:00:03. > :00:13.system are easy to spot. That is the latest BBC News. Now it
:00:13. > :00:22.
:00:22. > :00:25.Welcome to Reporters. We watch American troops make an emotional
:00:25. > :00:28.homecoming from Iraq but was the war worth the sacrifice?
:00:28. > :00:35.Combating AIDS in the southern states of America. We visit a
:00:35. > :00:45.region which has silently suffered more than its share of losses.
:00:45. > :00:45.
:00:45. > :00:54.And, protecting resources in the Congo. We go on patrol with troops.
:00:54. > :00:57.And Sesame Street as you have not seen it before. We watch Pakistan's
:00:57. > :01:01.version of the show which aims to break down divides.
:01:01. > :01:05.Welcome to Reporters. If all goes to plan by the end of the month the
:01:05. > :01:08.last US military forces will have left Iraq, putting an end to their
:01:08. > :01:14.8.5 year campaign. The war has been costly. Almost 4,500 American
:01:14. > :01:19.personnel lost their lives with another 32,000 injured. So what has
:01:19. > :01:28.the sacrifice achieved? Our Washington correspondent went to
:01:28. > :01:34.Fort Hood in Texas to meet some of those who have suffered. This is
:01:34. > :01:37.where the war in Iraq began and where it is ending. Families across
:01:37. > :01:42.America have been the backbone of the long campaign. Jacquie Byrd's
:01:42. > :01:48.husband has been away for much of the last few years. But today he is
:01:48. > :01:54.coming home. Alan is my best friend. He was just not there. He could get
:01:54. > :01:58.in touch with us. But when we needed him it was not always as
:01:58. > :02:04.easy for us to get a hold of him. That was the hardest part of the
:02:04. > :02:07.year. Few question the value of the mission that was America's war of
:02:07. > :02:13.choice based on the threat of weapons of mass destruction that
:02:13. > :02:23.did not exist. But today is about something far more personal -
:02:23. > :02:29.
:02:29. > :02:34.Within a few weeks all of the troops will have left Iraq and the
:02:34. > :02:38.most will be home for Christmas. But for every one of the 300 or so
:02:38. > :02:45.men and women who return today there are many more who never came
:02:45. > :02:49.back. The memorial here at Fort Hood is a pretty sombre reminder of
:02:49. > :02:52.the sacrifice over the last eight years. Almost 4,500 US troops and
:02:52. > :03:01.tens of thousands Iraqis have lost their lives in the conflict that
:03:01. > :03:04.still is not over. For many of those who have made it home, their
:03:05. > :03:09.battle is still going on. This man lost his leg in a roadside bomb.
:03:09. > :03:12.Four years later the pain in his other leg is so bad it will also
:03:12. > :03:17.have to be amputated. His marriage has failed and he is raising three
:03:17. > :03:23.children on his own. Plenty of reasons to be bitter about the Iraq
:03:23. > :03:28.war, you might think. I have to ask whether you think it is worth it.
:03:28. > :03:32.Yep. I really think that we helped the Iraqi people. I think it is
:03:32. > :03:35.going to be turbulent times for a little bit but I think we did the
:03:35. > :03:39.right thing. President Obama may have wanted to keep some of the
:03:39. > :03:42.soldiers on in Iraq but the war had become increasingly unpopular,
:03:42. > :03:45.damaging America's standing in the world. He can still claim credit
:03:45. > :03:55.for ending a deeply flawed campaign and finally bringing the troops
:03:55. > :03:56.
:03:56. > :04:01.We can beat this disease. The words of President Obama on World AIDS
:04:01. > :04:03.Day. But the promise may be more true for some parts of the US than
:04:03. > :04:13.others. There is evidence of a geographic divide in America's
:04:13. > :04:14.
:04:14. > :04:17.battle against AIDS. A disproportionate number of
:04:17. > :04:26.Americans who are HIV positive live in southern states. We travelled to
:04:26. > :04:33.South Carolina to see why. They do not want to talk about it at church
:04:34. > :04:38.or at home. People do not want to talk about it. With the numbers
:04:38. > :04:44.continuing to be high in the South there is a need for people to say,
:04:44. > :04:50.we need to address the problem upfront. That has not happened yet.
:04:50. > :04:55.The cemeteries of Clover, South Carolina, are littered with secrets.
:04:55. > :04:59.Scores of those buried here died of HIV/AIDS. But such is the stigma of
:04:59. > :05:08.the disease in the south that many took the true cause of their death
:05:08. > :05:12.to the grave. I have lost my sister and my niece. Reverend Patricia
:05:12. > :05:21.Starr, who has lost eight of her family to HIV/AIDS, has determined
:05:21. > :05:25.that the tragic truth be told. still goes on. A pastor in the
:05:25. > :05:27.Pentecostal Church, she is one of the few to speak out about a
:05:27. > :05:37.disease which in the South has overwhelmingly affected African-
:05:37. > :05:40.
:05:40. > :05:43.Americans. When people find out that I pass out condoms, that
:05:44. > :05:47.shocked Clover. How could I be a woman of God and give somebody a
:05:47. > :05:57.condom? I said that I would prefer to preach condoms than preach at
:05:57. > :06:03.
:06:03. > :06:07.your funeral. Outsied the South the response has been different. In New
:06:07. > :06:10.York, gay people spoke up. Public officials had no choice to respond
:06:10. > :06:13.to the crisis. Andrew Skerritt is the author of a book which
:06:13. > :06:17.chronicles the Reverend's story and the AIDS epidemic in the South.
:06:17. > :06:24.Unless there is a major shift in the cultural attitude it will
:06:24. > :06:30.continue to plague the South. short drive away, this clinic
:06:30. > :06:34.treats some 450 people in the district who are HIV-positive. But
:06:34. > :06:41.staff say it is an uphill battle getting those at highest risk to
:06:41. > :06:44.seek advice and treatment. We have seen people waiting longer to get
:06:44. > :06:54.tested. They come into the system sicker. That adds to the epidemic
:06:54. > :06:56.
:06:56. > :06:59.because the amount of virus in the I do not want anybody to have to
:07:00. > :07:09.experience this. If I can prevent one family from going through the
:07:10. > :07:15.
:07:15. > :07:21.agony we went through, then it is Representatives from 192 nations
:07:21. > :07:24.took part in the climate change talks in Durban. They discussed a
:07:24. > :07:29.green climate fund. This fund would help poor nations tackle global
:07:29. > :07:33.warming. In Africa this would involve paying countries to protect
:07:33. > :07:38.the forests which play a crucial role in absorbing gases. The Congo
:07:38. > :07:41.basin forms the world's second largest tropical rainforest. Our
:07:41. > :07:49.Africa correspondent travelled to the Congo where the army have
:07:49. > :07:53.joined in the fight to save the jungle. In the green heart of
:07:53. > :07:57.Africa more than one million square miles of rainforest. But will it
:07:57. > :08:05.survive? Soldiers guard one corner of the jungle but they are battling
:08:05. > :08:11.against loggers, farmers and a lethal assortment of militia groups.
:08:11. > :08:19.We lost 12 rangers this year protecting the park. Are you
:08:19. > :08:22.winning the battle? Yes, we have to. There is no other choice. For now,
:08:22. > :08:32.poverty, the lack of roads and conflict have kept huge chunks of
:08:32. > :08:33.
:08:33. > :08:42.the forest out of reach. But Africa's economy is finally booming
:08:42. > :08:45.and the Congo is at risk. We can identify the most fragile place,
:08:46. > :08:55.the one that we should protect and try to arrange sustainable
:08:56. > :08:59.
:08:59. > :09:07.development. A project to make fuel efficient stoves. It could halve
:09:07. > :09:12.the number of trees cut for charcoal. It is one small part of a
:09:13. > :09:18.plan to help protect Congo's rainforest and our climate. The
:09:18. > :09:24.plan could see billions of pounds being poured into Congo. But it is
:09:24. > :09:31.complicated. There is no transparency. There is no
:09:31. > :09:38.governance. If you do not have this it'll be like we used to be.
:09:38. > :09:43.Nothing will be done as we expect it to be done. Chaos? Yes. For now
:09:43. > :09:49.the poorly-funded army does what it can. Congo needs more outside help.
:09:49. > :09:52.This is a tough place for anyone to operate. The idea is simple and
:09:52. > :09:58.compelling. Pay Congo and its soldiers to protect these vast
:09:58. > :10:08.forests and help prevent climate change. But in practice it is
:10:08. > :10:11.
:10:11. > :10:18.proving slow, risky and chaotic. The motivation is there. The big
:10:19. > :10:28.money may be coming. But the fight to save the world's second greatest
:10:28. > :10:31.rainforest is going to be bruising. In the battle between humans and
:10:31. > :10:35.nature there are times when nature seems to win hands down. Take the
:10:35. > :10:41.volcanic ash clouds over Europe. The skies were closed, airports
:10:41. > :10:46.were in chaos. But scientists are fighting back. They believe they
:10:46. > :10:53.have a device to prevent a repeat of those disturbances. We went on a
:10:53. > :10:58.test flight over Mount Etna, When this Icelandic volcano erupted
:10:58. > :11:01.in April last year it looks like the end of the world. For the 10
:11:01. > :11:07.million passengers affected by a week of cancelled flights, it felt
:11:07. > :11:17.like it as well. Imagine if there was a way in which planes could
:11:17. > :11:23.monitor the disruptions. You need a volcano to test this properly. And
:11:23. > :11:28.here, there is one, just over there. Looming over the countryside is
:11:28. > :11:36.Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano. This little microlight has
:11:37. > :11:40.been collecting cloud data for weeks.
:11:40. > :11:43.This is a situation any pilot could face. Knowing there is volcanic
:11:43. > :11:49.activity in the region but not knowing how dense the ash clouds
:11:49. > :11:59.are. This equipment can measure the density of the clouds and help the
:11:59. > :11:59.
:11:59. > :12:03.pilot navigate his way through them. The research is being funded by
:12:03. > :12:07.easyJet in a system called AVOID. Eventually the pilot will see a
:12:07. > :12:11.screen like this, showing how much ash is in the air and how far away
:12:11. > :12:16.it is. No aircraft has a means for detecting ash. We do not have
:12:16. > :12:21.anything on board the aircraft. It is a big change. It is almost like
:12:21. > :12:25.the change that happened when we had weather radar. This plane is
:12:25. > :12:35.now being shipped to find bigger volcanoes. The next step is to test
:12:35. > :12:37.
:12:37. > :12:41.the unit. All airlines will be offered the finished products. They
:12:41. > :12:51.could map out the skies and it might even prevent shutdowns like
:12:51. > :12:56.
:12:56. > :13:05.last year. We now can measure the levels of ash. The work continues
:13:05. > :13:08.but it is hoped the first device will be ready for use next summer.
:13:08. > :13:11.The impact from last year's eruption was bad enough but Iceland
:13:11. > :13:18.is reporting intense activity at a bigger volcano. No-one knows when
:13:18. > :13:21.it is due to erupt but it will. As the global financial crisis
:13:21. > :13:26.unfolded we saw campaigners expressing their anger over the
:13:26. > :13:30.world. There were occupations in Wall Street, London and other
:13:30. > :13:40.cities. One of the many buildings taken over in the heart of Rome was
:13:40. > :13:46.
:13:47. > :13:56.Preparing to play a role, an actor at a theatre workshop. It is a
:13:57. > :13:58.
:13:58. > :14:03.chance to practise and learn. In this stairway, there may not be
:14:03. > :14:07.much of a stage but it leads to the real thing. This is the Teatro
:14:07. > :14:17.Valle, Rome's oldest theatre. Right now the drama is intensely
:14:17. > :14:21.
:14:21. > :14:25.political. This is a scene of a battle against austerity, cuts in
:14:25. > :14:29.funding for the arts and culture in Italy. The theatre has been seized
:14:29. > :14:33.by activists. They occupied it when there was talk about privatising
:14:33. > :14:38.this place. For months, they have lived on the premises, keeping a
:14:38. > :14:46.constant presence. I live here, I sleep here, I eat here. I spend my
:14:47. > :14:51.whole day here working for the play. The theatre is thriving. Artists
:14:51. > :14:58.perform for free in support of the takeover. It is full of people
:14:58. > :15:03.every day. We have concerts, debates, presentations. We really
:15:03. > :15:08.gave this theatre back to the citizens. All this is direct
:15:08. > :15:13.citizen action, part of a new international spirit. The activists
:15:13. > :15:17.draw inspiration from the occupation of Wall Street.
:15:17. > :15:22.People here have a huge sense that what they are doing is both
:15:22. > :15:27.necessary and morally right. In terms of the letter of the law,
:15:27. > :15:31.this occupation is completely illegal. Rome's City Council owns
:15:31. > :15:39.the theatre and it is demanding it back, saying the occupation is
:15:39. > :15:42.completely unnecessary. TRANSLATION: We hope those who are
:15:42. > :15:45.currently occupying the theatre realise it belongs to the city, the
:15:45. > :15:49.country and the world. Local administrations should have the
:15:49. > :15:57.chance to organise the system and there is no doubt the theatre would
:15:57. > :16:03.remain public. The activists at the theatre lost faith long ago in the
:16:03. > :16:11.promises of the authorities. The political drama is set to run and
:16:11. > :16:19.run. Graffiti and street-art have often
:16:19. > :16:22.been viewed as unsightly. In Libya, it has emerged as a symbol of
:16:22. > :16:32.freedom. During Colonel Gaddafi's 44 year rule, such expression was
:16:32. > :16:36.
:16:36. > :16:46.forbidden. Since his rule, the walls have been transformed.
:16:46. > :16:53.Libya's modernist history and its post Gaddafi period. For some,
:16:53. > :16:59.there is a lot of pain behind the brush strokes. This artist would
:16:59. > :17:05.know. He was imprisoned in 2007. TRANSLATION: All I did was print
:17:05. > :17:14.some forms. You should have seen the prison walls. And the doors
:17:14. > :17:19.that locked us there. I wish you saw how we suffered. Sadeq is
:17:19. > :17:29.moving on. His art speaks of new beginnings and he hopes the colours
:17:29. > :17:30.
:17:30. > :17:33.are a source of inspiration. During the conflict you would only see
:17:33. > :17:37.protest writings on the wall being whitewashed by security forces. As
:17:37. > :17:40.soon as Tripoli fell, you saw an explosion of graffiti all over the
:17:40. > :17:48.city. Sometimes it feels like you are walking in a gallery.
:17:48. > :17:50.They are everywhere these days but will the art stay permanently?
:17:50. > :17:59.These paintings are expressing the feelings of the revolution,
:17:59. > :18:09.especially the people. Everybody has a talent. During that period,
:18:09. > :18:09.
:18:10. > :18:14.we were living it. As time goes by, it will not be as effective as it
:18:14. > :18:24.is. Three years from now, it will not mean the same as it does today
:18:24. > :18:28.
:18:28. > :18:38.to us. It may not be Picasso but to many here these are prices symbols
:18:38. > :18:48.
:18:48. > :18:51.of freedom. Relations between Washington and
:18:51. > :18:54.Islamabad may be in crisis but children in Pakistan are about to
:18:55. > :19:04.be introduced to Sesame Street. The US Agency for children development
:19:04. > :19:12.has committed $10 million to the project over four years.
:19:12. > :19:22.Meet the cast of Pakistan's Sesame Street. Elmo is surrounded by new
:19:22. > :19:23.
:19:23. > :19:28.friends. A Pakistani village has been created on set. It is full of
:19:28. > :19:36.local characters and local concerns. Here is the star of the show. He
:19:36. > :19:46.loves cricket. She looks to Kiran for help, the daughter of the
:19:46. > :19:47.
:19:47. > :19:53.teacher. The 12 year old who plays Kiran says the puppets are like
:19:53. > :19:59.family. Do you think the children who watch the show will learn a
:19:59. > :20:03.lot? They will learn a lot. They will be more educated when they go
:20:03. > :20:06.to school. The creators hope the strong female lead will win over
:20:06. > :20:12.the next generation of this conservative society. In the
:20:12. > :20:16.schools, the girls take a step back. But she is really strong header.
:20:16. > :20:26.She is the captain of the cricket team. She is not afraid to ask
:20:26. > :20:28.
:20:28. > :20:37.questions. I hope girls will relate to her and will take courage.
:20:37. > :20:41.The theatre company behind this production know about courage. They
:20:41. > :20:49.have been bombed by militants in the past. They want a brighter
:20:49. > :20:58.future for Pakistan's children. In this scene, Rani is asking where
:20:58. > :21:08.does the sun go at night. The Americans are hoping this will
:21:08. > :21:12.
:21:12. > :21:19.teach a few lessons in tolerance. This is a message of togetherness
:21:19. > :21:23.rather than hate. It is a message that is often missing here. Many in