>> 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 in tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> and now "bbc world news." >> a hot air balloon bursts into flames and crashes in new england. 11 people are dead. an attack in the heart of the syrian capital reportedly kills 26. the government vows to respond with an iron first. the united nations warns yemen against granting amnesty to perpetrators of war crimes as pass for deals for the president to step down. welcome to "bbc news" broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the globe. i'm adnan. coming up a little later for you, a good news day for president obama and the u.s. economy. unemployment has dropped to a three-year low. and south africa's governing african national of congress is marking 100 years since its founding.

hello, again. a hot air balloon has crashed in new zealand killing all 11 people aboard. witnesses say it was on fire when it came down on the country's north island. the victims were five couples from the area and their pilot. sarah batley is a reporter from tv new zealand. she gave us this update. >> an absolute disaster. there are emergency services, police are here. there are a number of eyewitnesses that are starting to emerge. they're visibly shaken and upset by what they saw. around 7:00 this morning, a hot air balloon took off just out of a small town on the lower north island and headed northeast. at around 7:25, that's when things started to go wrong. eyewitnesses told us the first sign of trouble was a small fire started in the basket of the hot

air balloon and there are some reports that people began to jump off. police haven't been able to confirm that yet, though. eyewitnesses say the flame became huge. the hot air balloon started to hit upwards, but it then hit a power line and came crashing down. eyewitnesses say it was like a rocket. the worst thing that they've ever seen. police have confirmed that those onboard were five couples from the wider wellington region, and it's believed the pilot who was operating the hot air balloon is a local person, well very known, really well-liked and very experienced. also a very experienced helicopter pilot. at the scene at the moment, the disaster recovery identification team are working to identify those said it's a very difficult task, as the bodies have been badly burnt. victim support is also here working with families. this is a very small place and

the community are really shaken by this. >> dave mckinley is a resident. he saw the balloon came down. >> i couldn't believe my eyes. the whole one side of the basket was on fire. it was just flaming right up off the balloon itself, just about reaching the canopy, the bottom of the canopy of the balloon. and then i ran and dialed 911. and two minutes later, when i got back out, all i could see was the balloon coming down and the flames from the balloon itself were about 20 meters long, just like a rocket in reverse. just coming straight down to the ground at a terrible speed. and then the next, just black smoke. i didn't actually see it landing because it landed behind the trees.

on the farm behind me. but a shock of a sight to see. >> dave mckinley speaking. the syrian government has blamed what it calls terrorists from a suicide bomb attack in damascus, which it says killed and injured many. the opposition has accused the government of being behind it. our diplomatic respondent bridget kendall reports. >> the latest escalation in syria's violence, a deadly suicide bomb in damascus. shattered glass, a piece riddled with shrapnel. at least 26 dead and many dozens injured. this policeman who survived the blast told the bbc he saw pedestrian carrying a black bag slip in among the loin of policemen as they stepped off the bus. the bomb exploded before anyone could stop him. pro-government supporters ranger

at those responsible. al qaeda, he says. it must have been al qaeda. >> tonight's area, reports of a third gun attack on christians in 36 hours. in the latest incident, eight people are said to have been killed in a church in the northeastern state. it follows another shooting in the same state earlier in the day, which left at least 17 members of an ethnic christian group dead. that followed a similar attack late on thursday. these are pictures from gombae. a militant islam group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. it has made repeated threats at the country's christians in recent weeks. the u.n. human rights group has warned yemen not to ground grant

amnesty for the president to step down. an amnesty law is due to go to parliament shortly. >> his crew, thousands. they lined the streets. the intense heat did not keep them away. women and men took part in the protests, demanding the release of political prisoners. there were even children, their mouths taped up, their hands bound. they appeared in this show of opposition. it is to establish a state, one that has a national army instead of different military factions and one with independent security forces, he said. around the corner, another rival demonstration was taking place.

people carried banners in support. he is still president, even though he's agreed to formally stand down in february as part of a u.s.-backed handover deal. it was signed at this ceremony in saudi arabia in november. the president was to get lifetime immunity as part of the deal. prisoners were to be freed, but this has the united nations worried. human rights chief has warned yemen not to grant amnesty to those who have committed war crimes during the years of unrest. in a statement, she said there was reason to believe that some of those crimes were committed during the period for which an amnesty is under consideration. such an amnesty would be in violation of yemen's international human rights obligations, she said. the government said the opposition protests are affecting public services. but the protesters of all ages appear undeterred, as though the

future were in their hands. >> the united states has rescued 13 iranian fishermen being held by pirates in the arabian sea. benneteau bias reports. >> at a time of tension between the united states and iran, a friendly gesture from the u.s. navy. this is the moment the navy helicopter crew rescued an iranian fishing boat which had been come deered by somali pirates. the sailors put out a distress call after being taken hostage more than 40 days ago. >> this is an incredible story. this is a great story. the very same ship and set of vessels that the iranians protested on its last voyage, the carrier strike group, just rescued this iranian dow from pirates.

>> the rescue took place in the arabian sea, where a fleet of u.s. navy vessels is currently located. close by is the shipping route at the straight of his or her mousse, which they threatened to close. the iranian navy recently held military exercises in the straight and warned u.s. vessels which patrol the area not to return. these iranian fishermen, though, will not mind who it was that rescued them. they'll just be pleased to get home. >> aircraft engineers in australia have called for the entire worldwide fleet of air bus 8380 super jumbos have been grounded. cracks have been discovered in some of the aircrafts' wings. air bus said they found the cause of the problem and they insist the planes are safe. >> the giants of the skies, the

a-380 is an imposing sight, but there are some concerns about its safety. small cracks have been found on the wing ribs of some of the planes. aircraft engineers in australia say it's better to be safe than sorry. >> we can't continue to fly with people's lives and hope they make it until their inspection. >> the cracks were found by quantas airways. the quantas plane had been grounded in singapore after one of its engines blew out in 2010. the airline said the two issues were unrelated. air bus, keen to reassure any potential travelers, issued a statement saying we confirm that minor cracks were found on some noncritical wing rib skin attachments. on a limited number of a-380 aircraft. they added we have traced the origin. air buses developed inspection and repair procedure which will be done during routine scheduled

four-year maintenance checks. in the meantime, air bus emphasizes the safe operation of the a-380 fleet is not affected. singapore airlines says it has repaired the wings of two of its a-380 jets. air bus is recommending airlines check their jumbos for cracks but says they do not pose a safety risk. tim alleman, "bbc news." >> this is "bbc news." strike up the band. an orchestra of inmates offering hope for venezuela's prison system. the parents of an indian student shot dead in the north of england on boxing day have flown home with his body after visiting the scene of his murder. the 23-year-old, studying engineering at lancaster university, was shot at point-blank range while he was out with some of his friends. judith has this report.

>> 4,500 miles from home, this mother laid flowers from where her son was shot dead. she and her husband made the journey from india to see the place where he was murdered himself. it's 11 dayings since the 23-year-old student was killed, shot at close range. the family says it was important to come here. >> this has been an extremely difficult journey to make. when he left in september last year, he was full of hope and ambition for the future. we were also very proud of him. he was our only son and we cannot comprehend this dreadful tragedy. >> he spent christmas night with friends at this hotel in the early hours of boxing day, they left here to head into manchester city center for the sales. but they hadn't walked far before they were aproached by two men. one spoke brufely before pulling out a gun and shooting him.

20-year-old keer ran stapleton has been charged with murder. he told the court his name was psycho stapleton. today anoosh's family says they have faith in the justice system. this afternoon they had a phone conversation with david cameron, in which the prime minister assured him that everything possible is being done to achieve justice for his son. tonight, the family are flying anoosh's body back to india. but tomorrow night, his funeral will be held. jew di -- judith mor its, "bbc news." >> this is "bbc news." these are the headlines. a hot air balloon has crashed in new zealand, killing all 11 people onboard. a bomb attack has reportedly killed 25 people in the syrian capital. the government blames activists, has vowed to respond with an

iron first. there's been more conflicting advice to the hundreds of thousands of women who received faulty breast implants made by a french company. the french government has advised their immediate replacement. germany has told women the implants should be removed as a precaution. but british officials have said they have no evidence to warrant their removal. >> these breast implants are being filled with medically tested silicone. this company is the only british firm which makes them. by contrast, the french p.i.p. implants had industrial grade silicone. france and germany are recommending their removal as a precaution because of high rupture rates. an expert group here says that's unnecessary. but ministers accept it's causing so much anxiety, n.h.s. counterpatients will be offered free replacements. >> what is rather important is not to exaggerate the reasons to be worried, but if women are worried, then we will support them. now, we expect, i expect, and

the group want to see private providers offer that same standard of care. >> it's thought 40,000 or more u.k. women have p.i.p. implants. 95% were done by private clinics, mostly for breast enlargement. 5% by the n.h.s. for breast reconstruction after cancer. ministers say there's a moral duty on the cosmetic industry to treat patients like karen arthur free of charge. if her clinic refuses, the n.h.s. would remove her implants but it won't replace them. >> i'm not happy. obviously these can be removed now and puts my health in a better position, but it's not really the outcome that i was after. and they are very robust. >> but should the n.s.s. but helping women who had cosmetic treatment in in surgeon says the

health service must step in. >> they didn't know the risk that they'd be implanted with non-medical grade implants. the n.h.s. picks up the bill for smoking and alcohol-related diseases. we all know that smoking and alcohol can cause problems, and yet the n.h.s. still picks up the bill. >> this issue comes down to an assessment of risk. every woman undergoing implant surgery is told there is a danger of complications and that increases the longer the implants stay in. eventually they may all need to be replaced. the government review group considered whether the p.i.p. implants carried additional unacceptable risks that would require their removal. the experts admit they cannot make a final judgment on safety because the information provided by the cosmetic industry was inadequate and unreliable. >> the data that we received implies that the risk of rupture of these implants is very, very

low. in fact, the day that we received implies that the risk is so low that the data is frankly unbelievable, so we need to go back to organizations to pursue that further. >> two private firms have offered women replacement implants like these free of charge. but those which did the majority of operations say they need time to consider their position. >> president obama has welcomed the news that u.s. unemployment has fallen to 8.5%, the lowest level in nearly three years. and as rajesh reports, it may hamper reports to discredit him ahead of november's presidential election. >> there are now more americans doing this, working, than there have been in nearly three years. the u.s. jobless rate is down to 8.5%. employment up for the sixth straight month. it's a boost for a president whose stewardship of the

struggling economy will be the main issue in this year's election. >> we're making progress. we're moving in the right direction. and one of the reasons for this is the tax cut for working americans that we put in place last year. >> and unsurprisingly, republicans competing to replace him say they are the ones to speed up recovery. >> we have a president who did not cause the downturn, but he is making it more difficult for the economy to recover. >> what's indisputable is that there is a long way to go. there are still six million fewer jobs in america than in 2007. spending and incomes are rising barely. house prices are still depressed. and u.s. stock markets didn't respond well to the jobs news. they are now more worried the euro zone debt crisis could drag global economies down. >> jamaica's new prime minister portia simpson miller says she intends to make the island a

republic. in an inaugural address, she said she loved the queen, but that the time had come for jamaica to abandon the monarchy and have its own president. >> this 50th anniversary year will be a time for reflection on the lessons of the past. as we celebrate our achievements of an independent nation, we need to complete the circle of independence. in this regard, we will, therefore, initiate the process of our detachment from the monarchy. [applause] from the monarchy to become a republic with our own indigenous president as head of state. >> more than 40 heads of state have been arriving in south africa because there's a weekend

of celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the national head of congress. they are set to turn out the nelson mandela's party. there are questions about the a.n.c.'s direction and its future. here is our africa correspondent andrew harding. >> we've come to fixburg, a small struggling south african town. >> people expect it more here from the freedom and the governing a.n.c. the ruling party is corrupt, bloated, and inept, and it's time for change. >> they cannot even provide

means to their people. we wish they would lose power peacefully because we don't want it to be in the situation like it happened in both libya. >> it's been a momentous journey to the a.n.c. africa's greatest liberation movement led years of protests, armed rebellion and negotiations before its leader nelson mandela became south africa's first democratic president. and now, the party celebrating its 100th birthday. >> weighed down by corruption.

>> many have died, collapsed, perished. not the a.n.c. >> are they losing their touch for a golf tournament for the a.n.c. elite? a man in touch with president nelson mandela acknowledges mistakes. >> perhaps it's worst in our country because we have not as yet delivered the requirement, the services fully to the people of south africa. >> but for all its faults, the a.n.c. keeps winning elections. back in victoria's secretburg, anna says simply they give us freedom. i will die voting for the a.n.c. andrew harding, "bbc world

news." >> let's go to the sound of some classical music, woven into venezuelan culture, although almost certainly there is one venezuelan orchestra you've probably never heard of. they play in rather restricted circumstances. sarah granger has been behind bars to see how music can make a major difference to lives. >> doing time for crimes ranging from murder to drug smuggling, most of these men and women have never picked up an instrument before. >> when i first got here, i heard the orchestra and it seemed really incredible. i had never seen anything like it. it really got my attention, so i joined. now i'm the first violin.

>> created 36 years ago, it's famous for its pioneering work, teaching children from poor backgrounds how to play classical music. it's produced the world renowned youth orchestra, and its most famous alumni. >> more than half the inmates at this prison have signed off to join the orchestra or the choir. all those who take part must have a record of good behavior and some aptitude for music. participation will help with their discipline, self-esteem and eventual reintegration into society. now a free man, romero still plays the collar net after picking up the instrument while

behind bars. >> i'm now studying the restoration and repair of musical instruments, working in this area, too. and i study collar net once a -- clarinet and practice once a day. >> amid high rates of crime and already crowded jail, this offers hope for the country's prison system. sarah granger, "bbc news," venn sway lasm -- venezuela. >> you're watching "bbc news." just a reminder of our main stories. 11 people have died in new zealand after the hot air balloon crashed. eyewitnesses said flames 30 meters high were shooting out of the balloon. the syrian government has blamed terrorists which it says killed and injured many. the opposition has accused the government of being behind it.

>> 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.