot police in cairo. give police are investigating threats made against churches. our correspondent reports from alexandria. >> for the 7-year-old, even the slightest movement is agony. the little girl is burned over much of her body. it is not an easy sight to watch. her mother is suffering her own agony. she listens to her daughter's cried. >> whoever did this, they are not human beings. they are not people. they are animals. >> the doctor shows me the gift of track metal he has removed from the victims' bodies. this was the moment a little

after midnight on friday when the bombers struck. inside the church, the explosion nearly closed the doors in. outside in the street, there is carnage. at least 21 allied dead. more than 90 others are injured. today, the church is sealed off behind a wall. too little, too late, according to local christians. there has been sporadic violence between egypt's muslims and christians for years, but never before has there been an attack of the scale that took place saturday morning. whoever planted the bomb appears to have deliberately wanted to inflame tensions and hatred between egypt's 8 million christians and more than 70 million muslims. on the egyptian television, muslim and christian elders have made a public display of unity. they are planning the bombing on foreigners.

out on the streets of cairo, the protesters are in no mood to hold hands. they are angry, and they want revenge. with christmas just a few days away, the fear is that the bombers may be preparing to strike again. >> china has taken a big step in its nuclear fuel program. the country has developed a process and are embarking on several new power stations. this could provide fuel for years to come. >> chinese scientists have been working on this technology for 24 years. state television says they have perfected a procedure that will allow them to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. it is a costly procedure.

the material can be used at stations. china is not the first country to develop its facilities. france, britain, and india are just three countries that already have this, but this break through has major implications in china. the country is building a number of new nuclear power plants in an effort to diversify energy sources. at the moment, it mostly relies on coal. this latest development could help its nuclear power program. state television says the country currently has enough iranian for 70 years. it claimed the new process could mean that supply will now last for thousands. >> the greek government will erect a fence, yet it is widely criticized. the opposition parties have condemned the plan as in human.

the european commission said short-term measures will not attack the problem. an investment by goldman sachs and the russian investment firm has valued facebook at $50 million, -- $50 billion. the social networking side is created and run by mark zuckerberg. he is mr. zuckerberg has maintained he has no plans to sell. singapore has overtaken china for the title of strongest economic performer in a show with an annual growth rate of 14.7%. -- in asia with an annual growth rate of 14.7%. the european union has begun the year with confidence.

they hope to integrate the roma, but they have begun with criticism of the hon. media. >> making a fresh start to the new year. they have been washing away that aches and pains of budapest and its visitors for nearly 100 years. now they hope to take advantage of hungary's unaccustomed exposure. >> it is a doubly important for eat -- year for us. get we're hoping to attract even more visitors than usual. this is one of the greatest national treasures and one that is well-marketed. it also fits more controversial

policies, like the new media law. the midday news at home gary and national radio. the radio guards its independence fiercely, and they announced a shake-up. they combined its two a single newsroom. many journalists fear for its future. >> there is a growing danger for certain colleagues, because they feel the job is not as secure as it was. >> even though those in power say they need -- they mean no harm and suggest there will be no massive redundancies. the power struggles are more

visible and somehow more relaxing. >> the u.s. democrat jerry brown has been sworn in as california 's 49th governor. he is inheriting a more troubled state than the one he led back then. he talked about the courage and sacrifice that will be needed ahead. >> this land is your land -- >> it started us a celebration of modern times. and the outgoing superstar, arnold schwarzenegger, next to him, gray davis. they watched as the democrats took the same oath for the third term. a career politician first sworn

in 36 years ago. >> 1975 was the ending of the vietnam war and a recession caused by the middle east oil embargo. now as we gathered in this restored memorial auditorium dedicated to those who died in world war roman one, it is our soldiers fighting in iraq and afghanistan, an economy caught in the undertow of a deep and prolonged recession. >> jerry brown shows tendencies. >> i want to be a governor, not of the few, but of the many, of democrats, republicans, independents. >> he dreams of bigger things. later, another movie star led the state common-law a govern ator grand show business style.

>> this is like winning an oscar. >> his initial popularity has not lasted. his replacement seems to relish the task ahead. >> of the song says, calif., here i come, right back where i started from. >> so the staff congratulated the new leading man. governor brown will unveil his budget next week. deep cuts loom to restore the gleam to the golden state. >> mount etna, the longest active volcano in europe, has begun to see a fantastic fireworks display as lava spewed out of the east side. it was last recorded in late 1500 b.c. that is how we round out the

news. >> hello and welcome. 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. 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 global expertise to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major

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