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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> here are the headlines. the eu cuts its growth forecast for the year ahead. all eyes are on germany as it comes under pressure to provide all euro zone bailout funds. the hunt goes on for the major league baseball player missing since wednesday. a refugee camp is bombed in south sudan. it is 10:00 in singapore. >> it is 2:00 in london.

>> the damage inflicted by the european debt crisis is -- has been made all too clear. the eu has announced a drastic reduction of the forecast of growth for next year. the senior eu commissioner has warned that stalled growth raises the prospect of a new recession. >> we did not have to travel far this afternoon to find concern, anxiety about what is happening in europe. >> in the middle of a crisis and i am worried about my salary, my mortgage. >> a further along the road, the commission. inside, the top euro official. >> i am looking forward to the day when i can bring you some good news.

>> and not today, though. >> this forecast is the last wake-up call. the recovery has come to a standstill. there is a risk over a new recession. >> about to strike fear into the heart of all of us. it had been hope that economic growth would help europe recover from its debt crisis. that is no longer a solution. this is a continent desperately short of ideas on how to emerge from its current economic problems. with no growth and a deepening debt crisis, politicians cannot see a way forward. the strings -- the strains are now really starting to show it would ban the the euro. -- within the bureau.

some say the euro cannot survive in its present form. this is a full-blown crisis and nobody has a workable solution. in italy, up support for the prime minister is structuring. fellow euro zone countries want to see the back of berlusconi. >> berlusconi as prime minister -- it was impossible for the markets. >> there was some action. in athens, the focus of last week's market panic, a former european central banker will not lead a government committee -- committed to bringing down the debt. in germany, angela merkel said she is focused on one goal. to stabilize the euro zone in its current form, she insisted. how?

even france came under increasing pressure from the financial markets. this is the biggest crisis in europe since world war ii. >> angela merkel said it was essential that italy and move quickly. angela merkel also dismissed reports she favored a smaller euro zone. she told a news conference that berlin's only goal was to stabilize the current block. germany's options are limited. >> with the euro zone crisis deepening, all eyes turn to germany. notableerman mp's determine the future of the single currency. the german chancellor said she still believes the euro zone can survive in its present form. >> since the beginning of the

debt crisis, germany has pursuing one simple goal. to stabilize the euro zone and its current form. each individual country is in a situation to regain credibility. >> the euro zone badly needs fixing and germany has been the main country applying the sticking plaster. the big question is whether germany would step in to help italy. so far, it has contributed 211 billion euros to the main euro zone bailout fund, but says that is the limit. it is unwilling to allow the european central bank to become a lender of last resort. this is why. the memory of inflation in the '20s. truckloads of money were needed to pay basic wages on a daily basis. germany will not agree to the ecb printing money.

it is -- the germans are hypersensitive to the idea that the ecb could be used to help countries in difficulty. when it comes to big economies like italy, the german government is hoping that tough economic reforms may be in not to help italy saved itself. >> the most important step is to be done by italy itself. it needs a stable, reliable government and clear commitment to domestic reform. >> samamp -- some mp's are prepared to see countries in trouble to leave the euro zone. >> members of the euro zone which cannot reach significant competitiveness, will reach a point where there might be no alternative. >> but of the chancellor's key economic advisers says more funds may be needed to shore up

the euro. >> we are in a situation where bank investors have lost the confidence. we need a bold step that guarantees sovereign bonds without limitations. >> the big question for germany remains unanswered. if it becomes necessary, will it act as the main guarantor of the euro zone's? debts? >> what about any reaction where you are? >> there is some reaction. consider -- concerns continued to weigh on markets. you do see them all higher. they are not convincing gains. hong kong has opened a one% we saw a 3% losses on thursday

for japan. wall street was higher overnight. that is helping somewhat. we did see that italian bond sale that one slightly better than expected. the u.s. markets were higher. companies like merck raising its corporate dividends as well. the euro coming off its one- month low against the dollar. the united states treasury secretary has called for fast action by europe in light of the debt crisis. speaking at the summit in hawaii, tim geithner said leaders have been discussing how the asia-pacific economies can strengthen their own defenses against the fallout. >> the crisis in europe remains the central challenge to global growth. it is crucial to all of us that europe move quickly to restore financial stability. we're all directly affected by the crisis in europe.

the economies of the asian- pacific region are in a better position than most countries to take steps to strengthen growth in the face of the pressure of europe. >> tim geithner. the washington national baseball team in the united states has been kidnapped by gunmen in venezuela. he is a catcher for the major league team and was back, during the american off season. does a venezuelan government has says it is pursuing the kidnappers. >> in baseball -- such is the case with wilson ramos, a rookie catcher with the washington nationals. he returned to venezuela and during the off season and was due to play for his venezuelan team. however, on wednesday, a group

of armed men kidnapped him from outside his parents' home just east of the city of valencia. there are believed to be thousands of kidnappings a year in venezuela. most underreported. more than 24 hours after he was taken, there is still no word. the government has promised to do everything in its power to find a player. >> we have not had any communication with the kidnappers. what we did have was a very important find earlier this morning. we found the vehicle we presume the criminals use to commit their crimes. >> the u.s. major league and the washington nationals have issued a joint statement expressing their concern and saying their working with the venezuelan authorities. the kidnapper -- the kidnapping is a worry for athletes in venezuela. it is high profile case has returned the controversial

issues of crime and civil securities ended as well the back to the top of the political agenda. >> the united states has strongly condemned the bombing of a refugee camp in south to don. -- south sudan. 12 people were killed in the attack. >> the refugee camps is so remote, food has to be brought in by air. a plane dropped several bombs on the camp, one sparked a bush fire. another one landed by a school, but did not explode. >> i did not -- i do not know

why. >> there are differing reports about the number of casualties. there is no doubt -- the plan which carried out the bombing to headed off to the north. the sudanese armed forces denied any involvement. the incident highlights the growing tensions between the two countries, each accuses the other zero boasting rebels in its territory. -- of hosting rebels in its territory. >> still to come on the program, three years after deadly attacks in mumbai, the prime ministers of india and pakistan pledged to improve their strained relations. >> one of the biggest political scandals in american history.

what president nixon told a legal investigation has been published for the first time. at least 10 people have been killed after wednesday's earthquake in eastern turkey. the quake struck the city but a magnitude of 5.7. it is just over two weeks and another earthquake hit the same region. >> every hour or so, they pull the remaining survivors from what is left of two hotels. nearly 30 people have been brought out alive. among them, a japanese aid worker who came to help after the big earthquake last month. a victim herself. she had only minor injuries. in other japanese colleague, a doctor, it died after being

pulled out this morning. >> i really hate being in the dark, so i was scared of opening my eyes. i was trying not to open my eyes. i was also afraid of not knowing what was going not outside. i tried to open my eyes, but i could not. when i finally managed to open my left eye, there was a ray of light. that light. >> the circuit camera caught the moments the hotel collapsed. these buildings for probably weakened by last month's earthquake. there are lingering questions over the quality of buildings elsewhere in the country, following the disasters. last month, the prime minister described those developers to

ignore construction safety codes as murderous. -- murderers. >> these are the headlines. the european union cut its forecast for growth next year, raising fears of the euro zone is at risk for a new recession. >> the major league baseball player kidnapped by gunmen in venezuela. let's get more on the summit taking place in hawaii. the situation in europe has a rather it overshadowed events, but what else will they be talking about? to find out, let's talk to the

executive director. he joins us live from honolulu. welcome to the program. what are some of the items expected to top the agenda? >> we are looking at increasing trade. we're talking about promoting green growth and improving regulatory convergence. we are working on this to it -- we will be working on this agenda throughout the year. >> you say you were planning to increase trade. the partnership agreement is something that has been talked about a head of the summit. is this agreement close to becoming a reality? >> the partnership -- the free

trade agreements can address some of the next generation issues. they have been doing work on that. we are hopeful the leaders are looking towards agreement on the framework or alkaline -- outline during this week. >> you said the leaders are looking for some formal agreement. japan, but the involvement of japan has been fairly contentious.

how significant is the agreement to countries like japan? >> japan is still a major trading power. many of the countries are so dependent on trade. it is something that could be mutually beneficial. >> we also heard from china's assistant foreign minister. he said that u.s. goals for the apec summit were too ambitious. are they? >> it is a very diverse -- from canada at one end to new zealand at the other. there will be differences of view.

we are working towards arriving at a consensus. we are making substantial progress. >> thank you for speaking to us. the prime ministers of india and pakistan say they intend to open a new chapter in the troubled history of the two countries. three years after relations suffered badly with the mumbai attack in which 156 people died. our correspondent reports. >> the two countries was such a history of tension, the atmosphere -- they held talks at this luxury resort. a series of meetings between them in the past year and a half has helped to build confidence between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. nothing was left off the agenda.

>> i have discussed all issues and the issues related to terrorism, a trade. we have discussed all important issues. it puts all the cards on the table. we're ready to discuss each and every issue. the next round will be more constructive, and it will open a new chapter in the history of both countries. thank you very much. >> his indian counterpart said in the past, and host of complex issues. he hopes this will not change. he called him a man of peace. >> i have always believed that the destinies of people in india and pakistan are closely linked.

we have wasted a lot of time in the past been acrimonious. the time has come to write a new chapter. >> the key towns relationship became significantly worse with the attacks in mumbai three years ago. perpetrated by militants from pakistan based group. the one survivor is appealing against his death sentence. the pakistani government accepts his guilt. the 65-year-old conflict over kashmir remains, of course. the territorial dispute has not gone away. even at this moment, there is a lessening of tension.

the two countries had also taken measures to ease trade limitations across their common border. both prime ministers say that now was the time to bring about concrete results. >> the chairman of news international, james murdoch, has accused former employees of over the phone hacking controversy. he repeatedly denied that he had been told of the significance of the crucial e-mails which suggested that phone hacking was widespread. >> there was a lot of supposition. would have known, might have known, should have known. would never happen is them showing me the relevant

evidence, explaining to me the relevant evidence, or talking about why there was criminality. -- or talking about widespread criminality. >> that scandal being watched date. it forced richard nixon to become the only u.s. president to resign from office. for the first time, the official transcript has been made public. we have the highlights. >> richard nixon was already a broken man when he appeared before the grand jury in june of 1975. he resigned as president a year earlier. despite being granted oregon by his successor, he still risked perjury charges and lied under oath. he was asked about a meeting with the stiffest off just days -- with this chief of staff days after burglars broke again to the headquarters. he secretly taped it, but

investigators found a mysterious 18-minute gap in the recording. nixon told the grand jury, i practically blew my stack all morning that part of the recording was missing. if you are interested in my view as to what happened, it is free sample. it was an accident. -- it is very simple. it was an accident. investigators suspected potentially incriminating dialogue had been deliberately wiped out. we can read it all for ourselves in a treasure trove of opened up by the national archives. there are handwritten notes, diary entries, and a full transcript of what nixon told the grand jury. >> it will take historians some time to go through this and tell us if there is something new about watergate. there are fascinating glimpses into the psyche of one of

america's most complex presidents. in this unreleased audio, nixon records a memo to his chief of staff about vietnam, suggesting how to improve the image of america. >> how we can get a good pr story. >> a man under pressure, but would eventually fold. we know little bit more about why. >> you have been watching "newsday." >> the european union has dramatically cut its court -- forecast for economic growth for 2012. raising fears the euro zone is heading for a recession. that growth forecast is down 2.5%. the eu commissioner called it

the euro zone last week the call. bad is it from london and singapore. -- that is it from london and singapore. >> 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.

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