>> 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 focus features and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business. offering specialized solutions and capital to 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." >> north korea prepares for kim jong il's state funeral. a new outpouring of public grief is expected in p'yongyang. israeli outrage against alter- orthodox jews. thousands rally against the extremists trying to enforce gender segregation. observers began working in syria. the u.s. accuses damascus of setting up attacks against its people ahead of their arrival. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting on pbs in america, and around the globe. coming up later, fears mount over a toxic chemical leak in northern australia as a freight train is swept off a bridge in a tropical cyclone. the only way is up.

the giant outdoor escalator transforming lives in north columbia's poorest neighborhoods. -- columbia -- colombia's porous neighborhoods. hello and welcome. final preparations are underway for the state funeral of kim jong il, which is due to start soon. north koreans continue public mourning. the body of the leader is expected to be driven through p'yongyang. state television usually features nothing but positive reports on what the regime has been doing. lucy williamson reports from south korea that the broadcasts have taken on an almost supernatural tone. >> north koreans are used to hyperbole in the nightly news, beginning every night with a song about the magical qualities

of their leader's birthplace, the hospital he was said to be going, and the mountain where it stands. since his death, strange natural phenomena appeared to have increased across the country. in the past week, north koreans have reportedly seen a giant like of ice cracking in half, a red glow covering the mountain where their leaders -- leader was going, and magpie's appearing together in grief, according to a party official. >> we cannot put this down to just a natural phenomenon. not just the world, but animals cannot forget our dear leader. >> along with the army, the media is the institution most responsible for keeping leaders in power, a myth-making factory focused around the ruling family. that is for most of its audience their only source of news.

so highly controlled, says this former north-caribbean state hardest that only a small amount of people were allowed to paint the image of the country's leader. >> i locked all the doors and decided to draw him in sickert myself. i wanted to prove to myself i could do it. i burned it as soon as it was finished. if i had been found out, i could have been sent to prison camp, or even executed. >> that formidable media attention is now putting its attention to the new leader, a man in his 20's who already looks strikingly like his grandfather, north korea's eternal president. untested, he will depend even more on the power of his support -- of his media, and the personality cult created by the machine. bbc news, seoul. >> jim horn is the british

attache in p'yongyang from 2001- 2002. his most recent trip was last october. thank you for joining us on bbc news. tell us a little bit about the north correa kim jong il's son is widely expected to become leader of. it has changed somewhat since his father came to power. >> it has indeed. i did not go there until 1998 the first time. that gives you some perspective on how it has developed, how it has altered. the last visit, which was a week, enabled me to see a bit of what other people reported. there is more traffic. there is a lot of the construction. much of it is linked openly to next year's celebrations of the 100th anniversary of kim il-sung fifth birth.

p'yongyang is almost becoming an asian city. there is enough traffic in the road that in five years you might get a traffic jam. outside, there was a bit more movement than we are used to in the past. many more bicycles. a bit more in the way of long- distance travel. many lorries. there were some buses. it is possible to say it has changed. how deep that change is, i don't know. >> but there is immense poverty now, more poverty than when his father came into power, more problems to deal with in north korea. >> i am not sure about that. when his father came to power, it was only four years after the collapse of the soviet union. the economy was going through a very bad time. you had a series of natural disasters, compounded with an inefficient the agricultural

system. it was heavily dependent on manual labor. it was failing to produce enough food. the 1990's, when kim jong-il kim to power, was a time of hunger and despair. it is a bit better. it is not much better, but it is a little bit better. >> north koreans are showing a huge amount of grief over the death of kim jong-il. how real is that agreed? for outsiders, like most of us -- you have the privilege of seeing north korea -- there is a huge amount of curiosity about a very secretive country run by a regime. you hear about the ruthlessness of the regime, how out of touch with the rest of the world, and one wonders how much grief there could be for the death of a leader, in such a terrific time. is it out of fear? out of propaganda? is it real? >> i think it is all those

things. i think that some people will be genuinely upset. far fewer, probably, than in 1994, when kim il-sung died. kim delaware son had charisma. he got on well with people. he mixed with farmers and workers in a way that kim jong il never has done. but there will still be people who are sorry that he is dead. i do not know how many. there will be others who are probably apprehensive about the future. there will be others who know how you mourn. there is a way of mourning in korea, north and south, that is quite demonstrative. you go to the statue and show your grief. they know how to show their grief, so you do. it is a mixture of all those things. but i suspect it is mainly this is what we are expected to do,

we are doing it. >> several thousand israelis have demonstrated against the behavior of alter-orthodox jews who want to enforce segregation between men and women. the town has been at the center of controversy in israel since some ultra-orthodox man harassed and a-year-old girl on the way to school, accusing her of failing to dress modestly. the israeli president has said a minority in israel is acting outrageously and violating national solidarity. john donaldson reports. >> by early evening, thousands had gathered in bed shemesh, angry at the treatment of women by the ultra-orthodox jews, who want segregation between the sexes. in recent months, many israelis have been shocked at images of grown men and hurling abuse at school girls, some as young as eight.

their crime? undressing immodestly. -- dressing immodestly. >> do you want to walk just a little bit? >> no. >> israeli politicians showed pictures of a woman struggling to get her daughter to school. on monday, police clashed with hundreds of alter-orthodox who have been trying to force women and girls to walk on a different side of the street and then men. israel's political leaders, so often critical of extremism in islamic countries, have ordered a crackdown on intolerance at home. >> all of us, religious, secular, or traditional, should stand as one. we must protect the identity and character of israel against the minority that has interrupted national security in an outrageous way. nobody has the right to threaten a young girl or woman.

they are not the martyrs of the land where all citizens are safe and not one group rules. >> around one in 10 israelis are alter-orthodox. but with big families, it is estimated that figure will increase to one in five in 20 years. one protester told me this was a fight for israel's sole. bbc news, here is real. >> the palestinian militant has been killed in an air strike on the gaza strip. two other people were injured. that a palestinian group that frequently, fires rockets at israel said the dead man was one of their members. israel said it had targeted him as a terrorist. tens of thousands of anti- government protesters have taken to the streets of the syrian city of homs as arab league observers arrived. there has been continued violence. 89 people have been killed recently.

homs is one of the main centers of protest against bashar al- assad's government. >> still burying their dead, even as arab observers were making their way there. despite the ruthless repression, thousands turned out to mourn those who died in the latest violence. the observers were eagerly awaited by big demonstrations. this is one of several districts which have seen repeated efforts by the regime to crush defiance, but it is clearly still there. when they reached one of the hottest areas, the observers, who depend on the regime for transport and security, found themselves besieged by angry residents eager to tell their stories. as if to illustrate their point, even as they were talking, gunfire rang out. the presence of the observers may have lessened the violence, but activists said more people

were killed or murdered. >> as of now, there are more than five people dead. eight people have died by shooting directly into the people. >> in nearby hama, just to the north, there was more shooting as protestors tried to converge on the central square. under the arab peace plan syria has signed, peaceful and demonstrations are supposed to be allowed, not shot at. the arab police plan was supposed to -- peace plan was supposed to and sites like this. but their first day on the ground has given them a taste of how difficult and deadly this crisis is. bbc news, beirut. >> the duke of edinburgh has rejoined the queen and other members of the royal family after being discharged from

hospital. prince philip thanks them for the care he received during his four night stay. the 90-year-old prince had minor surgery for a blocked artery, and has been advised by doctors to rest. it is not known when he will resume public engagements. this is abc news. still ahead, the colombian city opens a giant outdoor escalator for residents of one of its poorest neighborhoods. police investigating the murder of a teenager in front of boxing day shoppers on oxford street in london said he was stabbed in the heart. people are questioned over the death of the 18-year-old. >> stabbed in broad daylight. he was killed on london's busiest shopping street. this video, captured on a mobile

phone, shows the aftermath, as officers tried to hold back the curious and sometimes agitated crowd while paramedics tried to save the teenager's life. when the incident happened shortly before 2:00 p.m. yesterday, police cordoned off the road as thousands of shoppers flocked to the west and looking for bargains. police investigating the murder are appealing for witnesses to come forward, especially those who may have captured the crime on camera. >> certainly, there were people inside and out of the store. they may have some part of the incident or the aftermath. we are interested in any of those people coming forward. >> video footage such as this has emerged on the internet, showing fighting on oxford street yesterday, although it is unclear if it is connected. detectives have recovered a number of weapons from the scene, including this knife. just hours after the killing,

another young man was stabbed in the leg at oxford circus. he survived the ordeal. officers do not yet know if the incidents are linked. as for the safety of shoppers, they say there is already a heightened police presence, but they are reviewing whether the number of officers needs to be increased. bbc news, oxford st. >> a third man has been arrested over the murder of an indian student shot on monday. the student was studying at the university of lancaster. this is bbc news. i am chris rogers. the funeral of north korean leader kim jong-il is due to start shortly, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to attend in p'yongyang. thousands of israelis have rallied near jerusalem to condemn the behavior of some ultra-orthodox jewish

extremists who are campaigning for gender segregation. let us return now to our top story, the funeral of the former north korean leader. we can speak to the professor of international relations at beijing foreign studies university. he joins me from our beijing studio. thank you for joining us. china is perhaps north correa's closest ally. understandably, a lot of countries in the region are jittery about the death of kim jong il. do you think chinese leaders are also nervous of what the future may hold? >> i think the chinese leadership is also deeply concerned about the future. by now, the chinese leadership, appears to have strong support behind the new leader, but there are many uncertainties.

one is to what extent this young leader can hold down his power in the next five or 10 years. second, will he take any aggressive or a adventurists approaches to enter korean relations or approach to the united states? these are very important issues for the chinese leaders. >> as north korea has become increasingly isolated over the years, it has been my groundhog's day. you take two steps forward and two steps back sometimes. why has china remained an ally,? why is north correa so important to china, particularly stability in the region? >> it seems to me, at least within china, the scholarly consensus and policy-making consensus that we need to have them as our strong ally for domestic reasons, not foreign policy reasons. foreign policy is also a big

factor. when i say domestic politics, it is because china's own political regime is very similar to that in north korea and some of the neighboring countries around china. look at what happened in burma. when burma liberalized, that sent a shock wave to the chinese leadership. you look across to the northeast. if this regime also begins liberalize in an incremental way, that is a political challenge to the chinese regime. that is why within the chinese scholarly community people are seeing this as a domestic reaction, not foreign policy. >> north korea is a secretive country. very few details about the country. but we do understand that talks were going to be held, were scheduled before kim jong il's

death, as soon as this week, to try to renegotiate with north korea. many analysts are saying the death of kim jong il could be an opportunity, even though those talks could now be stalled. would you agree with that? >> i think there is a fair chance for the new leader, kim jong un, to restart six party talks. many analysts view this as a critical moment in launching the sixth party talks. there are strong incentives for the north to go back to the six party talks. if the leader refuses to do so, of course, there will be many economic problems. there are millions of people starving now. kim jong un already sent a clear message yesterday when he received the south korean delegation. he said they expect the government to resume the promises that were announced in

2008. this is a clear message than the north does want to go back to the six party talks. there are conditions the would have to be met and discussed before that could happen. >> many thanks for your time. it has been announced in argentina that president cristina fernandez has cancer and will have an operation next week. the argentine government says she has developed thyroid cancer, but it has not spread to other parts of her body. she recently began her second term as president after a landslide election victory. let's get more on this now from our reporter in buenos aires. this must be a great shock to many people in argentina. >> i think you are right. it came as something as a surprise to many people. she only recently took over her second term in office, and

started with a very enthusiastic program, passing several controversial laws through the parliament just in the last couple of days. she has been very active traveling around the country. out of the blue came the announcement from the official government spokesman that she will be having surgery on her thyroid next week, january 4, and will then have to take 20 days of rest. >> do you think this will in any way affect her popularity? she has only just started a second term. the you think there will be any concerns in argentina that she might not be fit for the presidency? >> i think her team have gone to great lengths to state she is very fit. the cancer is isolated. with this operation, she will take 20 days off. she will be back in action shortly afterward.

that are trying to allay those fears. if anything, there is sympathy. she is still mourning the death of her husband, the former president, in 2010. she still wears black in morning from than death. if anything, this will add to the sympathy and support sheet one in the us -- she won in the elections in october. >> there are fears in australia that hazardous substances may have been released into a huge flood waters covering large parts of the north of the country, after a goods train was washed off a bridge near the town of kathryn. -- katherine. it happened after a cyclone swept the northern territory. >> this is the power of mother nature. authorities in northern australian are fearful that some

hazardous contents have been swept away. it was covering 120 tons of copper concentrate, which may have contaminated the flood waters. it can be harmful to marine life, but is less dangerous to humans. the train owners are being cautious about the nature of the potential hazard. >> there is not much we can do until the water subsides. then we can assess what we want to do. >> there are suggestions the bridge collapsed as the train was coming from the mining areas of central australia, destined for darwin, from which many things are exported. it was a scene of devastation not seen by many residents of the northern territory, many of whom have been cut off. the main road connecting door when to the rest of the country is under more than a meter of water. many had to be rescued from rooftops. >> it is going to be a while. >> what can you do? you cannot be mother nature.

>> the cyclone has been downgraded. or castors predicted could strengthen again in the coming days. it could bring fresh trouble to the residence of the northern territory. >> the united states citizen has gone on trial in tehran, accused of being a cia spy. he was shown on iranian state television, confessing he had been sent by the cia to infiltrate iran's intelligence services. the official news agency quoted the prosecutor as having requested the court to impose the death penalty. residents of one of the poorest shantytowns in colombia have been given an outdoor as collector system to help them get around. it was built into the hillside of the district, and is part of a major development project for the city. >> for some residents, life is

arguably more down than up. but in the shantytown, that may now be changed with the opening of a giant new outdoor escalator. the town clings to the side of a steep hill. before the new escalator, residents had to climb hundreds of steps to get to and from the city center. now, the half hour hike up the hillside takes just five minutes, and what is more, it is free. >> it is a dream come true. i was not afraid to use it. >> it was once known as the murder capital of the world. this new escalator is part of a larger urban renovation plan to improve the city and its image. this project will radically change the perception of the neighborhood. that is for sure. it remains one of the poorest and most violent neighborhoods. >> you are watching abc news.

we expect the funeral of kim jong il to begin shortly. stay with us. >> make sense of international news. bbc.com/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. >> you are no longer in the service. only an outsider can find the double agent. >> i'll do my utmost. >> from the bestseller by john le carre -- >> all i want from you is one code name. >> it will take a master spy -- >> you are alone. >> you can't mention me. >> to catch a spy. >> you have to assume they're watching you. >> what the hell are you doing up here?

>> things aren't always what they seem. >> "tinker tailor soldier spy." >> rated r. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.