11/12/2011 Reporters

system are easy to spot. That is the latest BBC News. Now it

Welcome to Reporters. We watch American troops make an emotional

homecoming from Iraq but was the war worth the sacrifice?

Combating AIDS in the southern states of America. We visit a

region which has silently suffered more than its share of losses.

And, protecting resources in the Congo. We go on patrol with troops.

And Sesame Street as you have not seen it before. We watch Pakistan's

version of the show which aims to break down divides.

Welcome to Reporters. If all goes to plan by the end of the month the

last US military forces will have left Iraq, putting an end to their

8.5 year campaign. The war has been costly. Almost 4,500 American

personnel lost their lives with another 32,000 injured. So what has

the sacrifice achieved? Our Washington correspondent went to

Fort Hood in Texas to meet some of those who have suffered. This is

where the war in Iraq began and where it is ending. Families across

America have been the backbone of the long campaign. Jacquie Byrd's

husband has been away for much of the last few years. But today he is

coming home. Alan is my best friend. He was just not there. He could get

in touch with us. But when we needed him it was not always as

easy for us to get a hold of him. That was the hardest part of the

year. Few question the value of the mission that was America's war of

choice based on the threat of weapons of mass destruction that

did not exist. But today is about something far more personal -

Within a few weeks all of the troops will have left Iraq and the

most will be home for Christmas. But for every one of the 300 or so

men and women who return today there are many more who never came

back. The memorial here at Fort Hood is a pretty sombre reminder of

the sacrifice over the last eight years. Almost 4,500 US troops and

tens of thousands Iraqis have lost their lives in the conflict that

still is not over. For many of those who have made it home, their

battle is still going on. This man lost his leg in a roadside bomb.

Four years later the pain in his other leg is so bad it will also

have to be amputated. His marriage has failed and he is raising three

children on his own. Plenty of reasons to be bitter about the Iraq

war, you might think. I have to ask whether you think it is worth it.

Yep. I really think that we helped the Iraqi people. I think it is

going to be turbulent times for a little bit but I think we did the

right thing. President Obama may have wanted to keep some of the

soldiers on in Iraq but the war had become increasingly unpopular,

damaging America's standing in the world. He can still claim credit

for ending a deeply flawed campaign and finally bringing the troops

We can beat this disease. The words of President Obama on World AIDS

Day. But the promise may be more true for some parts of the US than

others. There is evidence of a geographic divide in America's

battle against AIDS. A disproportionate number of

Americans who are HIV positive live in southern states. We travelled to

South Carolina to see why. They do not want to talk about it at church

or at home. People do not want to talk about it. With the numbers

continuing to be high in the South there is a need for people to say,

we need to address the problem upfront. That has not happened yet.

The cemeteries of Clover, South Carolina, are littered with secrets.

Scores of those buried here died of HIV/AIDS. But such is the stigma of

the disease in the south that many took the true cause of their death

to the grave. I have lost my sister and my niece. Reverend Patricia

Starr, who has lost eight of her family to HIV/AIDS, has determined

that the tragic truth be told. still goes on. A pastor in the

Pentecostal Church, she is one of the few to speak out about a

disease which in the South has overwhelmingly affected African-

Americans. When people find out that I pass out condoms, that

shocked Clover. How could I be a woman of God and give somebody a

condom? I said that I would prefer to preach condoms than preach at

your funeral. Outsied the South the response has been different. In New

York, gay people spoke up. Public officials had no choice to respond

to the crisis. Andrew Skerritt is the author of a book which

chronicles the Reverend's story and the AIDS epidemic in the South.

Unless there is a major shift in the cultural attitude it will

continue to plague the South. short drive away, this clinic

treats some 450 people in the district who are HIV-positive. But

staff say it is an uphill battle getting those at highest risk to

seek advice and treatment. We have seen people waiting longer to get

tested. They come into the system sicker. That adds to the epidemic

because the amount of virus in the I do not want anybody to have to

experience this. If I can prevent one family from going through the

agony we went through, then it is Representatives from 192 nations

took part in the climate change talks in Durban. They discussed a

green climate fund. This fund would help poor nations tackle global

warming. In Africa this would involve paying countries to protect

the forests which play a crucial role in absorbing gases. The Congo

basin forms the world's second largest tropical rainforest. Our

Africa correspondent travelled to the Congo where the army have

joined in the fight to save the jungle. In the green heart of

Africa more than one million square miles of rainforest. But will it

survive? Soldiers guard one corner of the jungle but they are battling

against loggers, farmers and a lethal assortment of militia groups.

We lost 12 rangers this year protecting the park. Are you

winning the battle? Yes, we have to. There is no other choice. For now,

poverty, the lack of roads and conflict have kept huge chunks of

the forest out of reach. But Africa's economy is finally booming

and the Congo is at risk. We can identify the most fragile place,

the one that we should protect and try to arrange sustainable

development. A project to make fuel efficient stoves. It could halve

the number of trees cut for charcoal. It is one small part of a

plan to help protect Congo's rainforest and our climate. The

plan could see billions of pounds being poured into Congo. But it is

complicated. There is no transparency. There is no

governance. If you do not have this it'll be like we used to be.

Nothing will be done as we expect it to be done. Chaos? Yes. For now

the poorly-funded army does what it can. Congo needs more outside help.

This is a tough place for anyone to operate. The idea is simple and

compelling. Pay Congo and its soldiers to protect these vast

forests and help prevent climate change. But in practice it is

proving slow, risky and chaotic. The motivation is there. The big

money may be coming. But the fight to save the world's second greatest

rainforest is going to be bruising. In the battle between humans and

nature there are times when nature seems to win hands down. Take the

volcanic ash clouds over Europe. The skies were closed, airports

were in chaos. But scientists are fighting back. They believe they

have a device to prevent a repeat of those disturbances. We went on a

test flight over Mount Etna, When this Icelandic volcano erupted

in April last year it looks like the end of the world. For the 10

million passengers affected by a week of cancelled flights, it felt

like it as well. Imagine if there was a way in which planes could

monitor the disruptions. You need a volcano to test this properly. And

here, there is one, just over there. Looming over the countryside is

Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano. This little microlight has

been collecting cloud data for weeks.

This is a situation any pilot could face. Knowing there is volcanic

activity in the region but not knowing how dense the ash clouds

are. This equipment can measure the density of the clouds and help the

pilot navigate his way through them. The research is being funded by

easyJet in a system called AVOID. Eventually the pilot will see a

screen like this, showing how much ash is in the air and how far away

it is. No aircraft has a means for detecting ash. We do not have

anything on board the aircraft. It is a big change. It is almost like

the change that happened when we had weather radar. This plane is

now being shipped to find bigger volcanoes. The next step is to test

the unit. All airlines will be offered the finished products. They

could map out the skies and it might even prevent shutdowns like

last year. We now can measure the levels of ash. The work continues

but it is hoped the first device will be ready for use next summer.

The impact from last year's eruption was bad enough but Iceland

is reporting intense activity at a bigger volcano. No-one knows when

it is due to erupt but it will. As the global financial crisis

unfolded we saw campaigners expressing their anger over the

world. There were occupations in Wall Street, London and other

cities. One of the many buildings taken over in the heart of Rome was

Preparing to play a role, an actor at a theatre workshop. It is a

chance to practise and learn. In this stairway, there may not be

much of a stage but it leads to the real thing. This is the Teatro

Valle, Rome's oldest theatre. Right now the drama is intensely

political. This is a scene of a battle against austerity, cuts in

funding for the arts and culture in Italy. The theatre has been seized

by activists. They occupied it when there was talk about privatising

this place. For months, they have lived on the premises, keeping a

constant presence. I live here, I sleep here, I eat here. I spend my

whole day here working for the play. The theatre is thriving. Artists

perform for free in support of the takeover. It is full of people

every day. We have concerts, debates, presentations. We really

gave this theatre back to the citizens. All this is direct

citizen action, part of a new international spirit. The activists

draw inspiration from the occupation of Wall Street.

People here have a huge sense that what they are doing is both

necessary and morally right. In terms of the letter of the law,

this occupation is completely illegal. Rome's City Council owns

the theatre and it is demanding it back, saying the occupation is

completely unnecessary. TRANSLATION: We hope those who are

currently occupying the theatre realise it belongs to the city, the

country and the world. Local administrations should have the

chance to organise the system and there is no doubt the theatre would

remain public. The activists at the theatre lost faith long ago in the

promises of the authorities. The political drama is set to run and

run. Graffiti and street-art have often

been viewed as unsightly. In Libya, it has emerged as a symbol of

freedom. During Colonel Gaddafi's 44 year rule, such expression was

forbidden. Since his rule, the walls have been transformed.

Libya's modernist history and its post Gaddafi period. For some,

there is a lot of pain behind the brush strokes. This artist would

know. He was imprisoned in 2007. TRANSLATION: All I did was print

some forms. You should have seen the prison walls. And the doors

that locked us there. I wish you saw how we suffered. Sadeq is

moving on. His art speaks of new beginnings and he hopes the colours

are a source of inspiration. During the conflict you would only see

protest writings on the wall being whitewashed by security forces. As

soon as Tripoli fell, you saw an explosion of graffiti all over the

city. Sometimes it feels like you are walking in a gallery.

They are everywhere these days but will the art stay permanently?

These paintings are expressing the feelings of the revolution,

especially the people. Everybody has a talent. During that period,

we were living it. As time goes by, it will not be as effective as it

is. Three years from now, it will not mean the same as it does today

to us. It may not be Picasso but to many here these are prices symbols

of freedom. Relations between Washington and

Islamabad may be in crisis but children in Pakistan are about to

be introduced to Sesame Street. The US Agency for children development

has committed $10 million to the project over four years.

Meet the cast of Pakistan's Sesame Street. Elmo is surrounded by new

friends. A Pakistani village has been created on set. It is full of

local characters and local concerns. Here is the star of the show. He

loves cricket. She looks to Kiran for help, the daughter of the

teacher. The 12 year old who plays Kiran says the puppets are like

family. Do you think the children who watch the show will learn a

lot? They will learn a lot. They will be more educated when they go

to school. The creators hope the strong female lead will win over

the next generation of this conservative society. In the

schools, the girls take a step back. But she is really strong header.

She is the captain of the cricket team. She is not afraid to ask

questions. I hope girls will relate to her and will take courage.

The theatre company behind this production know about courage. They

have been bombed by militants in the past. They want a brighter

future for Pakistan's children. In this scene, Rani is asking where

does the sun go at night. The Americans are hoping this will

teach a few lessons in tolerance. This is a message of togetherness

rather than hate. It is a message that is often missing here. Many in