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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> safe and sound, the kidnapped obispo clara -- a baseball player. cackling the debt crisis in the year rose zone. and the government goes a crackdown on protesters escalates. welcome to bbc news, broadcast our viewers on pbs and america and around the globe. coming up later, he expects -- kurdish militants have hijacked a ferry with people on board. the minister has been killed in a helicopter crash three years after his predecessor dies under similar circumstances.

welcome once again. the venezuelan government says that the baseball player that was kidnapped by armed men has been found alive. he is said to be safe and sound. the country's information minister said that security forces had located him in mountains. he is a catcher for the washington nationals in the united states. >> it had been a day of vigils for baseball fans in venezuela, especially for supporters of the washington nationals. the players appear to have been answered. the young catcher has been rescued in the mountainous region and is said to be safe and well. he had been kidnapped earlier this week from outside his parents, by a group of armed men.

the sportsmen in venezuela have been the target of crime in the past, but this was the first time one had been taken off the street at gunpoint. he had just finished his rookie season with the nationals in the u.s. major leagues. he returned to venezuela during the off-season to play for his team, the tigers. a common practice. the government promised a robust investigation and said they would do everything possible to find him. but despite finding the car used in the kidnapping, there was no word from the kidnappers or any clue as to his whereabouts. now he has been rescued. how many in the government will be breathing a sigh of relief. that has brought national attention back to the high rate of crime and venezuela and many felt his ordeal was indicative of this sort of risk that many venezuelans base -- a face on the basis.

supporters of every baseball team in venezuela give thanks that one of their top sportsman has been found unharmed. >> de venezuela correspondent is sincere granger, on the line at. sarah, very few details are beginning to emerge. >> is true, we don't know what the physical condition is of the young player at the moment, but how they are saying that this operation was authorized by the president all the way from the top down. the army was an airborne operation, this is taken very seriously by the government because of violence is a top election issue affecting everyone across the country, and elections coming up next year. >> how did he manage to get himself kidnapped? i put it like that because many have precautions, their own

bodyguards. >> he was outside his mother's house, relaxing with friends of the time when a car pulled out with armed gunmen. and by all accounts, it was a very organized kidnapping. he was relaxing at home and think it would have been very difficult for him to avoid being taken with that kind of planning. >> how big of a problem as kidnapping in venezuela? dodge for the wealthy middle class is, and the high-profile characters, it is a constant concern. also was nunhood has expressed kidnapping, people are taken off the street or carjacked had taken around the city where they have to take money out from their bank accounts. it reaches all levels and is a constant concern for anyone with

any kind of wealth. >> stock markets in europe and the united states have reacted positively hostile moves by italy and greece. the economic reform package was passed by the italian senate. meanwhile, the new greek prime minister has promised to push through the bailout package ha. are your correspondent, matthew price reports. >> from rome, a glimmer of hope. italy's senate passed a series of economic measures. when the lower house does the same, the prime minister has said that he will resign, making waves for this man. a former european commissioner who will head a technocrat government. he will be tasked with balancing italy's budget by 2014 to help

contain year of's debt crisis. the italian b.a.t. will go up to 21%. there will be a crackdown on tax evasion. europe's leaders welcomed the news. >> i am hopeful that we can resolve the situation quite soon. the news we have been receiving from italy is in that direction, but i can't respond for italy. >> in athens, there were more anti-austerity protests on the streets today. i am expecting further bar american measures against the people, this woman said. a new government is being imposed on the country. another technocrat was sworn in today. his job was to force through more painful austerity measures demanded by brussels.

greece and italy are doing part of what is needed to contain the debt crisis. one problematic prime minister is gone and another is on the way out. but if the democratic? brussels get to what it wants. do the voters? >> money to bail out europe matters most. many said the central bank should do more to support countries under threat. in berlin, they don't agree. germany is worried about the consequences of printing more money. the economics minister said the bailout would remove the pressure on debt ridden countries to reform. there was also some advice for britain. >> i find it odd that the british don't have the euro and advise us of what we should do. they don't want to help in any way.

>> and the chancellor was concentrating on what it means back home. >> is a difficult and dangerous situation. britain is impacted by what is happening. growth in britain has been hit by what is going on. >> back in italy, he headed off to what might be his last official engagement has prime minister. the markets stabilized when he announced he would resign. today's news calmed them. they know that it is still in critical condition. a few christ -- matthew price, bbc news. immune to the economic crisis. speaking during the visit to tokyo, there has been significant progress made on solving the political instability. >> clarity and credibility which is much needed in italy will have an impact on the way in

which the italian economy responds. the second impact that will be needed to " leave the proper expedited implementation of the program and reforms that have just been decided by the italian houses of parliament. and if that happens and if the agreement entered into between members of the euro zone on the twenty sixth at 27 of october are implemented beautifully, clearly the situation will be clarified and should be improved significantly. >> reports of serious say 26 people were killed on friday adding to eight months of anti- government protests. november is likely to be the bloodiest month since the uprising began in march. a meeting on saturday will discuss the lack of progress on

any sort of dialogue. the organization is coming under intense pressure to suspend syria's membership. you might find some of the picture is disturbing. promises, promises. a week after pledging it would respect human rights, these were the forces of the syrian state and action. here a man that appears mortally wounded is dragged away by soldiers. across syria, the bloody cost of protests. they went man clutches the foot of his comrade. a voice says, these are your reforms. the u.n. says three and a half thousand people have died already.

but the demonstrators act as if they have marched beyond the point of fear. the state is strengthening its defenses. troops lying and who northern border of love and on. all of this means that arab states must isolate the regime. >> we are looking at massive and civilians that are being killed or detained or tortured. we would like to see its stock as few as possible. the only possible way is to put concerted pressure on the part of the international community with the assistance of regional organizations. >> of the arab league used to see -- to be seen as a talking shop for middle eastern regimes. but the events of the arab spring change that. a new dynamic has emerged, driven by the demands of the street. it was instrumental in bringing about the no-fly zone there.

and the syrian regime was pressed to stop the bloodshed. fighting for its life, how they no concessions aloha have seen a fatal weakness, the beginning of the end of its power. they note of this makes no intervention risky and therefore highly unlikely. this doesn't address the heart of the president -- the determination of many of his people to be rid of him. and from within his own security forces, the factions have emboldened the opposition. it is the powerful forces in syria itself that will define the energy. >> still to come, a presidential come back.

exactly what does russia want? a british army memo suggests a 16.5000 soldiers have been made redundant over the last few years including some of those wounded on the front line. a document was seen by the daily telegraph. they thought 7000 soldiers would lose their jobs. >> part of the government of the defense cuts, the original army estimates was 7000 troops redundant over the next few years. this confidential army document today, and will be published in tomorrow's paper and suggests it will be more like 16,500 over the next few years. armies still faces a real problem as it shrinks. what will they do with the hundreds of troops injured in northern afghanistan and iraq? that is a real issue for the

army. this document says that they will not be exempt. the second crunch will be announced next year. understandably, the army is distancing themselves from this report saying it was written by a junior officer. nevertheless, and they're looking at what it means at the moment. what they are saying is that they have made no final decisions on the number of troops. as for the injured troops, they will not be forced to leave until they have recovered and until it is the right decision for them and the army. that said, this comes on the day when the nation remembers the sacrifice of those that serve and are still serving on the front lines. >> you can get more on all of our stories by going to the bbc

news website for background and analysis, plenty of video and audio content as well. the headlines. the major league baseball player kidnapped in venezuela has been found alive by the country pose a security forces. stock markets have risen after italy and greece took steps towards tackling the debt crisis that is threatening the future of europe. the the escalating sexual abuse scandal of love america oppose the top college football teams. it is alleged that jerry sandusky at penn state university abused aged boys in his care in a series of assault stretching back to the late 1990's. the case has led to the dismissal of the head coach who knew of the allegations and failed to inform the police. >> of the tribal passions and the glory of college football.

the sport is a cherished part of the american identity and is living through a moment of shame. a graphic details are a lot merging of the allegedly sexually abused boys. >> the defensive coordinator. >> of the alleged perpetrator. 67-year-old jerry sandusky, an assistant coach the retired 12 years ago that maintains a university office and access to a locker rooms. with their identities shielded, this is the mother of one of the eight alleged victims. >> i wanted him to be locked up. there is no help for somebody that does this. not like this. he needs to be put away for a long time. >> of the coaching denies and sexually abusing minors over a 15-year time. >> trying to motivate them and mentor them.

>> many met him through a charity he founded to help troubled boys. one of the alleged assaults was witnessed by a member of the staff that informed of this man, the veteran head coach. the case was only investigated internally and the police were never told. this week, to many a living legend, coach paterno was fired. >> anyone has read the grand jury report feels the sense of regret and sorrow to seek careers end, but we must keep in mind that when it comes to the safety of children, there can be no margin for error. >> it has provoked soul- searching among sports fans across america, including president obama. >> the whole situation is heartbreaking and we think first and foremost of the victims. i think it is a good time for us

to do some soul-searching, every institution, about what our priorities are and making sure that we understand that our first priority is protecting our kids. >> and the sacking provoked an angry response from students that believes he has been made a scapegoat to cover-up hall university officials. as the final home game looms, this is the campus on edge. >> we can take you to turkey because we have pictures coming in of the ferry that had been hijacked a few hours ago, the captain has been allowed to give a brief television interview in which he said there were four hijackers had said they were part of the kurdish group. we believe security forces have overpowered at least one hijacker according to the

captain. there are supposed to be four of them. some reports say five, and the captain also confirmed that one of them was carrying an explosive or explosives. the reports we're getting, as you can see there, security forces have overpowered the hijacker on that ferry. these security forces have been trailing the ferry for a few hours and it had not docked in the last few hours, not that far from istanbul. we are not getting any other information at the moment in terms of any potential other hijackers or any shots fired or of the security forces have managed to get onto this fairy. there are believed to be about 24 passengers and crew on board.

as soon as we get any more information about this, we will bring it to you. let's go to latin america, mexico's interior minister has been killed and a helicopter crash. he was one of eight people that died in what reports to be an accident. mr. blake was one of the president's closest allies and played a leading role in the fight against drug gangs. >> of the minister's helicopter came down in the hills to the south of mexico city. he was traveling to a meeting with another -- a number of senior officials. because of the crash is not known. the mexican president says that the evidence suggests it is an accident. >> of the helicopter was always cut away and the hangar for presidential staff which is maintained with a record and the pilots have sufficient expertise

to deal with a cloudy conditions at the time which suggested the probability of an accident. >> and interior minister responsible for national security, often too violent areas in cities ravaged by the drug wars. there was a leading role in the ongoing battle with the drug cartels. he was known as a hard-liner, determined to end the trafficking in drugs that claimed 45,000 lives over the past five years. he is the second mexican interior minister in the government to be killed in an aviation accident. his predecessor died when his small plane crashed in mexico city three years ago. >> 38 people have been injured in peru as police clashed with anti-mining protesters.

protestors use a tree trunks and burning tires to block a stretch of the busy pan-american highway of for calling attention. police supplied a tear-gas and rubber bullets. the decision to send prince william to the falkland islands have been described by an official in argentina as a provocative act. in the search and rescue between february and march, just before the thirtieth anniversary of the war. the british government says it is routine. vladimir coup and has defended his decision to campaign to keep russia a strong and not for personal gain. he is returning to a position he first held 12 years ago. some see his political influence as an increasingly destructive force.

>> for 12 years, the face of russia. he has made it clear he wants to come back as president next year and could be around until 2024. if he can stay in power for so long been challenged, which has happened to russian democracy? tonight, there is a chance to talk to him face-to-face. meeting with foreign analysts, he denied he was driven by personal ambition or a desire to stop russia changing. it doesn't mean that the political system should stagnate, he told us. but of course, we are thinking of ways for the people to have more influence on those in power. he may not have that all his own way. in russia, he is the most popular politician, but a lot has changed since he came to power. [inaudible]

some of those praised him for restoring order and some say it could lead the country in a dangerous direction. there is a gap between the rich and poor, stability has become stagnation and could lead to an implosion. even his former prime minister says it could be in the cards. >> in could be the equivalent of the arab spring in russia? >> absolutely. everything he is doing is encouraging this move. it will not be soon, but definitely. >> what would it take to get russians out onto the streets? outside moscow, we found a small package. hardly the stirrings of revolution, but the top blogger says the internet has given the opposition a powerful new tool.

>> victimization and apathy, it is true. but everything can change in a very short time. >> some say more dissent won't be tolerated. he was bashed by thugs years ago apparently for critical articles that he wrote. >> many were afraid after what happened to me, but you cannot stay afraid. something has to change. >> of the return to the presidency isn't in doubt. what is uncertain is whether his strongman style is still what most russians want. >> a very quick update on what is happening with the hijacked ferry. state-run television said there was a lone hijacker and that he has been shot dead by turkish commandos. it is unclear if the passengers or crew have been harmed.

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