>> welcome back to "the newsroom." first, france is warning of the unrest in the african republic risks spiraling out of control. this warning comes as the u.n. rerts that more than 600 people have been killed in the unrest. it's been seven days since 1600 troops were deployed to the country. the french defense minister has een meeting some of them today . let's take a listen to what he had to say. >> the spiral of confrontation is becoming increasingly violent. it has added a security crisis to the start of a humanitarian

crisis. today 10% of people in the central african republic have left their homes and the majority of the population are running out of food. >> alexander turnbull is there in the capital of the central african republic. he gives us a brief tour now of what's going on around him. >> this is no regular refugee camp. none of the major humanitarian n.g. information's nor the u.n. have set up to welcome these people. they started gathering about a week ago right next to the airport, but more importantly, right next to the french ministry base. >> acts of criminality are increasing. militias came with arms to kill people with knives. we can't stay because of this. that's why we are here. we cannot go back home. >> the sanitary conditions in the camp are terrible. people here have little access to food supplies, drinking water and, of course, some

medicine. >> we have nothing to eat. we sleep on the floor. rain falls on the children who are sick. we're so overwhelmed, we don't know where to go. >> they don't have toilets, water, no covers, and no roof. the risk of disease for the moment, we see malaria kids under 5 years old are vulnerable with the rain and don't have mosquito nets. it's becoming very, very dangerous. for pregnant women as well. we had eight births yesterday and wounded people keep arriving. >> estimates put the number of refugees here at around 40,000 across the country. maybe half a million people were forced to flee their home and seek refuge in similar makeshift camps. >> that was alexander turnbull report thrg. to the ukrainian capital now. since mass protests broke out there, talks have been held between the president and the opposition leaders. the unrest in the country was

triggered by the decision to turn it back on the e.u. and opt for closer ties to russia. but now the president seems to be hedging his bets. >> the defiant message from independent square to the ukrainian president. >> we will show him who rules ukraine, the people of ukraine. >> with flags hoisted high, opposition figures rallied protesters. they claim the intent to sign cooperation agreements with urope is hollow. demonstrators are concerned the president intends to sign a customs agreement with russia when he meets vladimir putin next week. but there are signs of

compromise. government officials agreed to an amnesty for protesters facing criminal charges and vowed not to use force against the crowds. for their part, opposition figures met with the president there on friday. both sides used the opportunity to present their case, although for the moment at least, neither seems willing to make concessions. the opposition is still demanding that the president resign and early presidential and parliamentary elections be called. meanwhile the country remains deadlocked in a tug-of-war between russia and the e.u. politicians from both europe and the u.s. have visited protesters' camps, something russia has called accrued interference in ukraine's internal affairs. >> this sunday ireland will become the first eurozone country to exit its bailout program. three years after the banking sector collapsed, dublin agreed to 68 billion euros in emergency loans from international lenders. although this news is welcomed in ireland, it was only made

possible after heavy act fices made by the irish people, many of whom say they're not yet feeling any of the effects of recovering. let's go to the cautiously optimistic finance minister, michael noonan. >> people are going in confidence that the damaged economy has been significantly repaired and that we are now creating jobs again and that the economy is growing. but i think people, more than anything else, want assurance that this won't happen again, and that means we'll have to continue with the fiscal policies of controlling deficits and making sure that is sustainable. >> that was michael noonan speaking there. as ireland regains its financial sovereignty, our business editor, steven carroll, takes a look back at how it was that this country went from boom to bust. >> it was once the envy of europe. for a decade from the mid 1990's, the irish economy was growing at a rate more than

twice the e.u. average. it was a boom built on property and cheap loans. when the credit crunch came ireland's banks lost, some of them, up to half of their value. the run to its banks in 2008, dublin took the unprecedented step of issuing a blanket guarantee for all debts held by irish lender. but the government hadn't been told the full story. the public finances were soon swamped by the bank's bat debts. in 2010, the bond markets soared. under pressure from e.u. leaders who feared the crisis would spread, the irish government agreed to an international bailout of 67.5 billion euros. >> we have reached agreement on a program for the provision of significant international financial support for ireland. >> as austerity measures began, the banks remaped the biggest hole in ireland's balance

sheet. chief among them anglo irish, which had to be liquidity the at a cost of 30 billion euros to the taxpayer. >> every single bank in ireland came close to failing, if the state hadn't stepped in. >> while there's little trace left of anglo irish bank and its former headquarters in dublin, it will take decades repay. taxpayers to three bank officials are facing fraud charges. they will face the courts next year. >> there were moments of tension in pretoria today as tens of thousands of mourners queued up to pay their respects to the south african apartheid icon, nelson mandela. the number was so great that the police turned people away and that's when the anger erupted, with some people breaking through the police barriers. while order was retoward there shortly thereafter. -- restored there shortly

thereafter. tomorrow mandela's body will be flown on sunday to his ancestral hometown. let's go to 700 kilometers south of johannesburg for what will be madiba's final resting place. >> nelson mandela may be one of the towering figures of the 20th century. in his childhood village, people remember the man, not the legend. in his memoirs, mandela describes spending the happiest years of his boyhood here, a quiet valley in south africa's poorest region. he got to know him after he was returned from his release from prison in 1990. >> while he was president, he used to send his people to come and fetch me. we would fly together in his aircraft. he said he wanted to show me places and we would visit the local king. there's nothing bad i can say about him. >> preparations in this tiny village are underway for the former president's funeral which will attract thousands of

dignitaries and mourners. workers are rushing to complete the highway, lane paving and constructing barriers. and at the airport, they have undergone millions of dollars worth of renovations. >> we have two flights a day presently, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. ut now i think by this weekend , we will have like hundreds. >> after his release after 27 years in jail, military vehicles keep watch. and at the nearby family graveyard where mandela will be buried alongside his parents and children, a 4,000-seat pavilion is being constructed. while the rest of the country has seen an explosion of public emotion, people here mourn the death of their neighbor with quiet dignity. in every k around you ion, you know that

are looking at him. all that he believed. >> mandela never forgot his roots here, where he hunted, fished and played with friends. the boy became a man who shaped the destiny of the country. as his body is laid to rest this weekend, his long walk will finally come to an end. >> in other world news, it's the most unprecedented fall from grace in what is perhaps the world's most secretive nation. a 67-year-old had been considered a father figure to his nephew, the north korean leader, kim jong un. but the man regarded as the country's second in command was executed early friday morning. joe tandy tells us more. >> a traitor to the nation by state's media. the president's uncle had also been his mentor, often seen at the leader's side.

the north korean government announced that he had been found guilty of plotting to seize power and was ordered for immediate execution. the despicable human scum, who was worse than a dog, perpetrated acts of treachery in betrayal of the warmest paternal love shown by the party and the leader. >> 67-year-old was vice chairman of the powerful national defense commission. in an official report he was accused of attempting to overthrow the state and forming a rival faction within the ruling party as well as corruption, womanizing, alcohol abuse and gambling. kim jong unalso blamed his uncle for the country's economic woes. in south korea officials expressed alarm over the news, saying they were stepping up surveillance on their northern neighbor. >> our government expects that north korea's recent developments could bring a bloody purge and a reign of terror. the commanders are preparing for all possible situations.

>> many analysts see the execution as a sign that the north korean president is trying to shore up his power base, yet they're divided over whether the move shows the leader is weakening fighting rebellion in his own ranks. >> now, thursday's execution of an opposition leader in bangladesh has sparked deadly unrest with protesters take together the streets and torching homes and businesses. at least three people have been killed in the latest wave of bloodshed. a 65-year-old was hanged yesterday for war crimes during the country's war of independence in pakistan 50 years ago. not everyone is angry at the news of his execution. thousands of secular protesters also took to the streets in celebration. now, hang your heads in shame. scathing words from amnesty international aimed at e.u. leaders for failing to provide

refuge for people fleeing war-torn syria. groups say they have given places to a tiny fraction of the thousands that replied. >> it's uncomfortable reading for e.u. leaders and their refugees are pitiful. >> they are doing almost nothing. 3.2 million fled the country. 7% of them are in neighboring countries like jordan and lebanon. they have offered to welcome 12,000 of the most vulnerable. that's not enough. >> germany has offered 10,000. france just 500. and brynn zero. heavy snows have hit the refugee camps in lebanon and turkey, where hundreds of thousands of syrians lift in makeshift tents this week. amnesty says dire conditions in the camps along with a low chance of being granted asylum through legal channels forces

refugees to risk their lives trying to reach europe. >> because people are feeling increasingly they cannot stay in the region and cannot build their lives there, they are taking very dangerous risks by getting on boats to try and get to europe because they believe that europe will offer some kind of safe haven. so we've seen in recent months a growth in the number of people attempting the journey by boat from egypt and libya to italy. >> the report says hundreds have drowned in the mediterranean, faced abuse from coast guards in greece and bulgaria, or ended up living in squall i had conditions in europe. these syrians hit headlines in october when britain refused to allow them to enter the country and apply for asylum. amnesty says the e.u. must open its borders or face having stood by and done nothing to alleviate the worst refugee crisis since the rwandan genocide in 1994. >> let's get a recap of our top

stories on "france 24." a humanitarian crisis in the making. the french defense minister for the united nations says 600 people have now been killed. face-to-face talks are held between the ukrainian president and the opposition leaders for the first time since mass protests broke out in the country three weeks ago. tensions in pretoria. police are forced to turn people away as tens of thousands queue up for a final chance to pay their respects to nelson mandela. it's time now for a check of the top business news stories. marcus carlson is here. first up, marcus, eiland marking the end of the bailout road. >> yes, ireland followed in greece's footsteps asking for a financial lifeline for the rest of the eurozone and three years later the country becomes the first to officially leave its bailout program behind. the irish government met in dublin on friday.

the finance minister, michael noonan, says it is a reason to celebrate but he cautions that the end of the bailout doesn't necessarily mean the end of austerity. >> there are many who believe we would never reach today. >> this isn't the end of the road. this is a very significant milestone on the road and it gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect for a very short period. but we must continue with the same types of policies, because the deficit is too high and it has to be brought down below 3%. >> now, ireland has accepted financial aid from the eurozone to the tune of 67.5 billion euros. most of that money went to the banking sector as it collapsed under excessive debt. my colleague, steven carroll, is in dublin. earlier i asked him about the health of the banking sector three years on. >> the banks really brought ireland into this mess in the first place after that decision by the government back in 2008 to guarantee all of the debts in irish banks.

they pumped some 50 billion euros of taxpayers' money into the banks. the situation is at least stabilizing. bank of ireland, which is one of the banks that was rescued but not nationalized entirely is now returning back to profit. they've managed to sell some of the government's shares and pay the state back, actually making the state some money on it. the fully nationalized lenderses, a.i.b. and irish life and permanent that were merged, have a 9.8% stake owned by the -- 9.8 stake owned by the government. the lenders see no sign of getting out of the situation. although the financial situation has stabilized, the big problem is really mortgage debt. the property crash in ireland left so many mortgage holders in negative equity. mortgage arrears now is at 18% and rising, which is very worrying to those international bodies looking at ireland's banking system. of course, now that ireland is out of the bailout it will be subject to those bank stress

tests from the e.u. later next year, and the government says the banks will pass all of those stress tests, but there are questions about how much capital they have and how stable they are. >> that was steven carroll reporting from dublin. next we're looking at a warning about virtual currencies in general. the european union's banking watchdog has warned about the dangers of using bits coin as the currency has become more and more pap lar and its value has shot up. -- popular and its value has shot up. >> a stern warning from the i.'s watchdog. consumers are on their own if they lose any money using bitcoin. it isn't backed by central banks or government and there's no protection or compensation if a digital wallet is hacked. this comes on the heels of china banning it. but there are increasing signs that bitcoin is moving into the mainstream. the world's first bitcoin

a.t.m. recently opened in vancouver. >> right now we are seeing consistent increase in demand for bitcoin and rightfully so, because the currency is getting more useful. >> and this week sweden followed suit, launching europe's first bitcoin a.t.m.. >> now we see more and more broader adoption of the currency by the general population and that's also where we want to come in and help people. >> the u.s. sass said that the virtual currency could be a legal means of exchange boosting its prospects of wider acceptance. but the currency does have its drawbacks. its value fluctuates wildly and it's notorious for being used in online drug transactions. >> ok. we're going to take a look at the supermarkets next. in the united states trading above the flat line, not by much, as the focus is on the federal reserve and the federal reserve meeting next week. investors looking for direction. the european markets, they closed in negative territory

earlier. paris was way down in particular. persia citroen shares lost more than 12% after general motors sold off its 7% stake in the french carmaker. we're going to finish up with a story. it may be a sign of things to come for the music business. beyonce has released her fifth solo album friday. there was no prior warning from the american pop star and no major marketing campaign and the album was made available immediately on itunes. some say beyonce is now setting an example for artists trying to make some cash in the increasingly online music market. she is basically going around the middle man there. with that, we're going to wrap up this business edition as well and it's back to you. >> thank you very much indied. well, beyonce always on top of trends and we're going to see what else is happening in

cyberspace in terms of latest goings-on. "web news" starts right now. >> hello, and welcome to today's "web news," where we take a look at what's been hitting the online headlines. on today's show, artists across the globe have been paying tribute to nelson mandela. hundreds of writers have signed a petition denouncing the mass surveillance of web users, and a daredevil skateboard duo literally playing with fire. >> day is done, is done. the news came on the wings of a wind. we left him to carry its burden. american writer mya angelou penned this poem in honor of nelson mandela. she delivers a poignant tribute in this youtube video celebrating his life's work.

nelson mandela inspired artists the world over throughout his life and over the past few days countless artists, both the famous and less well known, paid their last respects by dedicating a work to him. on hearing of madiba's passing, a nigerian artist, for example, posted this digital painting online to celebrate the legacy of the man he affectionately refers to as "papa africa." miguel worked for twitter and tweeted this picture sent out in response to his death. indians and artists created this sculpture in eastern india. people have been laying flowers at the foot of the nelson mandela sand sculpture in memory of their hero. and last week members of the gospel choir dressed up as supermarket employees in pretoria with a flash-mob

tribute to madiba. here they are performing a famous song -- "snl" notes ♪ ♪ and france taly dignitaries were among the 562 writers to have signed this petition posted to change.org to tuesday. the document announces a mass senior veil lance of web users the world over and calls for an international bill of digital rights. these well-known figures from the literary world are out to defend what they call a pillar of democracy and individuals' rights to privacy. the petition says this fundamental right has been most widely flouted by the blakts of activity and in particular by programs on. ed by the u.s. government and

its intelligence agencies. and it's not just the writers that instigated this open appeal, feeling over this way over 117,000 web users have added their signature to the petition demanding an end to mass surveillance of web users. there have been a massive backlash to the revelation and this petition isn't the only campaigning underway. far from it. on monday, for example, a coalition of eight u.s. leading tech firms published a letter to u.s. president barack obama demanding urgent reforms to the surveillance programs. bare chested with bulging biceps. if this is anything to go by, he's back in shape. his daughter posted the picture twitter on tuesday saying how amazed and impressed she is by the change in him. the argentine football legend has been battling weight problems for some years and some web users are suggesting a transformation is too good to

be true and wonder if the photo's been doctored. he's been quick to dismiss the cynics by posting a host of pictures of her dad in very fine form. take a moment to remember pearl arbor with us, tweeted a company spa get yoss on friday, to mark the anniversary of the japanese attack on the united states naval base. the post features a picture of a company's mascot, a smiling cartoon noodle and have been met with an instant backlash. americans have been voicing their outrage, condemning the tweet as wholly inappropriate. the company has since apologized. the so-called power-up kit was designed by an inventor and transformed the paper airplane into a remote-controlled one. it consists of a mini-motor, a propeller tratched to a

crash-proof fine glast frame. it gives 10 minutes of flight. the inventor was looking to raise $50,000 to literally get the project off the ground but web users have already pledged close to

12/13/13 12/13/13 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica, this is democracy now! more to help fix this broken immigration system. so i decided then i would participate in the fast for families. for me, it is a renewal of my commitment to justice, to making sure this immigration system is fixed once