>> 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. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> and now "bbc world news." >> the bloodshed in syria continues as the arab league observers arrived. japanese experts stand accused of multiple failures and respect -- response to the nuclear disaster fukushima. the man chosen as the next leader of north korea has his first meeting with south korea. a teenager staff to death on one of the most famous shopping streets. welcome to the bbc news broadcast on pbs -- pbs in america. coming up, why this is becoming an increasingly rare sight in the forests of indonesia.

the first group of arab league observers has arises -- are arrived in syria to end the violence in the country. it is believed they are in damascus. the group is urged to go to the city of homs or 20 people were killed. -- where 20 people were killed. >> this is what the activists want the observers to see. hard to fake images posted on the internet of what they say is the destruction caused by the shelling of residential areas and homes. they also showed pictures of -- that are too gruesome of us to a

broadcast of a limp and bleeding corpses short against the streets in homs. this has been going on in four weeks with people being reported killed every day. under the peace agreement, the government is supposed to withdraw armed forces from the streets. apart from the shelling it is clear they are still there now. the arabs of zero -- arab observers want to go as far as they can. they have been taking to see the double map of a double bombing in damascus on friday. it was an unprecedented development which the authorities say the uprising is based on terrorism. activists say the regime says the states the bombings to impress the observers. they're hoping the authorities will be as cooperative in letting them see what is happening in homs.

>> a panel investigating the nuclear accident in japan which followed a tsunami has criticized the handling of the incident. described the response as confused as saying the operators and regulators failed to anticipate such a disaster and underestimating the risk of a tsunami and the impact it would have. >> the nuclear crisis more than nine months ago. a plant in meltdown. its cooling system knocked out by a tsunami. the incident was mishandled according to an independent report commissioned by the government. it said the government left whole towns exposed to radiation by not passing on what it knew. tens of thousands were evacuated. and the warnings could have come sooner they and -- underestimate

the threat supposed by a tsunami. the size of the waves set off the worst nuclear disaster for 25 years, more than double what they had prepared for. as the crisis unfolded, workers at tepco or call it heroes for risking radiation to save their country. now the reports said they were not trained to handle emergencies like the power shutdown caused when generators were destroyed and misunderstood many of the problems in the cooling systems. tepco had said there was no way it could have prepared for the disaster. the authors interviewed hundreds of people. they said the authority's approach damaged public trust in the relief effort. the head of the panel said that when those in charge and said the tsunami was beyond what they

conceived, it was a denial of responsibility. that attitude may have led to the lack of precautions that have been taken. to report will not recommend a move away from nuclear power but it is full of lessons to be learned. >> a two prominent south korean women have met the man chosen as the next leader of a north korea, kim jong un. the former's first lady talked with him for about 10 minutes after arriving to pay their respects to his father. it is the first town meeting between the young king and south koreans. our correspondent is a in the city and explains the significance of the meeting. >> south korea and had been hoping for something by allowing these families to pay their respects to kim jong-il.

there are pictures on television showing that meeting happening as the women were paying their respects to kim jong-il as he was lying in state. they met to the presumed successor and shook his hand. we're hearing from officials this morning that the two south koreans have also visited the titular head of state. not the man with rope power but still a senior member of the north -- north korea. >> this meeting, is that a sign that things are good or is that dismissive just to have 10 minutes? >> it is unclear whether the meeting was -- it may be they met him as they were paying their respects and they had a moment with him. it is not clear what happened. either way officials say there

is no official message. it was a personal trip for them to express their sympathies. >> a chinese court has announced the veteran accident -- activist chen xi has been jailed. he was accused of subversion. united states has condemned this move by the chinese authorities as part of an unfortunate trend. jonathan reports. >> chen xi was jailed for posting essays on line. he had been an active campaigner for decades. police he posted criticized the chinese authority for repressing human rights. they also talk of a charter 08, a manifesto published which called for an end to one-party

rule. his wife inventor her frustration at the sentence. >> if the government wants democracy, they need to people -- they need people to speak out there negative opinion. does he have an army, a police force? it is a piece of paper and a pan. can he subverts you? >> even before the internet era, he was known to the authorities. more than 20 years ago he participated in the tiananmen square protests. three days ago chen wei was also jailed for subversion. supposedly over a tax bill. the united nations has condemned it. a statement from the human rights office said, "we were alarmed that was an unfortunate

trend that passes restrictions on defenders and freedom of expression." the chinese government has been accused of launching a crackdown against dissidents. their response to call -- calls for arab spring-style protests. >> i do not know the details. i would like to point out that china abides by the rule of law. >> chen xi faces 10 years in prison. he says an appeal is to toe. >> the head of the u.s. central command says they need better coordination with the pakistan military. he called for full disclosure of all military installations on both sides of the border. he also directed afghanistan to

improve mutual trust between forces working in the border area. hundreds of orthodox jews have clashed with police near jerusalem as tensions mount over their campaign of segregation between men and women they chased police through a call to remove a sign in the main street of beit shemesh. police in london say they are investigating stabbings on oxford street, one of the busiest in the world. the first, and 18-year-old man was stabbed to death. police say it happened during a fight between groups of young people. several people have been arrested. >> police officers had to hold back thousands of shoppers in the heart of london as the news filtered through that a young

man had been stabbed to death. there had been an argument inside of a foot locker shoe store. it spilled out onto the payment and an 18-year-old was fatally wounded. >> he would assumed to have been staffed. a weapon has been used. what happened, i am afraid, i do not know. there appears to have been in groups of young people opposing each other in this incident. >> a number of arrests have been made and a number of knives retrieved. police has said it this section will be cordoned off through tomorrow. it should be one of the busiest sections in britain. in said it is a crime scene. tonight, a second attack has been reported nearby. another man stabbed and taken to hospital. scotland yard says it is too early to say if they are linked.

>> prayer's have been held in the nigerian capital for those who perished in bomb attacks on sunday people were killed when police buildings were blown up on christmas day. an islamist group called boko haram has said it carried out the attacks. >> hundreds gathered inside the church. they're here to remember friends and relatives who were killed in the bombing. during the service, priests lead a congregation in prayer. at least 30 people were killed and dozens more were injured. it was one of five bombs planted by boko haram. they all targeted churches and police stations. it is the latest in a series of violent attacks. it wants to impose islamic law

and appears willing to go to any lengths to make that happen. over the last year, a number of attacks by the group have escalated, resulting in severe clashes which have left many dead and many more fearful for their lives. the international community has condemned the attacks. they called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. >> still had, have paintbrush, will travel. inspired by the views at the carriage window. millions of shoppers have headed to shops across the u.k. to tried a bag a bargain. many of them offered huge discounts after a tough trading year.

>> and they are off. customers came from around the world to be first through the doors in london. they helped breaker sells records. more than 1 million pounds. >> we saved up throughout the year. >> we do not have a budget but we want to see what bargains we can get. >> 1, 2, 3, go. >> they were lined up long before dawn. some shops were several thousand strong. shopping centers reported big increases in the number people looking for a bargain. it is hard to imagine this year has seen a tough time for retailers. it has been for many. some names did not make it to christmas this year.

for those that remain, prices have been slashed. for some of the season will be make or break. across the country, stores have been bribing customers with big price cuts. profit margins have been cut to the bone. >> there is a massive impact to this. some of the stores will come out of this in january and think, not a very good christmas. >> glass co shoppers were also drawn by bargains. online sales have been booming. some retailers will be anxiously checking their figures to see if they have had enough customers to cover their costs. >> this is bbc news. the headlines this hour. the main contingent of arab league observers have arrived in syria to monitor an initiative

aimed at ending violence that has killed thousands of people. a prominent south korean women have met the man chosen for the next leader of north kobe -- north korea. let's take a look at the markets. we go to singapore. pretty quiet earlier on. have things picked up? >> as you can imagine, it is a quiet time of the year for the financial markets. a lot of traders are away. the markets continue to trade. we have the nikkei and kospi anti wanna all open at this hour. they are trading a tad lower. of course they are looking ahead to u.s. markets reopening after a long weekend as well. monday had been expected to be

the third busiest shopping day of the u.s. it had been dubbed mega monday. that is the post christmas holiday where people go to shop to take advantage of sales. they're hoping to boost the economy and in turn of their economies as well. we will keep up with japan and south korea that exports many products consumers by like the electronic gadgets and cars. we had the international retail federation predicting season sales would rise to a record four hundred $69 billion. that is higher than they had forecast. they continue to be concerned about the eurozone and the debt crisis. that is why a lot of investors are cautious until investors are back in the new year. >> thank you. isen elizabeth's husband

spending a fourth night in hospital where he has had a treatment for a blocked artery. he is said to be eager to leave but is not expected to attend church services. >> the duke of edinburgh will spend a fourth night here in cambridgeshire. a spokesman for buckingham palace says the duke remains jobs -- under observation. the queen is being kept informed. he has had not -- has not had any visitors today. yesterday his grandchildren spent 45 of minutes at his bedside. they included prince william, prince beatrice, and on saturday the queen and the couple's four trojan also came. it is understood the suit is eager to return to his home where the royal family is

celebrating christmas. we're hoping for a further update in the morning. >> a commemorating the seventh anniversary of the indian ocean tsunami. a quarter million people were killed during the disaster in 2004. relatives pause to remember the lives lost in the countries hit including thailand and sri lanka. the prime minister has described an attack on the general staff headquarters in the capital as an attempted coup. he said many arrests have been made in relation to the attack. among the most detained was the navy's chief of staff. irreverence -- rebel general was also arrested. a ring attains are once thought to have lived through -- oragutans are was thought to

have lived throughout asia. but they are increasingly under threat. more than 750 of them were killed by indonesian villagers. >> this baby would never have survived without her keeper. she lost her mom when workers chase them away. she was brought to the sanctuary and for the first few months was ill. it is not clear whether her mom is still alive. for now the baby depends on her for care. >> she usually cries when i leave so i need to be close to her. >> most of them that were brought to the sanctuary were saved from people's homes.

this one was present -- rescued from a circus. but there has been a disturbing trend. more and more of them have come from plantations. environmentalists say there is a need of being rescued because they say they are being killed on plantations. i went to the area to observe a number of reports. for miles on end, all you can see is oil country. 10 years ago there were forests. we asked some of plantation workers whether they have heard of the killings. all of them denied any knowledge of the acts. finally, one of the workers spoke. >> i have workers who said they gave it to the company and were paid $100. the company was to get rid of

them. they see them as pests. >> conservationists have reported animals they found beaten and bruised. this one suffered injuries to his head and legs. he could not move until the activists came to help. environmentalists say it is not the workers who are to blame, it is the palm oil company. >> they will become extinct in five years because of the way plantations and mining companies are expanding. this island is and habitat. >> back in the sanctuary, apes wait until they can return to the wild. many have been here for years. this one has spent nine years in the sanctuary. these great apes will not be able to return to their homes again until a the forests are safe.

>> after 38 tiers of train travel, he is still so inspired by what he sees troubling the railways that he has to paint it. on his brakes he paints pictures of landscapes. we followed him on board the indian pacific train travelling across australia. ♪ >> my name is craig fisher and i am the train manager. the union pacific train is in sydney and goes across australia to a place called perth. i have taken up painting as a form of recreation or a relaxing

time. i paint with acrylic paint and use find brushes. i normally have a stark contrast, a background of a particular color. one of the things that inspires me about the countryside is the vividness and the changing of callers from one state to the next. -- colors from one state to the next. i give a lot of paintings away. this ego you will see out here. i have an outlet at coke. it is an isolated town.

this lady has been gracious in letting me sell a few paintings fear her shop. people aren't taken aback when they buy the paintings to find they were done by a train manager. i am really the lone operator. my responsibilities are the safe operation of the train inside and out. as we cross, you can see the vegetation. train traveling and train working is unique. it has a lot of nostalgia and history but you get to meet a lot of people. i'm quite privileged. >> a reminder of our main news. the first arab league observers have arrived to monitor attempts to end the violence and syria.

you are watching bbc news. >> 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. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.