to military operations. where the u.s. is trying to form where it caused that's what it calls a coalition of the willing. this clearly makes agreement on these matters harder to come by. stephen evans, bbc news, berlin. me to have a further look into this is our world affairs correspondent. the hurdleo get over -- of course they are, aren't they? >> a lot of us take for granted. the government will never come out and say, we do this all the time. they just say, nothing we do is illegal. and they do collect information for legitimate investigation purposes. the fact is that angela merkel has in the past said they depend very much on this information sharing with the u.s. for terror-related activities. so, there is an element here of saying, they got caught. >> and it's come out, which

makes it difficult. interesting the white house response, which is very carefully worded. >> yes, and i think a lot of people have picked up on this. the white house said we are not monitoring angela merkel's calls, and we are not going to. they did not say categorically they have not done so in the past. angela merkel and president obama had a conversation on the germans are pretty annoyed, enablement their case. it is pretty serious when you summon a u.s. ambassador. but what i think the overarching backup of this is the comments by the german defense minister who said we can't return to business as usual, but then he said the americans are and remain our best friends. but this is absolutely not right. they are very annoyed about this. they are going to make their displeasure fell to the american. isthe end of the day, there a lot of sharing between germany and the europeans and the americans, and it has to continue. >> if we were looking for escalation, in a way, the fact

that mrs. merkel and the first -- and the french president, if they are going to meet in the margins of the eu summit -- because french has a gripe as well, they see it as a european issue. >> the french has put it on the agenda for the summit that has been long planned and will partly look at the digital economy. they have put it on the agenda. it is not just the europeans. the europeans are annoyed. the fact the european parliament yesterday voted to halt a data sharing agreement with the americans regarding the financing of terror activities -- not a binding vote, though. other suggestions out of european sources saying maybe we can think about limiting access americans can have to our data, creating a europe-only data cloud. but remember how much trade and information goes back and forth between the eu and america. it is very hard to see how it will work. one suggestion that other alleged -- and that other alleged victims have been making

-- the brazilians -- they are suggesting maybe we will get internet companies to host data about brazilians on servers stored in brazil that are much harder for americans to get access to. and that is one idea. there is definitely around the world that our government starting to make noise about america, and i think america has to take notice. much, indeed.ery sexual violence against women in egypt has now reached epidemic proportions. that is the view of human rights campaigners, and a recent you one study suggested nine out of 10 egypt and women has -- have experienced some form of sexual harassment. on wednesday, a man convicted of harassment had his sentence definitely reduced from 45 years in prison to just five years. as part of our "100 women" season, a report on how mobs are taking matters into their own hands as authorities failed to act. tasers,ng out

volunteers get ready to patrol the streets of cairo to dispense vigilante justice. if he resists, says mohammed, we know how we are going to deal with him. his group, called harass the harassers. they hunt for attackers during busy holiday periods. these volunteers say they are on the streets patrolling because they have no choice. they say they are doing the job the authorities should be doing, but for the most part, the police are looking the other way. and they say they are ready for violence if necessary. minutes later, they surround and alleged attacker and restrain him in a headlock. guilty or innocent, he is publicly humiliated. ima harasser is stenciled on his back -- i am a harasser is

stenciled on his back. but most of the worst attacks have happened under the cover of darkness, during political wrote -- protest entire year square -- tahrir square. two terrified women were rescued here, but activists say there were 46 mob assaulted that night. >> these were pictures taken from the demonstration -- one to rescueo this freelance journalist when she was taking pictures in the square last january. >> all of a sudden i found myself inside a very huge circle of men who were attacking every inch of my body. i thought i was going to die. i thought i was going to die because they were very aggressive, and actually at a certain point i think i fainted because one of them was trying to strangle me with the scarf that was around my neck. >> is there a climate of

impunity? thet is encouraging all of molesters to go because they can get away with it. molesters may feel encouraged by ultra conservative clerics -- arabic]aking in beenis tv channel has now shut down, but plenty here are ready to lame the victim. -- blame the victim. this woman discovered this at a police station. she works with another group who try to protect women. she herself has been brutally assaulted twice, so violently she had a miscarriage. i went into the station, i was wearing a badge saying no to harassment. the officers' response was that the attackers might have read it without the word "no," as if i

was inviting people to harass me. >> the police are presenting a more concerned face, parading officers from a new unit set up to tackle violence against women. but with next to no prosecution, victims fear it is a token gesture. bbc news, cairo. >> a very tough picture there, isn't it? one of the keynote speakers for the conference we are having tomorrow marki the end of the isson -- caesar -- series with the u.n.. before working with you when she was a social activist working for women's rights and serving as a minister in the government of sierra leone. can i ask you about the man called me mahdi thug, sentenced to 45 years in prison and having it reduced the five. what do you make of the

decision? workingf the challenges on sexual violence in countries is the legal infrastructure. that is why the u.n. created a team of experts and also the united nations program of sexual violence and fraud -- conflict. basically to work with the government to make sure the changeable laws. a lot of times -- we have raised the concerned with the government and made a statement and did ask them -- >> this is pretty despairing stuff, when you are looking at nine out of 10 women in egypt say they faced sexual harassment at some point or another, and that is sort of the response received from authorities. >> again, we are happy with her this conference. basically we are going to say because we don't have a lot of women in judiciary, we don't have women as much as we like in the political structure who are making the laws -- you are making the laws, who are the magistrates? that is the challenge.

there are people who determine what happens to us. and these people are not definitely gender sensitive. as far as they're concerned, they feel you do not belong. to utterly destroy the spirit of the woman. [indiscernible] in a way -- irony in egypt that under president mubarak data let's face it, dictatorial -- the situation was better. mubarak, let's face it, a dictatorial regime, the situation was better. >> the women say the issue of the military was because all of rights issues that were given to them -- the laws, policy, and programs, were moving backwards. that is why you see a lot of women in the demonstrations, because they were losing out. and it took them over 100 years to get where they are. and all of a sudden with the drop of the pen, somebody changing the law.

that is why you have more women actually demonstrated. i think that is why we are all supporting the women. >> can i ask you about the vigilantes? would you applaud their efforts? because nobody else seems to be helping women. >> to be honest, when you resort to the issue it shows the breakdown of law and order. and then it creates impunity. who is accountable? who can control them? >> the women are thinking, hallelujah, at least, looking up for us. >> i came from sierra leone, a country that has gone through 12 years of brutal conflict neared -- conflict. -- howend of the day does it end up? we have to engage the military, we have to get them to make sure of the police. in my job, i always make sure the military, the police, the

judiciary and of course the government takes responsibility. because the government has the moral and legal responsibility to protect its citizens. >> no one would disagree with it at all. but there is an awful lot of tut-tutting of these things and it is still on the low list of priorities. >> i have to tell you the secretary-general of the united nations is very committed to the issue of sexual violence. andve spoken to him meetings. he has put so much pressure. president, the finally announced he will appoint a presidential representative who will deal with the issue of sexual violence and children in armed conflict. but you have to realize, it is not very easy. but we are doing anything to get governments to make sure they take their responsible abuse very seriously. >> thank you very much, indeed. of course, to find out more

about the bbc's "100 women" season, you can head to the website and find stories and analysis about the many challenges facing women in the course of the 21st-century, and also more on the conference itself. womenl be joined by 100 at her bbc headquarters in london. go to bbc.com\100 women. stay with us, if you can. coming up in just a moment, faster than a speeding bullet but it eventually had its wings clipped. we look back at the concorde airplane 10 years after its retirement. in mexico, around 500 clowns ghathon -- they laughed and performed songs at

the clown meeting in mexico city. quite a story. with all the details, emily thomas has this report. it is a funny kind of protest. it might not look like it, but hundreds of clowns and mexico city are getting serious. they laugh for 15 minutes to demonstrate against violent crime. >> we want peace. there is so much violence here. laughter,happiness, smiles. that's why we're clowns. >> last week in a baja california beach resort, a convicted drug trafficker was wearingdeath by gunmen clown costumes, including weeds and rubber noses. while not leaders if a professional clowns were not involved -- if they had been, their costumes and phase paintings would have made them easily identifiable. any violence.nt now there are people who used our costumes and makeup to kill

a drug trafficker. but we are not those kind of people. clowns from 12 countries have gathered for the annual convention. >> we come to train ourselves so there will be work. us clowns that are trained and not worry. we only start dying from hunger when there are no children left. >> there is plenty of shoving off here, but for most it is simply not a laughing matter. there are 12,000 clowns registered in the country. pull up to any traffic light in mexico city you are likely to find some performing for just a few pesos. the mother of a korean american man imprisoned in north korea has told the bbc of a room -- of her emotional reunion. she pleaded with the north

korean authorities to visit kenneth bae after watching interview footage that showed he has lost a lot of weight. who is he? a tour operator and christian missionary. he was arrested as he entered a port city near the border with china. he was sentenced to 15 years hard labor with for so-called accident the state. his health deteriorated. he was moved to a hospital with diabetes and an enlarged heart. his mother now fears his son will be sent back to the labor cap and his body may not be able to adore it. she has been speaking to my colleagues, lucy williamson. >> it was heavenly to see him an d hold him and comfort him altogether. we are very emotional at that moment. and contain to cry

ourselves, but my heart was aching when i saw him in a hospital garment confined in a small space. very hard have been for you to leave him there at the end of your visit. >> it was really hard. i describe my heart aches? behind as a prisoner over there. yeah, i try to not cry. him.t to be strong for but i could not help myself. when can i see him again ? >> do you have any hope he will be the least assume? that is really uncertain.

because, as a family, you don't have any power -- you feel really helpless. governmenty wish our thing possible to bring them home. we always have faith and hope to our government, but i feel now it is more urgent than ever. his health has been improved a little, due to medical treatment, for two months. reason, because of that they might send back to the labor camp. that is my worst fear. so we need to bring them home now. heroping for the best for

son kenneth. let's get some other news from around the world. an american newspaper says it has government documents that shows pakistani officials knew about and gave their backing to jerome strikes. the revelations were published in "the washington post" just hours after the prime minister said he urged president obama to stop the attacks in a meeting in washington get a 13-year-old boy carrying a replica of thought rifle has been shot and killed by police in california. the officers in santa rosa said they opened fire when the boy refused repeated orders to drop the rifle, which they thought was real. the shooting, which happened on tuesday, is now being investigated. a plain fighting bushfires in the australian state of new south wales has crashed, killing its pilot. thursday brought cooler weather but more than 65 are still burning. the military has said it is cooperating with an investigation that found that one of the largest bushfires was actually started by an army exercise.

just weeks after winning the right to host the olympics in 2020, japan said it could scale down its plans for its new olympic stadium because of costs . it will cost as much as $3 billion, more than twice the original estimate. japanese architects have campaigned for a smaller stadium. let's travel back on nostalgia for you. concorde to travel 15 kilometers and a time it took to pour champagne. our correspondent looks at the airplane which, before its retirement 10 years ago, could travel faster than a speeding bullet. >> for many, it is still the most beautiful machine ever made. , ourrce of national pride chance to show off to the world. 10 years ago today, finding out of new york for the very last time, concord celebrity fans

were emotional. >> i am very sad. as far as i'm concerned, this was a huge step in technology. it was something that was technologically brilliant. it simply just faded away. not usually what happens with successful invention. they usually go on and lead to others. >> thousands waved goodbye as the last three concorde floated bravely into heathrow. now they are scattered around in museum exhibits, like here in manchester. this is an incredible place to be on the famous wing of concorde. up close you can really see how beautifully smooth and curb it is. it is such an iconic shape. even up in the air you can .dentify it plane anywhere ittever you sell people on you saw them sipping champagne, they were written amos.

but it was pretty spartan inside. you pay for the speed, not for the luxury. >> martin robinson flew this very airplane around the world. >> magnificent is the only word to describe it. it was so responsive. we flew the airplane at its maximum all the time it cause it was designed to fly at that speed. it was more economical at that speed. i know the reasons why it was retired. commercially, sheer money. but because it is so nice, such an icon for the british public, it is so sad to see it go. and france 13 years ago. it marked the beginning of the and for concorde. more than 100 people died in the paris crash. and although she flew for three more years, terrorism and recession took their toll. from those first takeoff in the late 1960s -- >> she flies, concorde flies again.

thereher final landing, was never another plane like concorde, and there still isn't. >> those were the days. coming up in the next hour, willar's president says he release all political prisoners by the end of the year. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you

operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help 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.

welcome to "newsline." here are some of the stories we're following this hour. >> workers at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant are work ing to to make storage tanks for more rainwater.

drivers have raced across australia. their only fuel -- energy from the sun. a powerful storm is sending workers at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant into a race against time. they need to make space to collect rainwater tainted with radiation. the storage they have is already full from recent heavy rains. a typhoon hit the compound last week. and forecasters say another could hit japan's pacific coast this weekend. regulators have given their approval to move the rainwater to three underground pools. the pools can store up to 9,000 tons of water. workers with tokyo electric power company discovered earlier this year that some pools of the same kind have given up leaks. sense then they've been pumping contaminated rainwater into hundreds of tanks above ground, heading to the basement of a turbine building. but managers say those places

are almost full. they say they have no choice but to use the underground pools. workers have another challenge on their hands. they found highly radioactive water on wednesday in a ditch on the compound. they say they'll transfer the water to one of the storage tanks. drills in okinawa area japan's self-defense forces are set to hone their skills awe of southwestern japan. they'll practice using surface to ship missiles in a training exercise that starks next week. about 34,000 personnel will take part in the drill. units equipped with type 88 surface-to-ship missiles will be deployed on the southern part of okinawa's main island. that would put all waters within it between the range of the anti-ship missiles. chinese naval vessels bound for the pacific pass frequently between the two islands. but spokesperson for japan's

defense ministry say the personnel are not training with any particular enemy in mind. negotiators are meeting in tokyo. they're trying to resolve differences of intellectual property rights. they are seeking to reach a broader trade agreement by the end of this year. the negotiators are expected to focus on patent and copyright laws. the u.s. wants to strengthen patent protection, but emerging nations like malaysia want better access to less expensive generic drugs. the japan shares the u.s. view because it has many

pharmaceutical firms with product development capability. but japanese negotiators will likely consider the position of emerging economies and try to find a middle ground. they may push for more time for emerging economies to adjust to patent protections. >> translator: japan should try to lead discussions to come up with a plan that will give both conflicting parties a degree of satisfaction. >> talking between japan and the united states are running parallel to the tpp meetings. negotiators there have yet to agree on the auto sector regulations. >> they wrapped up a third round of talks in washington on wednesday with no agreement. they talked about easing regulations in both the automobile and insurance sectors.