back coming up in the program major has lost out to a deal with brazil. not selling.is hundreds killed and thousands forced from their homes as erupts. all of that still to come. a matter of weeks before the winter olympic games kicks off in the russian resort of sochi. germany, nor the

united states will be sending their president. the u.s. delegation will send to homosexual athletes. send alieve we should message. president barack obama said he was offended by vladimir putin's anti-gay legislation. dilip is standing by. this is the lowest level they have sent in 13 years. is it about making a statement. >> it is about sending a message. we heard from press secretary jay carney. he said this is not a message the united states would send in this manner. barackas a message that obama finds these anti- homosexual laws offensive. it's not necessarily a boycott from the united states delegation. it's certainly a snub, and i

would maybe define it as a slap in the face to the russian organizers. it is about who is not part of that delegation. no first ladies, no vice president, not a single member of the net will be going to will be of the cabinet going to sochi. for the closing ceremony there will be a two-time olympic medalist from the ice hockey team. she is openly gay. that is a message the united dates is clearly sending to russia. >> what about the athletes? how do they feel about it? >> certainly proud. it will be difficult to find the reaction from athletes. we have heard from billie jean king. proud to stand with the members of the lgbt community and is hoping for a watershed moment.

one of the most high-profile athletes that will be part of the u.s. team is bodie miller, this gear. he said he found the anti-gay aws embarrassing. sports and politics do not often mix well. a good sign of that is what the u.s. olympic committee had to say, not even mentioning that two openly gay athletes will be part of the u.s. delegation. they said, this is an impressive and iconicficials athletes. this is a strong message sent by the united states to russia and to its president, vladimir putin. >> he was egypt's first democratically elected leader. could be facing execution. a court in egypt has charged mohamed morsi for conspiring with foreign groups to do

terrorist acts. dismissed the charges as fabrications and lies. ofresponse from leadership hezbollah. earlier i asked if it is possible to see if egypt could execute a former president. >> warmer president morsi is being charged with high treason while in office. a more seriouse charge. all possibilities are in play. it's remarkable we have even he isd this stage where heading into trial for treason. >> there are concerns that morsi will not face a fair trial in egypt. it is fair to say the country is divided when it comes to the opinion of the former leader. >> absolutely, and that is a

charge that can be applied to a much wider set of circumstances. a host of legal cases going forward against the muslim brotherhood officials and members, and these have been decried i national human rights organizations as part of a trumped up and politically motivated legal process, so among human rights officials and certainly among the muslim motherhood, this entire process is questionable and illegitimate. >> they have had a difficult relationship in the past, but french president aland and german chancellor angela merkel say it is time for the next step. -- french president holland and german

chancellor angela merkel says it is time for the next step. >> what is going to get french and german governments working together is our goal to give hope to europe. to be disciplined, but we also need prospects for growth, which is supported via internal demand but also by international competition. deepen will allow us to cooperation, projects which will strengthen europe but also france and germany. this will bring our societies closer but will also show we can achieve more for the people in our countries when we work together and we can when we work alone. russia's most high-

profile prisoners could soon be released as part of amnesty. those expected to be freed include two members of the punk band riot and greenpeace activists. this is seen as a pr offensive by moscow ahead of next year's winter olympic games. a truce of sorts between russia and its inmates. lawmakers have voted for an amnesty bill that could free thousands of prisoners. the move could have important consequences for high-profile prisoners of late, including the two women from riot, still behind bars. for those campaigning for their freedom, it comes as too little, too late. >> the girls have basically two months left in jail, so getting a small discount at the end of your term doesn't make a lot of difference. this amnesty doesn't really help them. greenpeace 30

activists who were detailed after they tried to scale a russian oil platform in the arctic. us the.have granted however, this is tempered by the fact we were arrested for a crime we didn't commit. we were detained illegally for two months. >> russia faces a barrage of ahead of the olympics. >> this is to show we do not have political prisoners in russia. were lockedhose who up after clashes at vladimir putin's inauguration could walk free. political sensitive prisoners such as the former oil tycoon areopposition leader unlikely to be released. moving to a corruption scandal in turkey, yesterday dozens of people were arrested, including top businessmen and three sons

of cabinet ministers. it was the result of a year-long surveillance campaign and will come as a blow. to stampter has vowed out in turkey. those involved in the arrests were dismissed from their posts. >> the biggest crack down on corruption in more than a decade. turkish police have arrested dozens of people including the son of the minister of the interior and of the minister of the environment as well as one businessman and bureaucrat. this includes allegations of rivalry. they have sent shockwaves across the country. >> those who are supported by dark circles inside and outside the country cannot change the direction of turkey. those backed by dark external

forces cannot alter turkey's direction. >> there is speculation the police probe as part of the power structure between the party and its former supporter and ally. exiled to the u.s., the islamic scholar runs a worldwide islamic has moved forward in the military. they announced the plan to close down schools. his authority could be shaken by the high-profile arrests, and the row also threatens to split ofport just months ahead elections in 2000 14. >> arguably britain's most infamous criminal has died in london at the age of 84. he was part of a gang that robbed a royal mail train in 1963, making off with 2.6

million pounds. escape from prison that earned him worldwide notoriety. we look back at the controversial figure. >> he became known as britain's most infamous criminal, even though his role in the great train robbery was minor. he was part of the gang that stole 2.6 million pounds from a train traveling from class got to london. a man was hit i an iron bar. he never fully recovered. when hede his name escaped from prison. an extradition affair -- attempt failed.

having squandered his chair from offrobbery, he lived notoriety, often posing for newspapers in the u.k. he also wrote an autobiography. in the end he refused to show remorse for the robbery. >> i would do everything i did all over knowing the suffering and knowing the happy moments. ill. was already very his return to prison was short. he was freed on compassionate catchingn 2009 after pneumonia. unable to speak and frail after a series of strokes, he died in a care home where he had been living for years. >> a reminder of our headlines. could egypt's first democrat tickly elected president be facing the death penalty. he is charged for conspiring

with foreign groups. angela merkel is in paris for her first visit since being sworn in. and another twist in a corruption scandal. two police chief sent been sacked following high-profile arrests of three government ministers. kate is starting with the announcement from the federal reserve, what everyone has an waiting for. >> it the moment everyone has been waiting for. it is paper time in washington. the federal government announced it will start easing back stimulus measures. they will be spending about 75 billion instead of 85. this is because of a strengthening job market in the u.s.

the fed is predicting unemployment will fall faster saysyear to 3.7% and interest rates will remain low. we heard cautious optimism from ben bernanke as he explains the situation. >> today's policy actions reflect the assessment the economy is continuing to make progress but that the economy has much further to travel. the job market continues to improve with unemployment having climbed further. the recovery is far from complete with unemployment still elevated and long-term unemployment still a major concern. >> ben bernanke says the fact he will soon be replaced by his deputy did not affect the decision. the reaction was quick and strong on stock arctic. --l street rallied, the tao dow jumping one percent.

the s&p also up about a percentage point. the fed welcomes this response is a tries to scale back massive support of the u.s. economy. let's turn to brussels, where european finance ministers say they have made a cruise in the long-standing efforts to deal with eggs. -- banks. beingnking union negotiated would likely be the eu's biggest project since the introduction of the euro. >> when banks across europe found themselves on the brink of collapse in 2009, governments across the continent put their hands in their pockets to bail them out. many almost dragged nations with them. now european ministers have had a breakthrough. the deal would create an eu wide rescue fund paid for by the banks themselves worth 55

billion euros, but it won't be up and running for a decade. >> the question of how the national contributions will be put in a network that will be mutual allies to 10 years has to be answered by an ntergovernmental agreement. this is not germany's chosen ath. >> the key point of the agreement, that it will be the banks and not the taxpayer who pays. all ministers were keen to sell it as a victory. >> the french red lines were clearly accepted. it is a decisive step towards tanking union. fund is in place governments will be mostly responsible for their own banks. they can impose levies, provide public cash, or borrow from the eurozone public rescue fund.

ministers have to agree for how banks would be wound up and who would make the decision. france has lost out on a multibillion-dollar defense deal with brazil. rio has chosen to buy a new generation of fighter jets from the swedish firm stop. firmwould be on -- swedish saab. this would be a major blow for francois hollande. the american boeing had also been in the running. cooling over u.s. spying allegations may have damaged its chances. fortiations have been going about a decade. they say it is the most affordable option. sound myit may monopoly money, but in 2016 the u.k. will start issuing

banknotes made out of plastic. the materials will be more durable, easy to clean, and more likely to survive an accidental spin in the washing machine. over 20 other countries use polymer notes, but written will be the largest country to adopt them. the first will be the five pound note. that is all for business news. >> there is nothing more that a new -- more annoying than finding you put a five pound note in the washer. when we come back we will have more of the corruption scandal rocking turkey. police involved in high-profile arrests have been sacked from their post. find out after this. >> hello, and welcome to today's web news, where we take a look at the headlines. coming up, panic amidst road

testers in ukraine. two spanish journalists detained and the frisbee champion sharing --s running trick shots sharing some stunning trick shots. yet.ne is not dead protesters are singing the national anthem outside the presidential offices. the pms often joined the protesters -- and this man often joins the protesters. they hope the country enjoys closer ties with the european union. pianist is not the only reason shin trying to rouse the protesters. you can see, the music academy recently set up one of

their pianos outside city hall to keep spirits up. the past few days musicians have also been playing inside the building. symbolic has great significance and is being used in particular as a place for protesters to rest after hours of demonstrations in nearby independence square. this twitter picture shows, they sometimes perform for security forces. you see a man playing the piano wearing the colors of the european union in front of riot police. ♪ journalists who were kidnapped by al qaeda

linked radicals in syria on september 16 are still being held. friends and family are extremely concerned for their safety and are campaigning for their release. wife --spinoza upon espinoza's wife produced this video to raise public awareness and also to mark the three-month anniversary of their abduction. speaking in english with subtitles in arabic, she addresses the kidnappers directly, asking them to show clemency and released to journalists at the earliest opportunity. beenl networks have also campaigning for their freedom. this facebook group has 5200 members. users can also voice their hashrt under the twitter

tag and expressed their concern regarding the fate of the news professionals. thousands of asian americans have been posting under the #notyourasiansidekick. culture,bout their their physical appearance will help people assume they are highly educated. the aim is to highlight the problem and change people's mindsets. this alleged photo of nelson mandela lying in state has been the subject of outrage since last week.

itntless protesters called shameless. the controversial photo has been exposed as a fake and was actually taken during a party congress in 1991 when he briefly closed his eyes. this photo competition was launched on reddit a few weeks ago. it involves decking out your cap with a paper cutout mouse, giving them a human facial expression. users have been having a field day. some of the cats haven't been quite as enthusiastic. brodie smith knows how to throw a frisbee. to show webrt clips

users what he is capable of. there is a compilation of his available onots youtube. >> time to break in the new frisbee. >> a little help?

12/18/13 12/18/13 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica, this is democracy now! which3 was the year in the syrian conflict a terror i did the on all imagination -- deteriorated the on all imagination. takeyrian people cannot another day of brutality and destruction. >> the united nations is warning syria has become the most dangerous crisis for global peace