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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> hello, and welcome to "newsday." >> the headlines. your leader is a great on working with the euro zone crisis. and the pressure mounts on syria as western governments call on the security council to take action. >> europe's economy may be struggling, but is after a hitting the right notes? we have a special report from nigeria. and what is causing an outbreak of uncontrollable tics at a high school? >> it is 2:00 in the morning here in london, broadcasting to

our viewers on pbs in america and elsewhere around the world. welcome to "newsday." 25 of the 27 european union members have been agreeing on new rules. the czech republic has joined britain in refusing to back the fiscal situation. the goal is a much closer coordination of monetary policy across the you to prevent excessive debt from accumulating. that treaty would impose fines. gavin hewitt has more. >> belgium, shut down today by a general strike. factories closed, networks item. the reason, austerity and

pension reform ordered by the eu. >> everyone will take to the streets, and that is when it will really hurt. >> their message of the strikers for the leaders arriving for a summit, what we need is growth. >> we need to get really serious about the growth agenda. that means completing the single market and signed in trade deals with the fastest-growing parts of the world, and it means a serious effort of deregulation so they can create the jobs that we need. >> the fact is, europe is hurting as countries cut their deficits. the unemployment lines, like here in spain, are lengthening. the tension is evident in italy, with truck drivers blocking highways and protests at austerity plans and reforms. europe is reducing spending, even as countries, like with france today, cut their forecasts for growth. but it is unemployment that is

forcing europe's leaders to push growth on the agenda. in spain, up to 50% of the young are without work. in greece, the figure is 47%, leading some to talk of a lost generation. for the past year, the priority here in europe has been on cutting deficits and debt. that has not changed, but with some countries heading into recession, the emphasis is beginning to shift towards finding growth, but how do you boost growth when so many european countries are cutting spending at the same time? so today, while leaders accepted budgets had to be balanced, the new emphasis was clear. >> i think it is very important that we do not forbid the growth and the jobs. everything starts and ends with growth and jobs. >> for david cameron, this was the first summit since he used the veto in september.

there was a greeting with the french president, but tonight, 25 countries did agree to a new pact designed to stop overspending by euro zone countries. only the u.k. and the czech republic refused to join. >> making a tree outside the eu. obviously, they wanted to do it inside the eu, which is why they are already talking about bringing it back inside the e.u.. we are not industry. we are not part of it. we do not have to ratify it or take it to the british parliament. that is what the vetoes secures. >> this was a victory for germany's chancellor angela merkel, who has been determined that the euro zone countries sign up for balanced budgets. gavin hewitt, bbc news, brussels. >> the fall of syrian president bashir ocelot -- bashar al

assad is evident. according to the secretary. violence is only growing. the bbc's bridget kendall reports. >> the sound of gunfire echoing through a residential area. maybe not yet civil war in syria, but the battle has reached the outskirts of damascus. government tanks and other heavy weaponry reasserted control over areas that had been in the hands of the opposition, like this street in one suburb. according to this unverified footage, now littered with debris. the contrast with last week when the bbc visited is startling. opposition forces were then manning checkpoints. now, they have apparently pulled back for strategic reasons. meanwhile, the arab league

mission had been suspended. they had retreated to a hotel, saying it is too dangerous to continue, and the discussion has shifted to new york, where they are seeking security council support for the peace plan. as the violence get worse, the stakes intensified for the president there. they want to increase pressure on him to step down voluntarily and hand the power over to a unity government. the libyan option, being hounded down by colonel gaddafi by an angry mob of his own people. but president assad has some allies, like russia, his says they will veto any measure calling for his removal. some countries will be in the united states to try to change that.

>> governments that acted to prop up his brutal regime will find themselves in a small minority and criticized for abetting further human rights violations. it is important to look at where this process is headed. his fall is inevitable. >> across syria today, funerals for the latest victims, no sign of the rebellion abating, and president assad made led's a third option, to dig in and hit back, in which case civil war may be unavoidable. bridget kendall, bbc news. >> we are always hearing about an economic boom. we have got good news. in africa. >> that is right. growth is expected to hit 6% this year, and there is oil-rich nigeria.

with claims of widespread corruption, can this western african giant succeed? we have an report from a capital. >> it is not pretty, but it is booming. welcome to the vast, chaotic part of the african economic rise, and meet one man, an entrepreneur and member of the growing middle class. >> infrastructure development that is going on, it is obvious that this town is changing. there is more coming in. we want to be part of that change, part of the growth that will leave nigeria to, you know, the so-called promised land. >> like many here, he took part in this month's streets protests, an angry public demanding and winning the return

of huge petrol subsidies, and signed for some that nigerians are taking route -- taking root. >> do you think it will make a difference? >> it will. i am sure it will. they are very, very determined. >> but all of the encouraging news in oil-rich nigeria is further spoiled by the chronic poverty and corruption. there is much talk these days about africa rising, the continent's economy finally taking off, and there is certainly true to that, but here in nigeria, the focus is still on the struggle of justice, on a fair distribution of wealth. powerful voices are challenging the very idea of affleck optimism. >> i think this is a source of

propaganda by the multinationals, the african government. they just keep online to the public. >> they are saying that africa is booming. >> it is not booming. it is so obvious. it is like a big joke. if you want anything done properly, you know you have to pay for it. that is not changing. that is getting worse. >> maybe, but listen to the young. if we use our brains, nigeria grows better ♪ ♪ andrew harding, bbc news. >> and u.s. high school students in a small community in new york state have been coming down with

strange tics and verbal outbursts. some have called a mass hysteria. and some believe that a toxic chemical spill 40 years ago could have something to do with the mysterious illness. we have this report. >> in upstate new york, 15 teenagers have developed uncontrollable tics and fainting spells. lydia's right arm continues to jab the air. >> i cannot stand for more than a few minutes, so i am in a wheelchair. it gets really bad at night. >> the doctor who has treated most of the teenager's believes this is a form of a rare disorder often called mass hysteria. >> i personally have never seen anything like this before.

it is very, very remarkable. >> and the st. environmental activist, erin brockovich, once played by julia roberts, wants to know if a toxic spill could be involved. >> there are other people coming out to say they lived close to the school site, that their family is experiencing health problems. >> members of her team visited this community, and they want to know whether the ground water might be contaminated by the chemical spill more than 40 years ago. meanwhile, lydia does not know what is causing her tics. she just wants them to stop. >> still to come on the program, protecting yourself against cyber crime. find out which countries are the

most secure. >> and plunging temperatures and deep snow are causing major problems in eastern europe. let's take a look at some of the stories making headlines in the newspapers around the world today. we start with the front page of "the financial times," showed the german and french leaders at the eu summit in brussels. they are describing the vote by the 25 member states as a victory for its german chancellor angela merkel. to the south china morning post in shanghai, they are reportedly challenging hong kong and becoming the global center for u.n. trading. they were looking to be an international financial hub by the year 2020. "the times" in the u.k. was talking about damage in london's

reputation about an involvement in the banker bonuses. this comes after the chief executive of rbs refused a bonus amid political pressure. >> this is "newsday" on the bbc. >> i am in london. here are the headlines. european leaders have agreed on new rules about debt to help the crisis affecting the euro zone, however britain and the czech republic of refused to sign up. >> in syria, the fall of the president there is inevitable, according to u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton. >> in the u.k., stephen hester, the chief executive of the royal bank of scotland, has been praised for turning down a bonus worth nearly 1 million pounds.

there are other is in line for big payout. the british prime minister says he will not intervene, but one party has called for change. we have a report. >> the royal bank of scotland, an enormous bank, but the pay of an enormous imbalances -- bonuses and salaries. since the government owns part of the bank, one party forced him. will bankers at barclays and elsewhere, widely blamed for economic mess, find their reward in the line of fire? >> we have now got to learn the deeper lessons, because we have got to have responsibility in the boardroom when everyone else is being squeezed. that is why i say to tax the bankers' bonuses and give ordinary employees as say on top pay in every company. >> but the prime minister was

looking for more voluntary restraints. >> i think what needs to happen is a sense of restraint, which is exactly what the government urged on rbs and the first place, and i think they have got to do a better job, as everybody has, to demonstrate pay for performance. >> and there were a gaggle of protesters today, having dodged a bullet from the mp's. >> they are not able to attract the best bankers to turn the business around, because as taxpayers, we need rbs to succeed, and to have them succeed, we need the best bankers working for it. >> it will not simply disappear following the decision not to take the bonus. last year, something like 100 of the investment bankers took big bonuses, and although this year's have not yet been decided, large numbers will

earn it extraordinary large bonuses, as considered by most british people. mr. hester as a package that is a lot but not the biggest. there is the chief executives of barclays, 1.3 5 million pounds. mr. hester could have had a bonus worth 1.6 million pounds at the current share price. diamond has a bonus that could be worth more, and the value of the long-term incentives to be decided soon is a maximum of 4.8 million pounds, compared to a maximum 6.7 5 million pounds for mr. bob diamond. as for mr. hester, would it be easy to replace them with a banker on much lower pay it? >> i think he is doing a hard job, where there are not people

running down a hallway is asking to be the head of rbs and to be in the front page every day. >> they could end up by battering taxpayers, who have billions of pounds at risk and the bank. unless, of course, they can find bankers are which public service, not huge pay, is reward enough. bbc news. >> airport has unveiled the best country is better able to defend themselves against cyber crime. israel, finland, and sweden were found to be leading the way in cyber readiness. in contrast, china, brazil, and mexico are among those least able to defend themselves against the attack. the u.s. and the u.k. ranked well in the report. one man explains how cyber crime has become an increasingly global phenomenon.

>> it is quite huge, and it is growing. basically, criminals go where the profit margin is highest, and right now, there is a huge profit to be made, and at the same time, we are finding very little risk, so with low risk and a lot of money they have made, then we will find more and more cyber crime each year. >> doing well in tackling its cyber crime, for example, israel is a safe country to have a computer because it has spent a lot of money in protecting intelligence data. how can you get other countries to follow suit? >> what we need to do is move away from the idea that we have at the moment of no real risk. we have to start teaching people and informing them how they can actually do things better, and as many people look at personally identifiable information and think about protecting it, but really what we need to do is not treat the symptom, not care so much if

someone steals the information, but how do we stop criminals from using it? there are some data reporting agencies that will alert you examine tries to set up a loan or a credit card in your name, said you can stop it proactively. that is the kind of thing that we need to do. >> you talk about some not doing so well in your report. why do you think they are lagging behind the others? >> china has put a lot into their defense, and their government is doing well, but the problem is they are not really looking at the civilian community, the businesses, and the other areas that are growing. the main core that is making china advance in the world economically. what they are doing, in effect, is looking at the cyber attack strategies. they have around 150,000 people tied to the government and the military but only loosely. these people had access to source code, for example, from

microsoft and other vendors, and yet they also act outside of the government. the attack access to attack could at the government level, and they are basically guns for hire. there are security companies and other individuals that act where refined the greatest profit. >> that was my guest a little earlier. and one area has been hit by freezing weather. >> yes, falling temperatures and heavy snow falls across the region have left at least 36 people dead, and serbia has been badly affected and declared a state of emergency in the south of the country. this has blocked roads and hurt as electricity supplies -- and a court of electricity supplies. >> there is so much of it, the roads in this valley have been blocked. snow plows have been out in force, but there are some roads beyond their reach.

days ago, the authorities declared a state of emergency, but some still need help. there is one area near the border of montenegro. this is affecting another part of the region, too. 18 people, most of them homeless, have reportedly died in ukraine. bulgaria and romania have also been affected by the low temperatures. outside the capital of bucharest, it is the dogs they are worried about, home to some 50,000 strays. the supply roads to the kennels have been cut off, and they have been helping to clear away the snow. >> it is freezing. with the cold winds, we are facing minus 20 degrees celsius. we are now waiting for a heavy machine to help us dig out the cages. this is not the first time we have done this. we did this last year, too. >> and people are getting used to the treacherous conditions.

last week, there are many in the balkans and other areas stranded, with airplanes grounded and main roads blocked. more snow has also been forecast. bbc news. >> not just a nightclub, but increasingly in gymnasiums. in china, becoming ever more popular, not just among women. he used to be a soldier in the chinese military, and now he spends five days a week on his new-found passion, and one day, he plans to become a professional coach, and he says to us that he is having to fight harder than ever. >> i am the only male student here. i've always loved the dancing,

but i chose pole dancing because of its elegance and beauty. i believe man can dance as well as women. while it is true that women are more flexible, men are stronger. paul banting needs both qualities. most people cannot watch pole dancing without seeing it as a form of pornography. i have not told my friends what i do. i used to work on the police force, managing terrorism and hostage situations. you cannot imagine how surprised my friends would be if they knew my current passion. pole dancing is good for your physique.

it shakes your muscles and increases your musical sense. it is now quite popular in china, with most big cities holding classes. it can take a long time to race prejudice, but one day, if i can become a professional coach, i will tell more people to accept and respect the performance. >> the bad and and basketball exercises. you have been watching "newsday" on the bbc. >> i think you should give it ago. you never know. from london. tackling the euro zone crisis, but britain and the czech republic refused to sign. that is the latest. thank you for watching. stay with us, though, as headlines are coming up.

we will see you shortly. >> 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. relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you?

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