>> this is "bbc world news." funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global

expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> a fitch says -- bradley manning makes his first appearance in a court. welcome to pc news, broadcast on pbs and also around the globe. coming up, the supreme court in the republic of congo that confers joseph as the winner of the disputed presidential alexian. nine months after disaster, japanese engineers said the plant is stable.

hello and welcome. fitch says it believes a comprehensive solution to the crisis in the eurozone is technically and politically beyond reach. it has warned that six of the 17 nations which use the currency could face downgrades. france will retain a aaa rating but even there the long-term outlook is not good. >> they thought they had a plan that would give the eurozone a fighting chance of recovery. then fitch delivered some wering news. it says it is thinking about further cuts to six countries that use the european currency. here's why. italy is under fire again despite a new austerity package. spain's debt is soaring.

the third quarter in ireland fell by 1.9%. belgium house already been downgraded by moody's. now fitch might to do the same. slovenia has been targeted for a cut and so has -- its rating is just above junk status. another cut would be a blow. the only good news is that fitch says france will keep its aaa rating for now. the long-term outlook went to- which means she could be downgraded within two years one -- said his comments were not representative of the french government. >> it is difficult to conduct in the eurozone currency policy which could be adopted to weach

country. this is why the eurozone may not survive. >> in greece, shopowners are slashing prices. but money is really tight and people are loathe to spend it. "we see a big difference. it is sad to see it this way." he says of the first days of december has passed and sales have been next to nothing. last year was a bad year but this year is a disaster. the national confederation of greek commerce says he warns another 60,000 could go to the wall in 2012. >> financial regulators have

charged the six executives of fannie mae and freddie mac with a civil fraud. there are accused of misleading investors about all level of exposure to risky subprime home moms. fannie mae and freddie mac were bailed out by the government in 2008. they are seen as having encouraged the bubble that triggered the start of the finances -- financial crisis. american soldier charged with supplying wikileaks with reports has appeared in a court. private bradley manning was arrested last year. >> bradley manning, and a visit from a small evangelical town, and on -- unhappy missed it, he exposed america's secret. to some he is being martyred for revealing the truth. to others, he is a traitor.

this is the first time he has been seen in public. a slight figure, flanked by his lawyers. he said, yes, sir, to a couple of questions. it was the man in charge who faced cross-examination. a judge, now a prosecutor, and he told him his case would be that his actions were not serious. where is the damage, he said. supporters say he did the right thing. >> to me he is a hero. he should be given a medal of honor. we should continue to bring about a transformation of our government where secrecy is not over used. >> this was his first week, a video of the machine gunning from a helicopter as civilians were mistaken for insurance --

insurgents. it was only the beginning. the largest of disclosure of secret information in american history. the culture of 1 million diplomatic cables from all over the world. almost half a million records from iraq and afghanistan. although there is no single regulation, it ranged from details of tactics to the names of afghan informants. the main impact was that diplomats were embarrassed having their private thoughts and public. >> it was an unfortunate and damaging action that was taken that put at risk individuals and relationships. >> the case is not so much about the fact of what he did it but about why he did it. the motivation. how much harm he has done his country.

bound up with that is how he was treated after his arrest. this film dramatizes his detention in solitary confinement. pj crowley lost his job when he said it was ridiculous. >> i said it was the last thing the united states needed, and other detention issue after guantanamo. we had our acquired enough notoriety. >> this case is about the fate of one man who faces life in jail. it is also about how the world sees america. >> we have more news related to wikileaks. the supreme court has agreed to an inherent appeal by the founder, julian assange. it is against his extradition to sweden. he is wanted after sex crimes

allegations but argues he was not given a fair trial. it will be heard in february. police arrested more than 100 people across europe after an investigation into child pornography. complex computer technology makes combating the spread of images more difficult. a report from the hague. >> it was one of the biggest investigations into child pornography. the organization intercepted a network of abuse that travelled across the continent. there were using file sharing technology to send a graphic videos to user's online. >> the content is beyond imagination. they betrayed physical and psychological abuse of the gravest kind. the scale is staggering, hundreds of thousands of hours of movie material that has been uncovered.

>> the nature of these crimes made it harder to catch those responsible. it features scenes of the most graphic nature, including the abuse of babies and toddlers. investigators say it will take them months to go through the footage. they hope to make more arrests in the future. they hope it will act to a warning to pedophiles they can no longer conduct operations online. the police will find them. >> the have lip -- lifted sanctions on libyan central bank. that decision also prompted the united states and britain to lift their own sanctions which had been imposed and to beware when colonel gaddafi began to crush the uprising against him.

>> the decision to lift sanctions on the bank and on its offshore subsidiary clears the way for unfreezing tens of billions of dollars in overseas assets. the government has been pleading for this move because it is facing a cash crisis and needs money. it is estimated at $150 billion in assets were frozen during the civil war. some sanctions were eased after the fall of moma gaddafi. for reasons, a process of leaving -- releasing the money has been slow. diplomats say it is because it is of uncertainty as to who owns the funds and whether the leadership is united and ought to be trusted. after the council list -- lifted sanctions, it said it would free $10 billion. in addis states has also announced it will unfreeze of central bank money within jurisdictions.

>> class -- clashes have continued in cairo. the protesters threw rocks at soldiers to respond -- responded by firing into the air. dozens of people have been injured. john is in cairo. >> it all started with clashes between protesters who have been in a sit-in outside parliament. rocks were thrown at each other and then got more serious with the military firing into the air and using water cannons. they managed to push out the protesters but then more and more protesters came. there was a confrontation in the streets outside. rocks were born back-and-forth. -- thrown back and forth. there were throwing rocks at the protesters, thugs who must have

been there with the approval of the government. iran top of a government control -- building controlled by the government. damaging to the credibility of the military who said they are protecting the revolution. and also damaging for the new civilian government who said they would not attack protesters. this will probably not prevent the election from continuing. but it does weaken the credibility of the government who is trying to run this government in this transition to democracy. >> france has objected to russia on syria. it was on thursday that a surprise to the u.n. security council with a new resolution on the crisis which criticizes the violence but makes no mention of sanctions. the french foreign ministry has called the paper unacceptable

but says this is a positive step that moscow has recognized the need to react. 50 people have died after flood struck an island in the philippines. there were triggered by tropical storm and swamped several towns. floodwaters rose quickly in the middle and night. 20,000 soldiers have been mobilized to help. a young thief who gained notoriety as the barefoot and it has been jailed for seven years. colton harris-moore pleaded guilty to 30 charges relating to a two-year crime spree. he is now 20 years old. he evaded police in planes, boats, and cars. it was a daring run from the law, earning him international fame and a movie deal. the money was used to help repay his victims after he flew a stolen plane.

you're watching bbc news. israeli soldiers break up a protest outside the west bank village. a rescue operation has been taking place on the coast of france after a cargo ship ran aground. crewmembers were lifted to safety. the authorities have been trying to contain an oil spill which is threatening a nearby beach. >> help arriving by helicopter for the ship and its stranded crew. in stormy weather off the coast of france. the cargo vessel was heading for malta when it ran aground. all 19 members were airlifted to safety. black fuel could see -- the scene on the coastline. >> it was in transit behind the

time when dennis started to drift. >> for any ship, nevin -- navigating through wind was always going to be a tricky voyage. high wind and heavy rain has been battering the beach. boomers have been deployed to detain the oil slick. this bill should be limited. maritime authorities are trying to the remaining fuel. -- empty the remaining fuel. power to homes have started been cut. -- already been cut. >> parts of brazil are in a state of emergency after heavy rain. the capitol has been the worst affected. other cities are also struggling to cope.

residents say they have no idea what to do. they're upset of the city lacks the necessary infrastructure to deal with such heavy rain. this is bbc news. these are the headlines. fitch says a comprehensive solution to the eurozone crisis is beyond reach. bradley manning, the american soldier accused of leaking documents to wikileaks, has made his first appearance in a military court. the democratic republic of congo has rejected challenges to joseph's reelection. the opposition says its supporters are going to demand a political solution. >> it took the supreme court

less than one hour on friday night to sign off on the results. the judges confirms that his reelection beat the challenger. he challenged the results last monday after international observers highlight it widespread irregularities. sedgy did not have any of -- the court said he did not have any evidence. however, the secretary-general said he did not recognize the authority of the supreme court and regarded the standoff between the candidates as a political problem. he said on the 10th of december that he had won the election and proclaimed himself president amid outbreaks of violence in which more than 15 people have died.

>> 10 people have been injured -- killed, excuse me, in western kazakhstan. clashes took place between oil workers who had been campaigning for higher wages. >> this is not the kind of independence day celebration they were hoping to see. scuffles between protesters and police turn into the deadliest unrest in recent history. the protesters are oil workers who have been on strike over benny -- better pace since may. the state oil company declared their action illegal and fired them. the workers have been occupying the main square since july. their frustration boiled over on friday when local government -- workers smashed a stage and said

a christmas tree on fire. a number of buildings were also set ablaze. they say they attacked police officers who were forced to fire back. >> 10 people were killed as a result of disorder. there are some wounded, including police officers. >> communication has been limited. mobile phones and the internet are down. for now, the full extent of the damage remains unknown. >> israeli soldiers have broken at a demonstration by villagers and peace activists. one week after protester was killed. every week for the past three years the villagers have protested against what they see is a theft of their land by jewish settlers.

>> by the standards of this town, this is a big protest. every friday, the residents of this tiny west bank village have marched down this hill to try to get to their field. they lie just across the valley next to a jewish settlement. every friday, [inaudible] this was what, one minute ago, completely presoak. they tried to come down here in their symbolic protest. the israeli military has responded with tear gas. it was completely peaceful. last week the same turned deadly. >> this is the moment on friday

when this 28-year-old boy shot and killed by a tear-gas grenade. you can see the gun pointing out of the land rover. the father is still dazed by grief. he believes the soldiers have order to get tough. >> after three years, and they're trying to scare people to stop these demonstrations. >> the israeli military says it believes the death was an accident. >> every week, police officers fired tear gas canisters at protesters. the regulations. it is dangerous and has led to one and death and many injuries, some of them severe. >> hundreds and hundreds of

teargas and stun grenades. down on the road, the soldiers have a new weapon, a foul smelling liquid and sticks to everything. it says it is defending in doom -- nearby jewish settlement but the villagers here are part of the monday and violence of the military occupation. -- mundane violence of the military occupation. >> it also caused a meltdown at the fukushima nuclear plant, the worst accident since to noble. now the government says the damage to reactors are stable. some people may be able to return home.

here is our tokyo correspondent. >> explosions as japan's nuclear crisis began nine months ago by a huge tsunami, crippling the cooling system and pushing it into meltdown. the workers became known as the fukushima 50, a man who risked radiation to save japan. now the prime minister has said they have stabilized to the reactor. >> since i took office, i have been saying for japan to be reborn, fukushima had to be saved. the accident needed to be stabilized. since march, we have been working to get the reactors under control. >> today's news is encouraging for the authorities. nuclear material, the heart of the process, is kept cool with

water. otherwise it will melt and that what happened already. they are in cold shutdown, where water is below boiling point, preventing the nuclear material from heating up. the zone around the plant is likely to remain off-limits for years. homes lie empty, and most left to fend for themselves, a new cogeneration born in a nuclear wasteland. -- generation born in a nuclear wasteland. the view is good but it cannot replace the garden they planned to spend their retirement attending. >> we do not know where we belong. i cannot discard our house and

garden. they're waiting for us. >> the challenges to keep the lights on in its great cities like tokyo. nearly all of the country's reactors are offline. the country must persuade people they can be operated safely or find alternative sources of power. at fukushima, the plan is to dismantle the plant. the workers who came to the reactors will be gone before the job is finished. it could take more than 30 years. >> let's take you to the vatican where this young boy is lighting the christmas tree which stands 25 meters tall. the tradition began in 1982 and was continued. although the pontiff was not in

attendance. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> union bank offers unique

as putting strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >>