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>> and now, "bbc world news america." >> the arab league worries snipers remain a threat. protests in nigeria as a petrol prices double overnight for one of the biggest oil producers. now >> iraq war veteran suspected of killing a ranger in a national park. anger in budapest. some say it is an attack on democracy. >> broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world. welcome.

the head of the arab league has said the syrian army has pulled out of residential areas in the main cities, but killing and snipers remain a threat. he was speaking a week after they sent observers to monitor the violence. we report from beirut. >> dear bling has been in the area four weeks. new -- the arab league has been in the area four weeks. these pictures are from close to damascus. people want international protection, but there is disagreement about whether the mission is achieving anything. today in cairo, the arab league secretary general said there had been progress. military vehicles and tanks have been withdrawn from the cities

in residential districts. they are now positioned in the outskirts. the arab league monitors have been able to provide food for the people and retrieved dead bodies. >> yes, there is still gun fire. yes, there are still snipers, according to the report i received from the head of the delegation. we hope to see an end to all of these violent activities. >> these pictures are thought to be ishow the extent of the dama. he explains the three and a half present -- that the prisoners released will enable the syrian government to say it has met key demands. opposition activists are not convinced. >> we have many evidences of the civilian army in the outskirts of damascus, the countryside,

and there are many examples where these armies are still in place. >> syria is provided, and the arab league is also not of one voice. earlier, the speaker of the arab parliament said the observers should be pulled out altogether, saying the ongoing violence was undermining the organization's credibility. more observers are due to arrive later this week. the death toll continues to rise. >> police in the nigerian capital have used tear gas to disperse people protesting against the government nepos removal of subsidies on fuel. fuel prices have doubled. trade unions have called for mass demonstrations against the move.

>> motorists formed long queues. many kept their stations close as they try to figure out how to adjust their prices. the government's decision to remove the subsidy on fuel has meant a price of petrol has more than doubled. this is not the new year's gift many were expecting. decades of corruption have meant nigeria does not have the refining capacity it needs. the country exports crude oil and house do import refined products. some analysts feel but while the government hopes to save money by removing the subsidy, it is the masses who will suffer instead. back to the crisis is that the

government in nigeria has always underperform people's expectations, so people complain the government has no morals. >> labor unions have been opposed to the subsidy removal and are now planning mass demonstrations in response. >> we want to say that what we have done today is just an intro to what is to come. what we have done is open the register of protests. >> most nigerians already struggle to live in harsh economic conditions. the increase in fuel prices will

only make a list of grievances even longer. >> police and security forces have been sent into southeastern nigeria after 50 people were killed in clashes between rival ethnic groups. violence flared up between two communities after a long- running land dispute. it comes after jonathan has already declared a state of emergency. >> the signs of the clashes are too visible. born out cars on the streets, and the remains of homes destroyed in the fighting. at least 50 people died in the violence between ethnic groups, part of a long-running rivalry. police have moved in to stop the fighting. there is now a heavy security

presence, but the situation remains tense. this comes just days after these attacks that left 30 people dead. there is no indication that the glasses are linked, but they add to the long list of securities -- but the clashes are late, but they add to a long list of security problems. good >> the senegalese singer has announced he is running for president. he will contest the incumbent in the upcoming elections in february. he announced his candidacy on his privately owned television station after weeks of speculation about his plans. asian stock markets have opened. we have the latest. >> so far, so good. after two hours of trading, they are off to a good start in the

new year. sentiment has been very positive, all of them trading in the plus column. trading is quite subsumed as wall street was closed overnight due to the new year's holiday, but not all asian financial centers are open. you still have china, japan, and thailand still closed for the public holiday, but you have singapore's economic growth slowing sharply in the last quarter of 2011. the october-december quarter on corner contracted 4.9%. for the quarter it expanded 4.8% in 2011, but this year's outlook is not looking good is the government revised both estimates this year, and we still have the singapore straits times index very

resilience in positive territory. moving to the foreign exchange markets, and asian reserve currencies are quite firm against the u.s. dollar after data any easier as of an economic hard landing. >> we are going to take you to the scene of los angeles, where the police department is holding a news conference in connection with a wave of arson attacks in and around hollywood. >> i am pleased to report after a very difficult and dangerous weekend, a suspect has been charged this afternoon in what was a string of arson fires but had earned in los angeles, west hollywood, and burbank. before we get to the details of what has unfolded throughout the day, i would like to acknowledge a number of

agencies standing with me. first and foremost, the men and women of the los angeles fire department have answered the call of duty as they do every day with unwavering bravery, and their actions have not only saved dozens of buildings from destruction, but most importantly, they have saved countless lives. it is no exaggeration to say we have one of the finest fire departments in the land. since these arson fires first broke out thursday morning, los angeles fire department has responded to each incident under demanding conditions. they have used their training and experience to not only extinguish the blazes but quickly investigate their cause, which has helped us build a case going forward. i would also like to acknowledge the l.a. county fire department, another one of the nation's finest. they have to work throughout the weekend to skillfully combat fires throughout west hollywood

and prevent loss of life in that city. both the los angeles police department and the los angeles county fire department saturated the city from los angeles to west hollywood with officers and who assigning detectives to the case throughout the weekend. their efforts cannot be understated. the vigilance of the l.a. sheriff's reserved deputy this morning on sunset boulevard and fairfax avenue lead to a traffic stop which allowed law enforcement to take the suspect into custody. i would like to announce the coordination of the bureau of alcohol, fire, and explosives, which sent a team of agents to assist with the investigation. all of these agencies continue to work around the clock to investigate a 52 arson fires we

have experienced since friday morning. it costs to -- it caused about $3 million in damage. by no means is this investigation complete. based on the saturday evening news conference held by the arson task force and video images and distributed to the media, the task force revealed tips from the state department and the u.s. marshals service, which aided law enforcement in identifying the suspect. around 3:00 a.m., the serbs department obtained a 24-year- old man named harry and work who was charged with arson and is currently being held without bail. we expect as the investigation continues he will face additional charges.

i want to acknowledge the bravery and dedication of our department and police officers and now complemented by the vigilance of citizens who were on the lookout for anything suspicious, phoned in leads to law enforcement and fire officials. these were serious and potentially deadly crimes that needlessly endangered thousands of innocent lives. i want to remind residents to continue to be alert as these crimes remain under investigation, but as i have said before, these crimes will not be tolerated in the city of los angeles, in the county or city of west hollywood or anywhere, that to consider a similar act of arson, know that we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the

law. >> that is the latest statement from the l.a. police department. and what he told us was in connection with a spate of arson attacks that have taken place in and around hollywood. he is confirming a suspect has been charged in connection with the arson attacks. a total of 55 were set last thursday and also reiterating the scope of the investigation that has been taking place in order to capture this person of interest as the l.a. police department described him, clearly being on their radar for quite some time, and just saying that a total of $3 million worth of damage had been caused by

those arson attacks, so a suspect has been charged in connection with the arson attacks in and around hollywood. let me get back to you with some other news regarding the manhunt taking place in america. >> there are more developments, and police have confirmed they have found the body of an iraq war veteran who sparked a manhunt in washington state, and is thought benjamin schott said a park ranger while on the run following a shootout. >> the search for the gunman who was suspected of killing a national park ranger started on sunday. benjamin barnes is believed to have fled to the park after an earlier shooting that wounded four people near seattle. his vehicle failed to stop at a

checkpoint near motorists are expected to put chains on their tires to drive in snow reconditions. he is a legend to have jumped from his car and opened fire. -- he is alleged to have jumped from his car and opened fire. >> ranger spotted what appeared to be a body in the primary search area. subsequently this afternoon, i number of our tactical search teams were able to reach the body and confirm it was the deceased primary suspect in the killing. >> benjamin barnes is said to have trouble returning to civilian life after his appointment in iraq. last year he was involved in a custody dispute over his young daughter. the park ranger who died is the first female park ranger killed

in the line of duty in the agency's history. she is survived by her husband, who is also a park ranger, and her two children. >> live from singapore and london, still to come, america's republican hopefuls get ready for their first big test, the iowa caucus. strikes a special report on an anti-piracy -- >> a special report on an anti-piracy training program in the philippines. police have named four people found dead in the house of of former mining village in the northeast of england. michael shot his partner, sister, and her knees before killing himself on new year's day. he -- and her niece before killing himself on new year's day. he was licensed to have firearms. >> it was a shocking sight for neighbors this morning, four

killings on the street where they lived, and there could have been more. they are helping to establish exactly what happened during go -- exactly what happened. and we heard several people were shot. police were dispatched to the scene, and shortly after midnight, as the officers entered the house, it was discovered a man and three women were dead. >> what do we know about the people living there? michael and susan, who is believed to be laura's mother, had been there for it least 11 years. a resident was licensed to use three shotguns and three section 1 fire arms. they require greater authorization and a shot gun license, and police said they had been in contact with the

house several times before. the last incident was in 2008, when there were reports of a man harming himself. this is a former mining village. it is a close community, and this has horrified the people living here. >> i am scared it has happened on our doorstep. >> the people are staying on the streets to answer any questions local people might have, but what they cannot explain is why within minutes and new year party turned into a shooting spree. >> the headlines for you this hour. the arab league says the syrian army has pulled out of residential areas but warns that snipers still pose a threat to civilians. >> police in the nigerian capital have used tear gas to

disperse people protesting against the removal of government subsidies on fuel. fuel prices have doubled since the subsidies were removed. >> the race to the white house gets under way in the u.s. midwestern state of iowa on tuesday night. residents will gather to say which republican hopeful it would like to see take on obama in the presidential election in november. >> this is not just a hypothetical. every election somebody has a chance of winning, but this time around, barack obama really is vulnerable. >> you have a president who came in on an incredible wave. you remember his numbers in a high 80's low 90's. today he is at his best as 47%. with the debt at the level we have, he is a little bit of trouble, so it's the right

republican candidate with right message is -- if the right republican candidate with a right messages able to connect on those points you are looking at one term. good >> when of those voters said to me, i do -- one of those voters said to me, i do not understand. out of 330 million people, why can we find somebody? why haven't we come up with a candidate? >> i would argue it has not been difficult. those who wanted to run have been their name on the ballot. those who did not are standing on the sidelines watching, so you can hope all day long, but that is not going to change the circumstance, and that is you have six or seven individuals who have an real potential to really shake this thing up and go after obama. i think what will happen is there will come a point where people either hold their nose, or they will fall in love, or

whenever a motion they need to attach themselves to get through this fight. -- whatever the motion they have to attach themselves to get through this fight. >> it does not seem there is one republican they are excited about the way democrats were excited about the barack obama. >> they were not excited about barack obama in the beginning. there was a long fight between hillary clinton and barack obama. remember, hillary clinton was the heir apparent, so obama had to stage an insurgent battle to overthrow the establishment, and there were a lot of people who were not happy with him, and some still to this day. >> the issue of piracy is still causing problems, and we have the tells of one country in particular that has suffered an -- we have the details of one country in particular that has suffered. >> despite the task force, there

is still a threat of heart attacks in the indian ocean, and one nation has been affected by these somali pirates more than any other. the philippines provides one out of three of merchant sailors, and now the philippine government has told its citizens they must have anti-piracy training before they go to sea. >> a tanker makes its way through high rate-infested waters. suddenly, -- its way through higher rates -- through pirate- is infested waters. this exercise is taking place on land. the government has made it compulsory for all filipinos to go to see to be trained in how to evade pirates. and were not trained to fight pirates. we were not trained to use guns,

but we can train people to prevent pirates from coming on board, because the moment they are on board, it is a hopeless situation. >> it is not a filipino singled out by pirates. it is that so many of them work in the shipping industry. one in three of the world's seafarers come from here. filipino has a rich maritime heritage, and they are cheap to hire, but this is the kind of danger they face. these photos were taken by the captain when his vessel came under fire by pirates. >> i have ordered to increase speed, but there is nothing else i can do. they were speeding more than i am. they call on the radio, you must stop your ships. if you do not, i will kill all of you. >> the pirates released these photos to pressurize the ship's owners. after almost five months, a ransom was paid. it is clear there are many

filipinos willing to apply for a job on the sea. this is the place where they come to sign up, and for many, it is an opportunity to get out of poverty. last year filipino seafarers brought over $4 billion home, but the truth is almost any of these jobs could take them to pirate-infested waters, and but it is important to protect every ship, every day. he has to weigh the risks with the rewards. >> what else can we do? this is the only job i know to give my family i could upgrade. >> soon he will leave home again to return to the sea. >> you have been watching " newsday."

>> stay with us. "headline" is next. >> 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. >> you are no longer in the service. only an outsider can find the double agent. >> all i want from you is one code name. >> it will take a master spy to catch a spy. parts we have to assume they are watching. >> what are you doing up here?

>> things are not always what they seem. >> "bbc world news america" was presented by kcet los angeles.