the chinese foreign ministry has a responded and they say that china has posed no threat. >> japan is reshaping its defense in response to the shifting balance of power in asia cutting the number of tanks facing russia to the north. missile defense will be strengthened to guard against an unpredictable north korea. >> we have been able to put together an informant -- an environment that is a purpose. >> relations between the two countries were strained. if fishing captain was arrested. china broke off contact claiming that the islands near where the incident took place were rightfully chinese. this added to the japanese alarm over china's growing activity and seas. >> at the chinese like a transparency and its increased military spending as well as the fact that we had to protest against them have become a matter of concern. >> days after japan and the u.s. held their biggest ever joint exercise, the relationship is described as indefensible. japan's government had wanted to be less dependent on the u.s. and closer to their asian neighbors. now, they are calling for the westchester pe

. >> he has only exercised his civil rights. he has not done anything wrong. be must be released. police in london are investigating how the heir to the british throne came under attack. the latest climate change talks near an end in mexico. welcome to "bbc world news." coming up later, the iranian woman sentenced to death appears on television apparently confessing to her husband's murder. what sort of statement is this christmas tree making? >> the nobel peace prize ceremony had music and dignitaries from many countries, and pretty much everything except the winner. liu xiaobo remains in jail serving 11 years. his award was placed on an ampty chair. officials called the event a political farce. >> the nobel peace prize has often been a majestic celebration of human rights. sometimes like last year's award to barack obama, it has been an embarrassment. this year it is the center of world attention. the chinese attempt to strong arm companies not to attend the ceremony backfired. servia changed its mind and only -- serbia changed its mind. only 16 did not turn up. the committee ch

it has been controversial.aught up in a wider debate about the privileges still given to religion in britain. we know little about what he will say. what he says could prove to be the most significant message ever heard on the program. pope benedict xvi's key concern is to keep religion at the heart of democracy. he sees britain as the birthplace of modern democracy. like other contributors to the program, he will have to minutes and 40 seconds to put his case. -- two minutes and 40 seconds to put his case. >> the discovery of a completely new kind of human being. there were once widespread across asia. the discovery could revolutionize our understanding of early humans. >> tens of thousands of years ago, our species live alongside a different type of human. neanderthal man. scientists have discovered that they share the planet with another distinct human creature. 600,000 years ago, europe and africa were occupied by an early form of human. those who stayed in europe turned into neanderthals. others became the

for the fast 15 years, the company has -- the country has been ruled by alexander lukashenko. they were once seen as a partner to russia and a counterweight to the emerging democracies in eastern europe. he is giving the opposition candidate to greater freedom to campaign. they are planning mass demonstrations when his expected victory is declared. >> out on the streets, campaigning is slow. the residents seem to be more concerned with christmas shopping. protesters did not call them apathetic. >> people to not believe that their vote will count. this has been going on for many years. people do not believe that we live in a democratic country. >> this is the charge that the current president lukashenko had to face while in office. he was presenting himself as a force of stability and a defender of strong ties with russia. the image was tainted by the fight over russian fuel supplies. just a week before voting, lukashenko presented another deal with moscow which will secure oil imports. now belarus is looking to the west. abdeh have removed some of the opposition -- they have r

laurent gbagbo has been in power for 10 years, but he has refused to hand over to his challenger, the u.n. says clearly won the polls, alassane ouattara. the united nations protect the hotel and guards the government that the international community has recognized. the soldiers loyal to laurent gbagbo control the access roads, so the only safe way to get there is by helicopter. the government in waiting says support outside the hotel is being targeted by those forces, charges partially backed by u.n. investigators. >> all these people are threatened. you see all these people in the hotel. we are the only ones protected by the international forces. >> the cabinet meeting of the government in waiting -- this is as much about form as substance, because the truth is laurent gbagbo still holds most of the reins of power in ivory coast. the situation has been going on for weeks now. almost the entire international community -- the european union, the united states, and crucially most african countries -- recognize the president as working in an air-conditioned tent in a hotel. united nation

and assiduously -- and modeled neighbor and has very effectively and assiduously in force -- has been a model neighbor and havs very effectively and assiduously enforced their parking policy. thank you. i am andrea -- >> i am andrea inquist and represent the hoa of market street next to the project. while we are in favor of some development going into the space, our building is strongly opposed to this particular project on environmental and safety grounds we do not feel have been addressed adequately for us to feel comfortable with it. i know we are obviously a little more biased than most people because the project literally wraps around empowers over our building. we have huge concerns other people may not feel are worth addressing. our main concerns at this point are the large-scale excavations of naturally occurring asbestos and the effects of the traffic cuing which have obviously been talked about. in terms of traffic, it has been acknowledged from the planning department that the traffic study did not take to win into account -- not take queuing into account. we have not seen

the african union has suspended him. the u.n. security council has made its position clear. there is a unanimous resolution that it is for matar as the next president of the ivory coast. >> what in effect can be done to move forward? >> some measures can be taken. mwatar is moving to gain control of government institutions such as the reserve bank, which would cut off gbagbo's access to capital and paying his staff. it will be a difficult question for the international community if the violence escalates. central to that will be what happens to the 9000 un peacekeeping troops who are currently in ivory coast. >> you have met gbagbo. do these actions surprise you well? >> it is quite unfortunate. these elections have often played again and again over 10 years. he is proving himself to be an enemy of democracy. there is no question about it. i am hopeful that he will yield to the urgings of his fellow leaders in africa and around the world and stepped down and let mwatara take his place as the next president of the ivory coast. >> eu leaders have agreed to make changes to the

in new york has said that mr. ouattara has claimed to be the victor. at least four people have died there recently. the united nations has congratulated outtara on his victory. this is the secretary and general effect endorsing a position of his representative, the u.n.'s rep and the country. that representative has retracted the final voting results, upholding the provisional results which support the opposition candidate. we will bring you more on that as it develops. >>> for spanish airports have been closed because of a shortage of air traffic controllers. madrid airport and three others are affected. the spanish airport authority says many controllers have called in sick and suspect this is an unofficial strike in a long running dispute over pay and hours. there has been a deadline issued by the government and a threat to send in troops. we are waiting to hear what happens with that. >>> he may be smaller than a domestic cat at the moment, but one new arrival at a zoo in the united states is a giant. the one-month old giant panda cub would shun ha

he has denied wrongdoing. he blames the issue on a subsidiary of halliburton that has split from the company. ed new news that a drug can it stop the risk of dying from common cancers of 2 1/5. it has side effects, of course. our medical correspondent reports. >> aspirin is a 90 cent medicine still making headlines in the 21st century. it can cut the risk of heart attack and stroke, among those of high risk. now, there is evidence it can protect against our range of common cancers. scientists trapped 20,000 patients and found those who had taken 75 milligrams of aspirin daily for at least four years had 25% less lower risk of death from cancer. this benefit continue long after they had stopped taking the drug. for 20 years, their risk of cancer death was cut by 20%. from age 5275, they might have -- 50 to 75, they might have bigger benefits. >> it reduces the chance of dying by one in 20. >> but how might aspirin protect against cancer? our bodies are constantly we producing cells. sometimes healthy cells are

heavy snow has disrupted rail travel.ghts have been delayed in paris, amsterdam, berlin, and geneva. >> the day started in a way that has become familiar since winter began. almost 1 foot of snow to be cleared before we could begin our journey. from above, the garden of england it acquired an alpine landscape. on the ground, those who follow their team had little time to admire the view. men and machines were trying to free the tarmac from its freezing blanket carry the airport is due to remain closed until 6:00 tomorrow morning, leaving passengers stranded, plans on raveling. >> everyone is positive. they have accepted what has happened. >> flights resumed in edinburgh. but with destruction around the u.k. and in moremainland europe are likely to continue. real passengers have seen their patients tried. in kent, platforms were deserted, and the track was virtually invisible. train operators around the u.k. this set that have -- more than one such for their services were not running. passengers trapped overnight on a comm

state of virginia has declared the health-care law has unconstitutional.is the first time a case against the reform has been upheld. two other judges previously ruled in their favor. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has welcomed a decision by the u.s. to abandon the call for a freeze on israeli settlement building. it is the first public comment since the u.s. changed their policy on friday. the latest u.s. diplomatic cables released by wikileaks claim the irish republican leaders were in the military ira as recently as five years ago it also stated that both men would know about of $40 million bank robbery. both men said the claims are untrue. in our show of force, troops in ivory coast khalil to the presidents have today temporarily blocked access -- loyal to the president have today temporarily blocked access. united nations and the african union have conceded that he has won the elections. our reporter in the main city, don james, said this report. >> government soldiers take up positions close to the hotel. this is the man most world leaders

has more from astronaut. president it has sad that. our vision for security and cooperation in europe is currently seriously outdated indeed the last overseas summit took place eleven years ago and a lot has changed in relations between russia and or c. in the past eleven years relations have been severely damaged during the hears of a bush administration and russia had to pull out soles agreements of conventional arms in europe because all the u.s. plans to deploy its missile defense shield in europe and russian president has said that there's a need to modernize always seen of course because of the reset relations between russia and the united states as well as recently during his annual address to the nation russian president has said that there is no other way forward but for russia to cooperate with nato on its a.m.d. plans for europe and to introduce nuclear warheads otherwise and nother arms race will begin he also spoke of the end of his ability of security and the pan european security treaty proposed by the russian president

park can tell ya he has completed the i.g. parco has r. and d. projects in the spheres of automotive construction aerospace and oil chemistry high tech datacenter furbished with cutting edge servers and communication equipment will be constructed at the core of the park the project has been personally approved by prime minister vladimir putin the federal government is planning to allocate sizable funding for the parks construction investors will be given benefits such as property tax exemption low land rental prices and other preferences but it is this the motor region government is open to mutually beneficial cooperation we invite investors to participate in existing projects and we are ready to give a hand of fulfilling your projects and growing your business in the small region. and i welcome to business the world's biggest retailer wal-mart is leaving russia wal-mart had long tried to buy a marketplace also but didn't succeed the company has closed its office moscow saying that its still interested in the us market. russian mobile operator m.

international politics ortiz or emmett's has more from london. i'm here in the city of westminster magistrates' court which on choose day could be the scene of the final extradition hearing today that saunders the founder of wiki leaks he is wanted in court in sweden on charges of sexual misconduct some of which amounts to having sex with two women without using a condom these are charges which are widely believed by asuncion supporters to be trumped up originally when the case came before a prosecutor in sweden she threw it out and then it was then picked up by another prosecutor who decided to take the case into court this is believed to be linked to wiki leaks this release of cables u.s. embassy cables which were parasitic to both u.s. government and to other governments around the world and what's expected to happen to ourselves is that if he is finally extradited to sweden he will then be almost immediately requested to appear in court in the u.s. and in fact wiki leaks is noises saying that the extradition document for him to go to the u.s.

has been events in the middle east the state of israel. essentially true anti-semitic incidents in various places particularly in the west but we've also seen what some people would call a new form of anti-semitism and that's where the state of israel itself is the is brought into question is the clear to racist state essentially where that itself becomes a new form of anti-semitism so you do think that the ongoing stalemate in the middle east is affecting antisense and globally well at the very least we can certainly demonstrate that conflicts in the middle east may trigger anti-semitic events elsewhere and particularly in europe western europe where you have growing arab and muslim communities they have become a source of anti-semitic incidents at least elements of those communities so that's clearly one aspect but then i think even in public discourse there is something about the state of israel that has in gendered very antagonistic reactions that cross over from a point of being mere criticism and to become something worse so it's hol

the airport also has to be extended. one person's house has to go. he says the small compensation he is getting is far too little to be able to live. >> soccer? it could go hang for all i care. in 80 years old. my wife died four years ago. this little piece of land is all i have left. what am i supposed to live on then? >> european soccer grandeur can be felt after all. in the lounge, he cuts a lonesome figure. the mayor has more important things to do. >> you may think that witches are just the stuff of harry potter, but druidism has now become recognized as a religion. this means that drew it can benefit from charitable status and receive -- druids can now receive charitable status and tax breaks. it is the sixth most popular religion in great britain. >> they mostly spe in rcs. the priestess' calls for the blessing. >> we perform our rightes. >> they gather at into italy sites inspired by a celtic mythology. it's bound -- at ancient holy sites inspired by caltech mythology. it sounds like the stone age. >> i wt to be connected to what is going on

and the newspapers ha ha make an appearance. radio and television are dominated by one-sided political propaganda. the government had declines to discuss its. >> these are cheap satellite dishes. with the push for elections next year, the political mood is changing and demands that media freedom is a basic human right. >> stay with us if you can on bbc world news. still to come, uncovering the truth about a giant fossil that was of the english coast. going where many might prefer not to, the lowest debt levels, it will be the seventeenth member. >> the weather might be frosty at the christmas market, but the outlook for the economy is sunny. businesses say they should pull in foreign investment. most welcome it. currency has a deep significance. they symbolize the country's independence, but they have finally been accepted. >> families have been hit hard by budget cuts. this unemployed couple has come to a charity, without which it would be unable to feed their four children properly. it will make food even more affordable. >> t

it has to be easier. it has to be transparent. >> critics say that is the only way users can main control -- maintain control over their personal information. it will only help if laws to protect them are made on an international level. berlin is to present specific suggestions at the i t summit on tuesday. >> they tune, i will be back after a short break with more on the iranian nuclear talks in geneva. don't go away. >> welcome back. world powers have been meeting with iran in geneva. these are their first discussions in 14 months on iran's controversy and nuclear program. expectations are low and there is a lot of public posturing from both sides. the u.s. secretary of state has challenged the islamic republic to prove to the world that it is not seeking to build nuclear weapons. iran's chief nuclear negotiator says his country's right to seek nuclear technology is non- negotiable. here is a look at the background. >> diplomatic attempts to persuade iran to rethink its nuclear program have failed to ma

has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and is facing deportation because he has such an event as a boss portrayed by the british press as a womanizer and says his glamorous young help is innocent also he's a lawyer and has more. this has moved very quickly away from the political arena and back into the sort of fluffy details that the media loves to report so much focusing on these details like a bond movie or a john le carre novel talking about how. to leave it when round in shorts and in high heels other media are calling her a russian ball detonated in the british parliament they're also talking about mike called he's an m.p. in the south of england asking questions about a nuclear arsenals and those sorts of questions are often submitted to the government but i assist and it's like cats and so there's some worry about whether she has knowledge of britain's nuclear secrets the media have been talking to other people who worked with her in parliament who say that her nickname was maad candle it seems that she liked to sit in her office and light scented candles while she was pr

it has been a tremendous battle. we have lost roughly eight or nine times the same amount of casualties that the coalition has suffered at the same time. incidentally the a ron army has suffered 25%, which is not strange. they have never been engaged in battle. they did not fight. they joined the taliban. and they are going to keep in their own camps and allow the united states army and the millions to keep fighting. so, if you look pakistan has given up a very grave sacrificed in the last 18 months. as far as counter-terrorism is concerned, what we have done in the military basis, certainly the terrorist, but as far as counter-terrorism within the heartland of pakistan we are at zero. we have done nothing. people have been caught here and there, but really we have done nothing because there is no counter-terrorism force and pakistan. our situation politically, shuja nawaz talked about it. the coalition government. the existence is ingenuous because they are being blackmailed by minority partners , two minority partn

, in addition to whatever green has, in addition to whatever yellow has. centralized dispatch for customer service to satisfy mr heinicke, so the customer gets the nearest have regardless of company, integrated with safety. when you go in january, mr. finch was stabbed on state street. -- a year ago in january, mr. finch was stabbed on state street. bulletin's go out late. -- buletins go out late. i spoke to the assistant director about it. she is aware of it. what happens? nothing. you guys will have to address this. may i take one more minute? chairperson nolan: not really. we all have seen the petition. >> there is one further development. chairperson nolan: what is the further development? >> there has been a law that will come into effect in january, and the law would prohibit, apparently, in chris hayashi's opinion, the retention of certain data recorded in the cast -- in the cabs, visual and audio of passengers. we need to make sure it does what it says it is going to do and that you folks plugged in on it. you may need to go to sacramento to straig

blog which has been produced from the. the british embassy in tehran and you know you wonder what's coming next when you take the high moral ground criticize one country's human rights you should be pretty blameless yourself and unfortunately britain's own human rights record leaves a lot to be desired if you go on to throw stones at someone else's house you should make sure that your own is in order first iran has its many supporters and it has its money to trucked is. everybody lines up to that particular. more news and analysis is always available on our website altie dot com or he's just a taste of what's online for you right now america's alarmist media as news outlets fears that again it is a hotbed of terrorism could the country become another possible war front for the u.s. . and shocking footage of over a million chicks on a russian dumped into barrels and left to die it's a nationwide the prosecutor's office is going to have to open inquiry into animal cruelty and that more people. russian investigators say they

their collection has and -- data collection has ended. we are partnering with nhtsa to explore how we can leverage to the infrastructure of the latch system to create a national resource a child crashed surveillance. nass child occupant special study, and we are working on feasibility studies and pilot studies funded by industry and insurance institute to help us evaluate the feasibility. the vision is a natural resource all stakeholders in child passenger safety can access. it would be nationally representative. it would leverage the existing infrastructure and be a partnership between government, industry, and researchers to improve motor vehicle safety for children. and it is important nhtsa be given the resources to be able to create this data source. it is financial and people resources that need to be devoted to this important issue and there needs to be new resources. we can't take away from other important programs to devote resources to this issue. so, i would like to end by making really three key points on what i see our key pr

the general has been accused of being the main architect of what has become known as argentina's dirty war. that and many other stories are to be found on the bbc website. >>> south korea plans to begin its biggest ever winter live fire exercises it shortly, held that a sensitive time as tension has increased since the north attacked south korea's island. earlier, i spoke with our correspondent in seoul about what might happen next. >> today's firepower displayed is the largest to ever be held for the south. it sounds dramatic, but it is more of a media event involving 800 soldiers at a live firing range 30 kilometers south of the border with the north. it is meant to show the range of weaponry, including tanks, artillery, rocket launchers, and fighter planes shooting live rounds, with invited members of the public watching in the distance, to remind the south korean people that the military can defend the country from further provocation. >> i imagine that north korea has given some reaction? >> from those outside of north korea, it may have seemed like the north and south were headin

it has a chunk carved out of its fin. after the earlier attacks these different sharks were caught and killed. the government gave the all clear and reopened the beaches. did they act too soon? >> underwater marine life is a society just like ours up there. >> but today the authorities may be regretting their decisions as they survey the empty beaches after a ban on swimming was reimposed. as you can see it is an almost perfect day. most people here are taking the advice and are not going for a swim. on a normal day diverse would be exploring these magical coral reefs. on the surface this the one sharm-el sheikh is usually light this time of year. heaven on water for those who love the sea and sand. this is what it was like today. very bad news for everyone whose livelihood depends on tourism. >> a performance has been staged by greenpeace activists to draw attention to the risks faced by millions of people living in coastal areas as the threat of global warming increases. on land, the un climate talks have moved into the

he has presented a lot more evidence than has been gathered before.ough, he cannot prove the most serious allegation of organ trafficking, he goes much serious than ever before. he says in this was part of a pattern of abuses against prisoners of war, and indeed, of civilians, serbian, albanian by the cause of the liberation on the militia during and after -- at the close of the liberation on the militia during and after tgfzwbÑar. and because of this report, the then political leader of the kla is mentioned no less than 27 times in reference to these "mafia-like" activities. >> how has the government reacted? >> they reacted initially without rage. they have called the reports slander and have warned there could be legal consequences. we are not sure what those could be, but clearly, the current governor -- government in kosovo stands accused of awful human rights abuses. that criminal activity is referred to having continued, some parts of it, write to the present day. ?qu pre. >> two weeks ago we reported on the conflict raging between the governme

ha. -- on leland avenue. which is going to nearly double the population in the next few years. bring it in with the other city developer's funds. supervisor maxwell: next speakers. >> i am part of the visitation planning alliance had also on the committee. i am here to think supervisor maxwell for your work and support on this issue. this has been a largely minority working-class neighborhood. we lack the political and economic clout. we pay taxes just the same and need the same kind of services. we appreciate the ordinance that will help pay for those much needed services and help revitalize our community. thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am on the board of the planning alliance. i am on the visitation valley redevelopment area cac. they are bringing a huge influx of population that will be sharing infrastructure which is shamefully inadequate for the existing population. we already don't have what we need there. that helps remedy the situation by paying for groups including the new library. it h

she apparently has a long memory. >> and she has cut them loose. >> she voted for all of these things. >> let me say one word about start. there is something so anachronistic about it. it is putting us and the russians back in the 1950's. the idea that we are going to curtail our arsenals by 10%, and that will make any difference, even if the russians wanted to triple their arsenal, it will not make a difference. who cares. the point is, obama wanted a victory of sorts, and this is the only one that he had in foreign affairs. intrinsically, it has almost no importance whatsoever. >> that is not a question of trust. it was not just rakowski. you have 13 republicans who did not follow leadership. >> the public does not give a darn about what the leadership thinks. maybe senators are getting the point. another thing on the deficit, mark warner of virginia, has been pulling together in this bipartisan committee, people from both parties opening on social security, 3rd rail-kind of stuff, but he got a lot of people to pay attention. helping independents on tough calls will help us in the e

hensen has previously said that he has done nothing illegal. >> a potentially deadly defect has force and general motors to issue a recall. but talks are consumer alert. 10,000 crossover vehicles have been recalled. all of the affected models are from the year 2011. letters to owners are expected to roll out sometime next month. >> after honda announced a recall of more than 150 -- another 35,000 vehicles. there is a potential corrosion problem of the suv suspension. the government has received dozens of complaints, but no reported injuries. honda says there is a way to know if your vehicle needs to be taken in. go to recall.honda.com. >> it has been or more -- we have had colder than normal temperatures. when you average of the month, it has been a chilly first 17 days of this december 2010. it is 36 degrees in the inner harbor. expect 20's again tomorrow morning. the average or the normal high temperature the normal average temperature is 38.4. last year, we were pretty close to that with temperatures and a real cold and snow hitting this time this cheap -- this time last year. but

has long-term effects. alcohol use will be effecting educational achievements. we look behind and say we are relying on this generation to adapt to the future. do we want to jeopardize the achievements by exposure to illicit drugs, including marijuana? my answer, is, of course, that there would be a loss for the adolescents exposed, and a loss for all of us. thank you very much. >> thank you. it is a pleasure to be here with all of you. it is my second monitoring the future, and it is also a great pleasure to be with lloyd. the information is disturbing, as dr. volkow said, regarding use, particularly eighth graders. we know that the earlier someone starts, the greater the difficulties that they are going to have, and the marijuana numbers are particularly troubling. there is some good news in the survey, as dr. "said, but i would rather concentrate on the bad news, the used use. we have seen particularly brought the election and during that time proposition 19 was being talked about brought the country, ev

as makers say the country has the best. pieces and. get blown away by the chilling of the problems with the. senior u.s. military commanders reportedly want to expand their afghan campaign into neighboring pakistan but officials deny allegations that secret cross border operations are already happening washington does however use unmanned drones to strike at suspected militants across the border kathy kelly who campaigns against the u.s. led war says america's military establishment is just trying to make more money. it seems to me that the united states would have an effect similar to what has happened in the past here in afghanistan along with the drone attacks the invasion of a sovereign country. a united states joint special operations there was a means of attack and the death squads and assassinations and night raids would exacerbate the tremendous almost title wave of anti-american sentiment amongst the public united states establishment the military industrial complex companies have learned that you can make an enormous profit y

has ticked up point one percent since it opened last hour in the starting minutes the my six has also edged higher for trading volumes of very low as investors leave for christmas holidays let's check out some of those russian stocks a new call has opened higher up no point nine percent no point nor one percent. from his flat. morning trade on the alter yes this is him will for the first time be able to trade russian depository receipts the bank has begun placing. today on both the. officials at russia's first liquefied natural gas projects a foreign investors. in its expansion. in the country's far east said shell could participate in the construction of the second three plants as well as expansion of second into a majority share in the project to gazprom several years ago it retains a blocking state. has increased its order for sukhoi superjet it now wants to buy forty of the planes ten more than previously. can make the decision with. which announced last week it was dropping an order with in favor of a brazilian rival plan to start delivery of the super two years ago but the date

central bank has left its key interest rate near 0, where it has been for the past two years.n the closely watched statement accompanying the decision, the fed said it anticipates a gradual return for a new art -- to a more normal economy, but progress toward its objectives has been disappointingly slow. it is therefore move ahead with more quantitative easing and will pump another $600 billion into the u.s. economy through the purchase of long-term treasurys. germany's institute has raised its forecast for gdp growth in germany. that is historically low interest rates which drive-in assessments and falling unemployment continue to support domestic demand. germany's of its biggest postwar recession in two dozen 9, but it emerged faster than expected from the slump and has now left most of the eurozone company's trailing in its wake. consumers in europe's biggest economy are now more confident about the future, and they're spending accordingly. >> german retailers are already feeling the shopping mood. revenues are growing slowly but steadily. the institute predicts the trend w

nothing has changed in history -- nothing has changed in reading.ds are not learning enough. they are going to underscore this. we are falling behind the rest of the world, not because we are getting worse. we are essentially flat and other places are getting better. the problem remains unsolved in 2010. no child left behind has not solved this. neither will tightening the screws further. it has mainly taking control of the schools farther from those who run them. it has neglected kids that were already proficient in their subject. it has failed to deliver decent alternatives. it does encourage states to settlers standards and more kids would appear to be efficient. to give credit where it is due, i think barack obama has tried to meet this problem using the estimates available to them, namely federal funding. their race to the top was in earnest. it was a successful attempt to induce states to make changes without forcing them to do so. congress is avoiding grappling itself. everything i have heard, the more probably knows more. there is no agreeme

that conclusion has proven false. time has not yet become a friend. but momentum of the opposition has been clearly arrested, and in some cases, reversed. >> president obama once combat troops out by the end of 2014 with a draw down starting next summer. that will depend on the readiness of afghan forces to protect the afghan people. here in kabul there has been a marked improvement in security and it is afghan forces in charge. something like a quarter of a million afghan police and soldiers throughout the country. president obama's review is likely to highlight the successes but at the same time acknowledge that when it comes to the biggest battles with the taliban, american forces will have to do most of the fighting. to tackle corruption is -- hear his government has fallen far short of american expectations. it is also a worry for afghans. >> too incompetence, and corruption is widespread and more than anything else, when you don't have a sense of direction, when you don't have a clear vision where the people of the country, which is the main ass

the russian president has on this tour that nobody has the right to interfere with the powers of the poor. the foreign ministry has also outlines exactly the crimes that mean that of course the and only have a different already been found guilty off are considered to be severe offenses in many western countries including the united states where people found guilty of these crimes. even face life in prison so some really strong words from the foreign ministry meanwhile the defense says that it does not agree with the verdict they're ready to appeal it in russia if they don't succeed here they say that they're ready to take the skis to the european court they're also preparing to make a public appeal to the president after the sentence is announced the judge says that the prosecution has provided more than enough evidence and claims that so far the trial has been going by the book me take some time for the actual sentence it is expected that it's me take several days actually because of that of course he was already involved in another case and back then it took two weeks just to give

it has a rear-cleaning, cleaning, stopped cleaning. it has a heated sea. it has a blow dryer. it has a deodorizer. and you can't flush the toilet with a push of the remote. >> ice cube maker, everything. look at that thing. and this is a little more conventional. >> these are the more conventional u.s. type of toilets where you can actually see the trap passageway on the side. >> tell us what goes in where and how does it come out. >> the bull has the water right here, and when it flushes, it fills up around this curve here, and it basically creates a siphon. >> so here we have passage through to the bottom. i do not know if people have ever seen the bottom of one of these. there is. we have a couple of holes here that are for mounting. usually, there is a flange on the floor. we do not have that here. then, we use a wax seal, something like this. >> is has a little cover on the wax, but it has a throat that sits down in the pipe, and this wax seals it's down there to make the seal on the floor. >> right. you do not want to take this off and stick it on because it is unbelieva

london heathrow has been hard hit. it was the fifth day for restricted operations. >> this is so real but you cannot find anyone who can give you information. >> both runways are open again but baa says that only 1/3 scheduled flights will operate through thursday evening. >> we have been dealing with snow and western europe which is not an exceptional circumstance. we need prepared as which is in line with what is done in northern europe. this must entail the necessary investment. that msage particularly goes to the airports. >> officials off to that traveler's only come to heathrow if their flight has been concerned. that is of little cfort to those already there. the snow and frigid temperatures have badly affected rail services in germany. they have decreased the speed of trains to 200 kilometers an hour. people are trying to squeeze their way onto full trains. a rail line operator said that they would add trains beginning on wednesday. a transport says that 10,000 employees are working hard to remain services. the

individuals access to that has also expanded, but the city has not kept up.when it comes to official notices, the city depends on a model where it is printed in the back of the newspaper. and it is not even clear where those notices should be coordinated or situated. so it becomes a hunt for many people to find them. this ordinance will simplify and streamline the process for publishing public notices, and it will streamline the public's ability to find these notices on the city's website. in 2009, prop k, which moved us through a budget process -- prop a, which moved us through a budget process -- the definitions of notifying never happened. have to do that. this defines published as posting on the city's website, posting on the a corporate department website, in the library, which is only done by ad hoc practiced now, and there is no uniform practice city- wide. notice it would not need to be published in the newspaper unless specifically required by city charters, however, i have an amendment that reinforces the position if it has to be position if it has

the budget analyst has done that as well. i will skip over it because i know some of the other members will get the team to talk about exactly what those numbers are in terms of departmental impacts. the other thing that the team -- the event a story, and the race management brought to us was an understanding of how the race would function. with the 72-foot catamaran, our previous notion was that we would have breakwaters in some key areas because previously, the votes required breakwaters -- the boats required breakwaters. with the decision that they would go with catamarans, and with the ceo of america's cup race management being in san francisco, walking on water front and looking at what facilities were available, he came back to as midstream in our negotiations and said he was not sure that they would be necessary. he said they could be an impediment to the catamaran's functioning. we had to fold that into our understanding of what the access would be and what the necessary improvements would be, and that was very helpfu

>> reporter: it has been intense here tonight. they just finished up the fight a couple minutes ago. we just found out who the winner is. you can see them giving some final comments. it has been standing room only inside and outside of this boxing ring. these are two regular guys. they had everything going for them. ivy league graduates from harvard and yale who are living the dream. these childhood friends ditched their debt and started boxing. they have transformed themselves from slow moving desk potatoes to fast moving jabbers. this round maybe only lasted 6 minutes but with it comes a lifetime worth of bragging rights. [ cheers and applause >> whose going to win? >> i'm going to win. it is how i'm going to win is the question. i can't tell you yet is the secret but it will be in the second round. he is tall. he is skinny. i think one article described him as pixie issue. that describes him pretty well. i'm ready. i'm prepared. i'm going to hold my ground and i think i should do well. >> reporter: we have some final video of t

he has these contradictory sentiments. he likes the idea of compromise to get things done, he likes saying, we are making washington work. one of the reasons that the democrats lost in his estimation is they failed on the promise to make washington work. on the other hand, when he makes these deals, he makes it so clear that there are parts of those that he really hates that it angers the people he is making the deals with. i don't know how he is going to work that balance out over a long sustained period. gwen: i heard some of that playing out on wednesday on the question about gay marriage now that you got don't ask, don't tell. some said, what about gay marriage? he said i'm wrestling with that, is that a wrestling match or is that personal? >> if i was his political advisor, i would say, don't wrestle personally. gwen: he said that more than once. >> he has and he knows it's playing out and likely to wind up in the supreme court and he knows that his position on don't ask, don't tell could be a contradiction of his pos

the earth has natural cycles. if you go back to win coal -- when coal was formed, we were living in a tropical swamp. there are changes. that is natural. >> mark mardell, bbc news. >> now, a planet with mountains made up of diamonds. sounds like something out of science fiction. but scientists at found a planet where diamonds are as abundant as sand on earth. >> it is not just the stars that twinkle in the night sky. the planets might, too. scientists have found a planet abundant with carbon. the stuff that diamonds are made up. >> it may well be that they're rock is made of chemicals like sand. those are carbon-based. >> diamonds, of course, are found on earth. scientists say that in carbon- rich worlds, they would be part of the fabric of the landscape. just imagine a world where diamonds are more plentiful than sand. that world may yet exist. it would have entire mountain ranges that looked like this. on such worlds, instead of seas, there would be pools of tar. but would they be different from those found on e

of this has been very controversial case since it started and it has attracted a lot of attention a lot of media attention as well tell us more about why has it been like this. well michel that is of course a very controversial figure both in russia and abroad he is a former oil tycoon the former c.e.o. of russia's oil giant company you cuss and day he was charged with. men tax evasion of fraud and money laundering. and charged and found guilty on his of course serving his first prison term now with a few of his colleagues one of those. is also facing the second charges that we hope is so their verdict will be read today hopefully in just under an hour's time the figure of myself and of course a very controversial one many in the west arguing that the case has been heavily politicized and the conviction therefore is also a political one not a legal one prosecutors in russia of course maintaining that everything has been done by the book and according to the law my colleague. looked a little closer at the man and the controller see surrounding him. once russia's richest men he's now russ

russia's biggest mine in the last nickel has sold its entire stake in u.s. metals company stillwater nickel sold thirty seven million shares to the public at nineteen dollars fifty and the remaining one million two u.b.s. securities the russian mining giant had said it was selling its shares to focus on corporations. t.k. b.p. says it will invest three hundred million dollars next year russia's joint new mole peninsula the energy firm will spend two thirds of the budget on development of risk with field deposits of its guest subsidiary role span investment project is a part of the company's earlier announced ambitious plans to double gas production in ten years world's biggest retailer wal-mart is leaving russia wal-mart has long been trying to buy its way into the markets but says it's failed to find enough attractive targets the company has closed its moscow office saying there was no reason to remain despite the continued interest in russia or what is the second big international retailer to leave the country this year of the cold call for france fail to