"the beijing news" did not. the daily eventually ran part of the editorial a day later, after repeated requests by authorities. and an online posting alleged that government officials threatened to close the newspaper if they didn't comply. the publisher of "the beijing news" says he planning to resign. a photo linked to the internet showed employees crying after as they listened to his announcement. postings are often deleted soon after they appear. chinese official seem to be on even higher alert against the spread of social unrest. takahumi, nhk world, beijing. >>> authorities in china are trying to show the public they are listening to concerns on another issue. they disciplined more than 150 former government and communist party officials for corruption and abusive authority. abuse of authority. this has resulted in mounting frustration among the public. government and party agencies say the figure was up 12.5% from 2011. among those disciplined were bo xilai. and former railway minister and liu zhijun. both

"the beijing news" did not. they ran a part of the editorial a day later after repeated requests by authorities. an online posting alleged the government threatened to close the newspaper sta didn't comp. the publisher of "the beijing news" has reportedly said he plans to resign. someone uploaded a photo to the internet that apparently shows employees crying as they listened to his announcement. postings of this nature are often deleted soon after they appear. chinese officials seem to be on even higher alert against the threat of social unrest. >> authorities in china are trying to show the public they are listening to their concerns on another issue. they disciplined more than 160,000 government and communist party officials in 2012 for corruption and abuse of authority. the situation has resulted in mounting frustration among the public. government and party agencies say the figure was up 12.5% from 2011. among those disciplined were liu ijun.f bo xii an both were expelled. part of the news conference was broa

we have more on the smog in beijing and where the winds will take it next.e have meteorologist robert speta. robert? >> well, gene, over much of the beijing area, northeast china we've been seeing this high pressure in place and it has been acting as a cap keeping the pollutants in the air across much of the region. the high pressure will transport down here towards the south and the winds will shift from the west to the east. what happens is as that does so it will be transporting along much of northeastern china and all those pollutants and aerosols into korea and across japan. even into japan you've been seeing some of this. across western japan as well. so definitely want to watch this. anybody with respiratory issues you need to keep a close eye. stay indoors if possible. also it's going to be continuing to linger throughout your day on thursday and friday then another weather system will be pulling through. that's not only going to bring rain showers but shift these winds from the south and on tokyo on saturday it will be affecting here. more weather i

the beijing news ran text of a speech. it linked it to a brave heart that can soothe souls in the depth of winter. >>> chinese maritime authorities have decided to conduct regular patrols around a group of disputed islands. china and taiwan claim them. >>> china's state media reported on a government meeting to discuss maritime policy. state oceanic administration chief said china faces a complicated situation. he said his office will assume greater responsibility for maintaining the country's maritime interests. the participants decided to conduct regular patrols around the islands they call daiyou. china has been sending patrol boats and aircraft around the islands since japan nationalized them last september. the officials also agree to continue patrols in the south china sea where china is engaged in similar island disputes with the philippines, vietnam and other countries. >>> japanese officials say more than ten chinese planes, including military aircraft, approached japan's air defense identification zone over the ea

the beijing news carry the cryptic story on wednesday. writers link the dish to brave hearts that can soothe souls. nhk world, beijing. >>> chinese maritime authorities have decided to maintain regular patrols. china and taiwan claim the senkaku islands. china's state media discussed maritime policies. the head of the state oceanic administration said his office will assume greater responsibility for maintaining the country's maritime interests. the participants decided to order regular patrols around the islands they call dalew. japan nationalized them in september. china has been sending ships to the area ever since. china's long-time territorial disputes with other countries. the chief cabinet secretary said japan cannot accept china's decision. the islands are inherently japanese territory. he says that's been shown through history and international law. he said the government will continue air and sea surveillance to protect areas around the islands. japan maintains an air defense idtificaon zonoverhe east china sea just outside the

the beijing news ran text of a speech by its publisher saying the daily will continue to faithfully record every page of china's history. >>> the united nations and arab league envoy to syria is la meanting what he calls a lost opportunity to end the civil war. lakdar brahimi has been trying to find a way to bring government and opposition leaders today. president bashar al assad has refused to negotiate. assad addressed his supporters on sunday. he proposed a new constitution and a national referendum to approve it. he branded his opponents puppets of the west. brahimi met with assad last month telling the bbc the president's proposals are no different from ones he's put forward before. >> i think that what people are saying is that family ruling for 40 years is a little bit wrong. so the change has to be real. >> opposition leaders welcomed the remarks. brahimi is set to meet with russian diplomats with close ties to the assad government on friday. >>> rebel commanders have freed dozens of iranians in a prison exchange or prisoner exchange deal with the syrian government. the assad regim

but weekend levels have gone off the charts with beijing now recording readings above 700. the severe conditions are being blamed on a variety of usual suspects, more traffic, factories and cole burning for -- cole burning for the winter. >> according to beijing city government's time line, we need more than 20 years to get better air quality. that means a whole generation will pay for our quality. people not only like trying to protect themselves, they also petition for a quicker time table for blue skis. >> nearby provinces are shrouded. it has forced the closures of several highways and airport. many people have taken to voicing their concerns online, describing the air as post apocalyptic and beyond belief. >> lightning strikes have igniteded more than 100 new fires in new south wales. police have ordered residents to leave in the north and west. with temperatures soaring past 40 degrees celcius, it is making it difficult for firefighters. a dust storm is sweepting through south australia. finally, it is considered one of the most controlled and precise of dance styles.

to go to nepal and see the work that they did and then to go speak at the beijing women's conference. i then took my middle son who was 21 at the time and we did all of that. it awakened me in a way i had not been awakened before about how women are treated all over the world and the struggle of women and slowly but surely realizing that, if women didn't come to the table in a real way i mean, the statistics are staggering that the world would always be in turmoil, that if women were allowed a place at the proverbial table, that the environment was better, that their villages and their communities were stronger economically, that their children were healthier, that there was literally no down side and everything changed and made a more stable community. you realized when women are subjugated and treated as fodder of war and even in this country when they're not allowed to be paid equally, there is a real problem in that. until we can fight and scream and kick and demand it to change and the women not be slaughtered that there were 100 million women missing off the planet this is an i

don't breathe so this is the highway where you were one of these men. because in beijing this week where there are no regulations against any of the sort of koch industries you could spill any toxic chemicals waste anything well you people are having to walk around with gas masks on the beijing municipal environmental monitoring center says levels of two point five tiny particulate matter had reached more than six hundred micrograms per square meter in many areas and reporters said it had even hit nine hundred is worse ever reading the world health organization considers a safe daily level to be twenty five so tens and tens of times more than is safe right so again the scorched earth policy the libertarian the austrian school to some degree obliterated the earth's ability to generate a viable economy and now they're worried and they're frightened they're building castles to live with glenn beck and birth to incestuously affected little babies now finally fed orders j.p. morgan to fix risk after a london whale no fine for them now no danger no risk for them of any conseque

. >>> be glad you aren't breathing the air in beijing today. china is battling dangerous levels of air pollution. the u.s. embassy in beijing is recording pollution levels exceeding even the worst category on the air quality index. last night it scored 755 out of 500. the city is expected to stay clouded in smog until winds pick up on wednesday. last year smog and hazed forced cancellation of almost 700 flights at the airport in beijing. >>> today, unexpectedly heavy snow in japan paralyzed public transit and caused serious car crashes. about 3" of snow fell in the tokyo area and more than 15" about 50 meals west of the city. japanese tv network says more than 250 people were injured in road accidents. hundreds of domestic flights canceled and some train lines altered, as well. >> you think of japan, you don't think of snow. >> that's what it would look like here if there was snow in san francisco. >> i got news for you. it felt like it. if we had a little precip, we would have had snow. >> we didn't get that. we had a little frost. nice clear s

filled with something called fine particlate fog proo drive with their highlights on throughout the day. beijing municipal authorities said the air pollution alert is its highest level. they've ordered some schools to keep children indoors and factories to scale back operations. >> translator: we avoid going outside. i never open windows at home. >> hospitals in the capital have recorded an increase in the number of patients with respiratory problems. many residents are coping with the pollution by wearing masks. beijing authorities explained in an emergency news conference that fumes from coal-heating devices are mixing with car and factory emissions. they also said weak winds and high levels of humidity in recent days may have made the situation worse. japan, the united states and other nations use strict environmental regulations to control the levels of fine particulate matter. the chinese government set its own standards in february of last year after a wave of criticism both at home and abroad. but public discontent continues to grow, mainly in urban areas, as authorities in china struggle

but, of course, the major factor is the rapid industrialization of beijing over the last few decades.a massive increase in cars, and also, at this time of year, increased use of heating oil, all bringing up this smog that is enveloping beijing today. they are saying it won't clear, shannon, until tuesday. back to you. >> shannon: wow, the pictures of amazing. thank you for the update. one of the most liberal states on gun policy may provide insight into how far the country as a whole might be willing to go in changes to gun laws. details after the break. so you say men are superior drivers? yeah. then how'd i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. ok. [ voice of dennis ] silence. are you in good hands? >> shannon: as the debate over gun violence rages some officials considering changes at the state level. california has some of the toughest firearms laws in the country. fox news correspondent claudia cowen has the story. >> reporter: buying a handgun in california is no sem many task. it requires regis

the u.s. try to pressure beijing and what kind of reaction do they want. well i think the u.s. is again playing the city easy ambiguity game by on the one hand saying we're neutral about this and we're not taking sides between china and japan but on the other hand they're saying but we we recognize that japan has a ministry of control and therefore we would be opposed to any. unilateral action so how did your pain get the mystery until the u.s. turn it over to them how do you as originally get them is a ministry of control it was because. after the war were issued us that they can control the nala as well as the chain of islands and including the. same kakul islands so from the beginning to the end the u.s. is really responsible for this particular mess now the u.s. as you say is responsible and president obama has made it a clear objective to boost america's influence in the asia pacific region which is right under his doorstep how does he have the resources to compete with china and even india for that matter yeah well i think the u.s. has this role of being the policeman aro

despite the danger, beijing streets were fairly busy today. e get used to the smog, but i know friends who live there and when the clouds come down they try to stay home and switch on the air purifiers. the pollution figures are staggering, in the amount of small particulates and they surpass, micrograms. and to put that in context. safe for 25 micrograms. there's controversy whether the findings that the chinese authorities give out are accurate or trying to understate the problem. the u.s. embassy publishings its own data on twitter and commented today hourly readings were quote, beyond index. and the highest number on the data was equivalent of a massive 886 micrograms per cubic meter. now, people there were saying the air was fine a few days ago, but the smog often descends when there's no wind and china's rapt industrialization is the factor, the growing car population and people using more heating oil during the winter spells, increases the problem and the beijing center is saying that smog won't lift until at least tuesday. back to you.

the territory resign. some say leung chun-ying is a puppet installed by beijing. the police spokesperson said about 17,000 people participated in the rally. the demonstrators carried banners demanding that leung step down. they fear hong kong's increased dependence on mainland china could undermine their freedom. >> translator: hong kong is unique in china. it's different from other provinces. i hope it keeps the spirit of democracy and judicial independence. >> leung took office last july, but residents have criticized him for a series of controversies. some say he misled them about illegal renovations of his home. others don't like when he tried to introduce compulsory patriotism classes in schools. the new leader of the china communist party met with liu wen last month in a show of support, but many favor a show of democracy for hong kong. the chief executive is chosen by an election committee made up of 1,200 members. >>> kim jong un has delivered the first new year's speech by a north korean leader in 19 years. he said the country should put a priority on heal

some analysts in the region will be worried that this happened. beijing certainly does not want it to happen. and there are supported by the international community. as we have seen before, north korea goes ahead and does things that others in the region simply do not want to happen. >> martin, thank you for joining us on gmt. as jamie was saying earlier in business news, there is more tough economic news from britain this morning. particularly belgium is bleak, predicting stagnation for the country's economy. bankruptcies are at record levels, and there are growing concerns about unemployment and poverty. our europe correspondent, matthew price, reports. >> the fire has been burning for three months now, warming the striking workers here. they are the latest victims of europe's economic crisis. say goodbye to the sprawling ford factory in eastern belgium. it is shutting down. with europe in recession, ford is not selling enough vehicles. >> 11,000 jobs are lost here, so we hope there will be more jobs. >> i am feeling very insecure for the future. >> ins

the beijing is due to go on show to the public this afternoon in london. >> the extreme heat and australias toll on the country's wildlife. this is a 11 week old flying fox that named romeo and he is beginning a second chance at life. his colony including his mother has been nearly wiped out because of the searing summer weather and australia. some of the bats, or so dehydrated they just couldn't get back up. the wildlife volunteers are racing to save these little creatures and nurse them back to health. >> that creep you out a little bit? >> it yet the bottles were greedy.the bottles were creepy. >> next week, mild weather way for us from monday through wednesday and beyond. >> coming out of federal investigators launch an investigation into boeing's newest and most advanced planes. for problems this week including two new ones and japan this morning we will have details on the investigation. the flu is starting to spread in california. two deaths were reported in the sacramento area. we have the latest details on where you could go to get a free flu shot for your kids. although the game

the cities are choking on hazardous smoke. many in beijing say this winter's pollution has been the worst they can remember. >> we have to change our ways. the pollution caused by coal is simply to -- too severe. if nothing happens, then the public outcry will keep growing. >> what in the shadow of the coal, there are different expectations. farmers here remember a day when -- he tells me if he had the money, he would buy a fridge, even a car. and that is the challenge for china's leaders. economic growth. for now, there is little sign of this ending. >> we all know that david beckham is expected to sign for a french club. the 37-year-old french midfielder is having a medical today to he is expected to begin training with the club in the next fortnight. he has been without a club since la galaxy in december. he had been training with arsenal in london. he is 37 years old. he is hardly in the prime of his playing career. what is he looking for? >> it is difficult to know. david beckham is 37 years old. he is not used to regular football at the

the sea. >> fishermen here say that it is increasingly dangerous to make a living. beijing is also staking its claim in different ways. it is creating a brand new city in the heart of the south china sea. investments pouring in including funds for a new military base. the move has angered china's neighbors that are turning to america for support. >> that is the reason why they are provoking beijing in the south china sea. >> many here believe that china should take a tougher line to protect their way of life. the captain says that troops should be sent in to end the dispute. >> we must take back our territorial waters. i have waited a long time for military confrontation. >> it is this type of talk that is making beijing's neighbors extremely nervous. china's rising power and confidence are sending ripples across the region. >> for more on the pacific we speak to martin, who joins us from the island off the coast of southern china. she is that a naval base in san diego. the one question that everybody in washington and america has, is china militarily expanding? is there so

it seems everyone wants a piece of the bench while beijing is the region with riches the western media focuses on human rights abuses this kind of went to gauge the feeling that. the communist party of china a slogan so widespread in tibet it's even displayed on taxis here everything is an ambiguous mix of modern technology and tradition communism and religion. w. is eighty six his son is a buddhist monk but ten years ago this elderly man joined the communists to do on the party is breathing new life into our nation in the margins your time in the capital where shops and businesses sit beneath the monasteries on the hills this is quite a normal scene for us every day believers gather in the city center to pray right outside what is traditions are very strong here but at the same time chinese national red flags are hanging almost on every poll and every building as a constant reminder which country tibet is a part of. for decades china has been accused of occupying tibet and destroying its culture human rights organizations report numerous abuses there on a daily basis some are even wil

signs the government can't avoid problems everyone can see. gloria riviera, abc news, beijing. >> and another note about this. when our team visited china two years ago, we noticed the difference between the polluted air outside in beijing and how we felt when we walked inside the american embassy, where the air is much cleaner. well, we were told that the pollution is so severe there, because of health issues, the embassy creates special filtered air for embassy workers. so, they'll have air as clean as the air here back home. >>> and we have two notes tonight about the war on terror and another western nation stepping up to take the lead. france. they are launching air strikes against the al qaeda affiliate in the west african nation of mali. and in somalia, a french commando captured in a raid this weekend has died. today, the militants declared on twitter, quote, a return of the crusades, but the cross the commander was wearing could not save him from the sword. >>> and one more note back here at home tonight, we want to tell you that after seven weeks, president george h.

the u.s. embassy in beijing recorded fine particulate matter yesterday. now keep in mind, 300 to 500 is considered hazardous. one chinese academic said the situation is unprecedented. the heavy layer is not expected to lift until tuesday. >>> today survivors and victims of loved ones, loved ones victim's other had a moment of silence. 32 people died in the wreck off gilio island. an indictment is expected soon against the captain who is under house arrest. he is accused of multiple counts of manslaughter and leaving the ship before all the passengers evacuated. >>> there is word that former president george h.w bush may soon be leaving the hospital. a spokesman said there is a possibility that the former president will be discharged from a houston hospital later this week. bush was hospitalized back in november. first battling bronchitis and then treated for a persistent fever. the 88-year-old suffers from a disease which causes a loss of balance and has used a wheelchair for a year. >>> actors held a dress rehearsal today in the streets of washington, d.c

for itself the right to a preemptive nuclear strike china network believe the whole beijing. plus sparks fly when germany's economy minister meets with the popular greek opposition leader who's standing against more budget cuts later we speak to a political economist about what's likely to come out of the discussion. for now though britain has sent one of its cargo warplanes to mali to back the french led military campaign against islamist rebels there london says that more help is to follow with washington also pledging its own assistance to the french military has been involved in combat action in the west african nation since friday in trouble which some see as blowback from the allies recent interventions in the region and more now from artie's polyploid. well britain the u.s. are reportedly providing help with transport and communications and logistics to that means that they're providing transport and planes to help carry troops however we've also heard the u.s. is providing surveillance drones in order to track the movements of the rebels in northern mali and of course

to militarize the south korean country even further and i think as well we have to look at the position beijing in this issue and we need to get that leadership transition as she is coming into power shortly and i think that that they're only wants them if we get stability in the green and they don't want to get huge a crisis in our borders or a military conflict on the border so i think they could look at the incoming look like we're all standing committee many of the people who are going to be there when you're experienced studying in north korea so when we look at the incoming administration in beijing will be able to have convinced in your thirty's to behave any more for your work trying to look like the u.s. is came to challenge china. his influence in asia pacific and north korea being the bay drains a longtime ally does washington want to remain isolated here since we see their sixty years of the economic sanctions which again if the peace treaty i was last month and saw the propaganda banner that we can't even live in our own way here completely define each day. and hear international i

smog in the capital of beijing has never been this bad. >> beijing authorities ordered government fleets to cut back on driving, but that has had no noticeable effect on the city's dense traffic. no restrictions have been placed on privately-owned cars. instead, residents are being urged to stay home and wear face masks if they must go out. >> i have trouble breathing. today is actually better. we live on the side of the city where the smog is worst. when i open the window, i could not see clearly. visibility was very low. i worry about my family, especially those who drive. >> there are so many charges that -- cars that discharge so much exhaust. it will be better if the government could take control of the pollution. >> levels of particulate matter in the air have come down since the weekend, but remain around 30 times higher than the maximum safe level recommended by the world health organization. authorities blamed the weather. they say wind should pick up by mid week and bring some relief to the chinese capital. >> the u.s.-based parcel service coming u.s. ps, says it is dropping it

tibet have set themselves on fire in the last nine months in protest over the chinese rule of the territory beijing's been increasingly criticized by human rights organizations for its handling of protests in the rest of region and i china is turning to economic lures to try and integrate the region pouring in tens of billions of dollars into the area. of examines whether or not china can expect a return on those investments. look i mean it's quality of china a slogan so widespread in tibet it's even displayed on taxis here everything is an ambiguous mix of modern technology and tradition communism and religion. six his son is a buddhist monk but ten years ago this elderly man joined the communist bangalore do i knew that the party is breathing new life into our nation and me my digital this is quite a normal scene for us every day believers gather in the city center to pray right outside what is traditions are very strong here but at the same time chinese national red flags are hanging almost on every poor in every building as a constant reminder which country tibet is a part of. for decades china h

smog in the capital of beijing has never been this bad. >> beijing authorities ordered government fleets to cut back on driving, but that has had no noticeable effect on the city's dense traffic. no restrictions have been placed on privately-owned cars. instead, residents are being urged to stay home and wear face masks if they must go out. >> i have trouble breathing. today is actually better. we live on the side of the city where the smog is worst. when i open the window, i could not see clearly. visibility was very low. i worry about my family, especially those who drive. >> there are so many charges that -- cars that discharge so much exhaust. it will be better if the government could take control of the pollution. >> levels of particulate matter in the air have come down since the weekend, but remain around 30 times higher than the maximum safe level recommended by the world health organization. authorities blamed the weather. they say wind should pick up by mid week and bring some relief to the chinese capital. >> the u.s.-based parcel service coming u.s. ps, says it is dropping it

three years ago, i started a class at the university in beijing as well on this subject because i feel it is really important. we are in my opinion in the second year of a 20-year cycle that is no different than the client server cycle that happened last time around, and i think education is an important component of this. so i'm going to take my four or five minutes to educate you guys a little bit on what is this thing we call cloud computing. i'm going to try uses much plain english as i can, leave all the technical buzzwords aside, and try to eliminate -- illuminate for you what is happening. fundamentally, is an economic thing that is happening, and that is what has always driven technologies economics. i will get to that in a minute. i do a lot of public speaking. i was counting today because i had to do something this morning. over the past six months, i have talked to 5000 people about cloud computing. what i've tried to do with them and what i've tried to do with you is tried to explain cloud computing in a way you could explain to your facebook friends. [laughter] let me star

the toxic air is dangerous to breathe. a thick blanket of smoke, look at this, covers beijing. a are on a health alert. we're tracking the latest developments on china's smog problem, joins us now. how bad is this? >> those pictures alone make me want to cough. breathing seems like work let alone trying to get to work in these environmental conditions. but the official chinese state news agency xinhua came out today and said that the beijing environmental protection bureau has encouraged residents to stay indoors and really limit their exposure to the outdoors. you can see why. you have this dense shroud of pollution literally suffocating china's capital city. you have over 700 flights that were canceled this week and drivers can't even drive without seeing what's in front of them. and if you want to go outside, don't leave without your gas mask. not your gas mask, but your face mask i should say. >> really? >> it's barely breathable conditions. speaking of gas masks, a chinese dissident posed his own protest on facebook by posting this picture of himself wearing a gas mask. the

until the air clears here in beijing, the chinese government is warning the 20 million people in thisapital to stay inside. david? >> gloria, thank you. >>> and one more note from overseas tonight. egypt perhaps is getting ready to re-open old wounds. an appeals court overturning the life sentence of hosni mubarak. you might remember these pictures of his trial when he was convicted of allowing 900 protesters to die during the arab spring protestment mubarak will remain in custody in a military hospital. he now awaits the new trial. >>> back here at home tonight we showed you how warm it was in washington, d.c. today. take a look at this. the inauguration dress rehearsals. the street outside the white house closed today. actors were called in to play the first couple doing the honors of president obama u.s. air force staff sergeant serpico elliott. the real ceremony, of course, takes place on january 21st. >>> there's still much more ahead on "world news" on this sunday night. our correspondent along with the hunters tonight trying to keep neighborhoods and family pets safe from pytho

asian continent, we have to talk about the hayes and fog again covering much of china. in fact, in beijingis in the hazardous level. we're going to take a break here. across the northeastern areas of china due to that low pressure bringing some snow or mixed precipitation, but otherwise, still looking at a hazardous level of polluted air quality in beijing. very unhealthy level in shanghai. the level only goes up to 500. this is around 450. we may even need a new chart for this one. so this kind of condition continues for a little while longer due to the air stagnation across the area. you can see nothing much is happening except for south of yangtze river where wet weather will continue making flooding to trigger easily. shanghai 8 degrees. chongqing 11 degrees for your high. ulan bator. looking at minus 16. tokyo at 9 degrees. here across the europn continent a potent system moving in bringing snow to southwestern areas of the uk. sea effect snow continuing on the east coast here but the iberian peninsula even will be looking at some snowfall. northern madrid about 50 centimeters. additi

the censors went too far. about a dozen people gathered in beijing to show solidarity with the reporters. back in guangzhou city, police arrived to keep the demonstrators away from the newspaper's office. they removed the flowers and got into a quarrel with some of the protesters. >> translator: if we do not stand for this newspaper now, we won't get support next time. >> reporter: a new group of leaders took control of china's communist party last fall. these demonstrators and members of the media are finding out some of the old ways are still in practice. nhk world, beijing. >>> wildfires have broking o brn 130 places in australia. the southern island of tasmania has been hardest hit. flames burned down 250 buildings and policere still trying to locate dozens of missing people. >> reporter: the fires have covered tasmania in shrouds of smoke. the temperature in the state capital hit a record, 131 degrees celsius. a heat wave, dry air and strong winds made for a disastrous combination. >> we didn't know it was going to be so sudden. it was horrendous. it was just unbelievable. just all t

japan warns china over its naval presence near disputed islands in the east china sea as beijing slams washington stance on the territorial conflict. it is ten am in the russian capital you're watching r t with me marina joshie welcome to the program a twenty five more bodies have been found in the wake of the old jury and desert hostage crisis bringing the total number of confirmed victims to forty eight jury a says they've arrested five suspected islamist attackers after earlier reports that all thirty two militants have been killed in the operation to and the siege many foreign nationals still remain unaccounted for as the search for bodies in the so hard gas plant facility continues al qaeda linked group claimed they were behind the attack which they say is revenge for french intervention in neighboring mali heavily armed insurgents rate of the plant on wednesday with an initial jury in response drawing criticism from western nations and as archie's probably boys are now reports the campaign of mali which sparked the hostage situation appears to be part of a french geopolitical age

the level there in beijing, gone from hazardous down to extreme. f those words sound absolutely horrible. a slight improvement. expect improvement to persist going into the weekend. reason is, we have the winds starting to pick up from the west toward the east and another storm system will work its way through by the end of the week. but all with this, those aerosols will transport across korea and into japan. not nearly as bad as what you are going to be seeing here in japan and northeast china. but people with respiratory issues, could be affecting you. and going through thursday evening into friday, the sunset, you go outside, and see there will be an orange to a reddish tint. something to look out for, that's actually those aerosols in the air. but the next weather system as it starts to approach from the west, bringing rainshowers, picking up these winds and eventually moving its way to korea, changing over to sleet and snow in the higher elevations and eventually working its way into japan on saturday, bringing heavy rainshowers with it, and a

. >>> the damage that oil tanker caused to the beijing this week is more costly than first thought. -k is more costly than first thought. the under side of the support column was hit. another picture shows the scrape mark on the ship and if you look to the left some of the wood is stuck to the ship. damage to the bridge now estimated between $2 million and $3 million. an attorney though for the pilot says, speculation of pilot error is premature. there are many potential causes such as mechanical failure, faulty navigational devices, n predictable fog conditions and possibly some other sources." >>> well, hollywood is up before dawn to find out who will get the oscar nod. >> we are going live out to hollywood. this is the samuel gold when theater where seth mcfarland is talking right now and emma stone. they are about to announce the academy awards nominees here. he is address the audience right now. we are going to listen in for a second. but zero dark 30, "les miserables" and lincoln are considered best picture con tenners. >> lincoln was great and les mis. >> should we jump in? >>

latest wave of pollution peaked on saturday with off the chart levels shrouding beijing skyscrapers. ty residents have become increasingly vocal in their anger over the environment. an amateur prospector in the australian state of victoria has honored a gold nugget weighing 5.5 kilograms. it was found by an unidentified person on wednesday using a hand-held metal detector near the town of ballarat, west of melbourne. the value has been estimated at $300,000. the owner of beantown's mining exchange gold shop says a find of this size is unheard of. -- the owner of the town's mining exchange. it looks like a gold filling for a dinosaur. let me give you a reminder of our top stories on gmt. dozens of foreign nationals are being held hostage at a facility in the algerian desert. the oil complex is now surrounded by algerian troops. the man apparently behind the attack is mokhtar belmokhtar. he is said to have issued a statement calling for an end to the french military intervention against islamist rebels in mali. reports say some of the hostages have escaped from the besieged compound, bu

chinese officials said the exercises are in line with international law. authorities in beijing have temporarily shut down more than 100 factories trying to cut down on extreme air pollution. residents in the chinese capital have been breathing high levels of smog for two weeks now. >> pollution has been so bad, visibility was reduced to 200 meters. there have been only five relatively clear days since the beginning of the year. >> it might have an effect on the amount of time spent outdoors. i was outside for about one hour and felt very uncomfortable. >> beijing is surrounded by coal burning factories. hi polluting vehicles are being taken off the streets and trees are being -- high polluting vehicles are being taken off of the streets and trees are being planted. >> we have small children at home and they get sick quite often. >> this pile up was blamed on poor visibility. while not as bad as mainland cities, hong kong is looking to reduce harmful emissions by moving factories away from city centers and using more clean energy. the mainland government is looking to that simil

biggest accomplishment was being selected to carry the olympic torch here in san francisco for the 2008 beijing olympic, it's an amazing award and thank you for being such a great teacher and leader and coach to young people in the tenderloin. [applause]. >> thank you very much for this award, my wife and i appreciate it very much. what's really important right now is for us to keep the rec centers open because the rec centers is like a second home for the kids in the community. if they don't have a second home, they'll find a home somewhere else and it won't be rec centers. thank you very much. >> thank you, and congratulations. [applause]. >> and, coach, we agree with that, and i want to conclude the report and the year as we always do with a holiday edition of this month in parks. (music playing). (video playing). (music playing). (video playing). >> happy holidays, happy new year, that concludes the general manager's report. >> thank you very much. >> do we have any public under the general manager's report, not under -- come on up. >> bruce stone, president of the san francisco harbor asso