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>> and now "bbc world news america." dogged this is abc world news america, reporting from washington. the violence intensifies in syria where in the city, the death toll is rising. the syrian government uses shells and mortars against its opponents. >> every few seconds, you could also hear a little bit of a kalashnikov fire. >> increasing the pressure on tehran, tensions rise over iran pose a nuclear threat. 60 years, will look at the reign of queen elizabeth and the market has made an -- and the

mark she has made. welcome to viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the syrian government has been trying to crush any signs of rebellion. today was the bloodiest attack yet. the city has been pounded by a sustained assault. our correspondent and our camera man who has managed to enter. a warning, it contains some distressing images. >> daybreak. the artillery fire was just beginning. in days, he steered gently the safety. in this part of the city, it is

the worst they have endured. god is great, he shouts and defiance. we are hearing an impact every few seconds. you also hear a little bit of kalashnikov fire, a pretty huge of adjuster. -- a futile gesture. the film to the injured being moved. over several days of this, most of the casualties have been civilians. the houses don't have basements, there is nowhere to hide. where is the arab league, she shouts? is a badlys son wounded. give us guns, she screams.

we cannot defend ourselves. even in the midst of all this, most hide their faces. there is no telling what the regime will do. >> the want the arab league to give the situation to the un to help us? >> who is going to help us now? >> some of the dead were armed. this man died attacking a government sniper position yesterday. the regime says the violence is caused by the fighters of the free syrian army. no, says the rebel commander here. everything we do is to defend our people.

they can't get to us so in retaliation against civilians instead. they are firmly paying the price. the trout as for a 7-year-old girl. -- the shroud is for a 7-year- old girl. they say it is too dangerous. there is no family, no prayers, and a little dignity. they have to hurry, and even now. there will be many more such desperate lonely burials. >> a short time ago, i started by asking what the latest was in the city this evening. >> people are terrified. they have been hiding out in the

stairwell. they're wanting to put as much distance between them and the outside as possible. in the neighborhood i am speaking from, there are 17 dead. not one at a time individually. they have done a mass grave and put all the bodies and at once, even then, there were further problems. it remains very dangerous. although it is not continuing at that rate, we hear the odd whistle of incoming explosions. >> if the bombardment continues, has the opposition strengthening or dissipating? >> that is a very good question, it may have a galvanizing effect. this is an uprising almost one

year old. it has seemed like a stalemate for very long time. there are two views on why the government is acting out. the rebel fighters are growing in strength, bear in mind that only a few days ago, from the government side have to the free army, the local military commander was a government soldier a few months ago. people have a despairing view that the government feels itself and vulnerable to international criticism. if that is the case, it is very bad for people here. >> thank you for that compelling report. today is the soul comes on the same day that the u.s. decided

to close its embassy in damascus. days's effort of about -- after diplomatic efforts with russia and china. for more on the efforts to stop the violence, i spoke a short time ago with the u.s. ambassador to syria. you were there three separate times, has obama ruled out military intervention? what are the options for the u.s.? >> there is a range of diplomatic and economic options. the good news is that we have 13 countries in the security council, the arab league is with us. the secretary of state has talked about the friends of syria group that we might form.

it would allow for a lot of coordination between key countries. and the sanctions on syria will cause their economy to collapse. the syrian town has already lost 40% of its value. the regime is under a lot of diplomatic and economic pressure. >> what you think the calculation is going through the president assad's mind? >> he is desperate to crush this nascent pre-syrian army. the more and more conscripts are defecting and joining these groups, this is a very uncoordinated kind of uprising. but he knows that if he doesn't put it down, it is going to take

on a sense of inevitability. the u.s. is trying to get the sense that this regime is doomed and everybody, including the russians and chinese he did get on board. >> the prime minister goes to damascus tomorrow for talks. what is likely to come out of that? >> certainly not very much encouraging. i expect that the president will likened the horrible artillery barrages and mortar barrages tomorrow when he is in town. and will declare that they have taken some positive actions to help it with the humanitarian situation. at the end of the day, the russians are inclined to abandon it, which is a bit strange when you consider that he may well fall.

>> thank you very much for joining us with those insights. >> the local military official in the philippines says more than 40 people have been killed by an earthquake. the quake damaged homes and struck off the coast. much of europe is still suffering under freezing temperatures and heavy snow. the number of people died in the cold snap has run into hundreds. it has hit -33 degrees celsius. the factory in the pakistan city has collapsed killing at least nine people and trapping 40 others in the rubble. the factory was located in residential part.

today, the main palestinian factions agreed that the leader will have an interim government to organize the elections. the move came with a warning from israel that might close the door to future peace talks. >> abbas, a leader, palestinian presiden and prime minister, too. he agreed to lead a new interim unity government curve of the west bank and -- for both the west bank and gaza. >> we want to implement what is related to the election. and this, regardless of all the hurdles we are surrounded by.

>> we are serious about helping old loans in order to achieve reconciliation. >> palestinians have been crying out for years. the division has been bitter and sometimes violent. a year after winning elections in 2006, fighting erupted with them being forced from gaza. mr. abbas says he wants that to change with elections held later this year. he is really a fallback choice as the two sides failed to agree on any alternative names. there are differences in policy, not least have to deal with israel had rejected the deal.

>> the terror organization that tries to destroy the state of israel is supported by iran. the palestinian authority must decide. hamas and peace don't go together. >> after decades of failed talks, he has become increasingly frustrated with u.s. efforts to mediate the middle east peace deal. peace between palestinians seems his priority. >> for weeks, tension has been rising between iran and the west. the obama administration imposed even more sanctions. the move comes amid growing tension of the nuclear ambitions. what impact will this increased financial pressure have?

these latest sanctions are on the central bank. is there any sign at all of them falling to increase pressure? >> they subjected them to enough pressure to moderate this nuclear ambition. so far, we haven't seen a ing nuclearran change impressions. heobama has said here tha t is prepared to exercise options should they arise. how do you read that? >> and they don't want to take military action, and in the year 2012, it is unlikely whether by the united states or israel. when you talk to members of congress, there is an

overwhelming consensus that we want to reduce the military in the middle east and focus on repairing the domestic economy. obama recognizes the military campaign will defeat those objectives. >> this is all about generating energy. why is this program so important to the iranian government? >> i think certainly what iran was doing doesn't make much sense in the context of only a domestic energy program. the cost in terms of the sanctions are in the tens of billions which anti-nuclear energy would not be able to provide. somehow, an inverse correlation between the value that you place and the value of the united states, the more the u.s. wants

to pretend. >> what impact of these sanctions have been on ordinary iranians? >> they certainly are making an impact, the quality of life for people is deteriorating. in terms of who to blame for this, my general sense for the sanctions is to accentuate people's existence. those that this like the government have another reason to dislike the government. >> thank you for joining us. you're watching bbc world news america. still to come, traveling from page to stage. 200 years after the birth of a charles dickens, we discuss his enduring appeal. large parts of eastern

australia are under water, forcing thousands to flee their homes. duncan kennedy has the latest. >> the next few hours are crucial in a town with 3000 residents. the river here has been rising at a slower rate to than first feared. those working to reinforce the town levy, a few extra hours for a few extra centimeters that might make the difference. it is the scene of queensland's biggest evacuation in history. a few hundred have stated. the police have tripled their patrols. the government has stepped in to offer a short-term financial hellhound to those until the waters subside.

>> after the events of last summer, we are seeing astrakhans again in trouble. -- australians again in trouble. >> this one is in dolby. families are on safer ground, waiting for the worst. some are reluctantly leaving their loved ones. >> it was under the president of me coming here, so i feel very anxious. >> climate experts blame this on a weather system in the pacific that brings the wet weather. is set of sunshine, the as trillion summer has been a miserable washout. and with it, a major disruption to people's lives.

>> 60 years ago today the princess elizabeth became queen of the united kingdom. she received the news of her father's death during a visit to kenya. the event will be held all over the world to mark the diamond jubilee. but today is a quiet visit to the east of england. >> it has what she has been doing for 60 years now, constant and understated. today, children were offering their thanks to the 60 years on the throne. from buckingham palace to new photographs and a message. in this special year as a dedicate myself to your service, i hope we will all be reminded of the power of to get us and the strength of family, friends said, and good neighborness.

teams which she carried forward after the death of february, 1952, of her father. elizabeth was 25 and in kenya when she heard that she was now claim. she and her husband returned to london to be met by the prime minister winston churchill. it was a huge upheaval. >> this was her destiny. in fact, later on, they said that she grasped destiny with both hands. >> what are the characteristics of this person whose image is so familiar but whose personality remains largely hidden? >> she has a lot of common sense.

>> it is those qualities that sustained her together with the public's reaction to events such as prince william's engagement to take middleton. >> weddings and that sort of thing, i think she was genuinely comforted by everybody. she has earned it. >> what of the future of the martell of the 86 this year, from a friend that knows her, there is certainly about one thing. >> her majesty will remain as long as she lives. even if she was unable to perform her duties, she is still the queen and will be it until she dies.

>> clean for 60 years, and as committed as ever to continue a lifetime of service. >> of the constant understated 60-year reign of queen elizabeth. from one british institution to another, his most popular creation lives on. ceremonies will be held to recognize his many achievements. >> a christmas carol. a ghost story of christmas. >> a familiar story is unfolding. like so many before them, they are telling a seasonal tell from another century.

>> he saw things that other people haven't seen yet. he told the story really well. >> the bankers are very rich, the poor are very poor, and i like that parallel with today's society as well. >> his books were dramatized almost as soon as he finished them. biographers agreed that the journey made him a victorian superstar. one biographer has played his own part bringing dickens to a wider audience. >> he would leap up and look in the mirror, checking the expression on his face and writing it down. he was being those characters.

>> he did not live to see his characters make it into the movies. screenings include the earliest versions of christmas carol in 1901. and great expectations completed the 80 years later. his fame was still spreading. >> he was the most famous man in the world, crowds flooded to him. he was the first great media celebrity. the more you realize why people are interested in him. >> interested and inspired. these are children from the all saints primary. tapping into dickens for a sense of history.

>> you want to read more and you don't want to stop reading. >> another vote of approval for a journalist or for an aspiring actor had to campaign for the disadvantaged. the road discovery remains well- travelled. >> that brings today's show to a close, but you can find constant updates on all the stories in tonight's broadcast. make sure to check out our facebook page. trevelian. thank you for watching and pelase tu -- please tune in tomorrow.

e me seakofns>> make sense of l news. bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu newman's own foundation 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. tailored expertise and solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> " was ws presented by kcet los angeles.