18/12/2011 Reporters

Guarding the road to Afghanistan's Valley of Death. Caroline Wyatt

joins British troops at a remote Hale mand outpost. We join the US

planes fuelling American operations. Church on a collision course with

the state. Why the debate over contraception is causing division

in the Philippines. And they started building a nuclear fusion

plant in France 26 years ago. Paul Henley wonders if it will ever

produce eek I don't happen friendly power.

-- ecofriendly power. Hello. It was known bit Americans as the Valley

of Death, a remote part of Helmand. In October, British troops took

over from the US marines. Since then, one British soldier has died

there, several others have been injured. Their job is to protect a

major road, Route 611, against the insurgents. Our defence

correspondent sent this report. A remote checkpoint, known as Pan

Kalay, which translates as 'the last village'. This valley remains

hostile territory, where the Taliban are still very much in

evidence, as sown by the defences on the rooftop. The building you

can see just over there is probably the closest Taliban firing point to

this checkpoint. It's only about 200m away and soldiers have been

fired upon, while guarding the checkpoint but also while they have

been out on patrol. That's closed away now. Most of the soldiers here,

in their 20s, do they feel vulnerable? I think we feel safe.

When we're on foot, slightly more dangerous. But we've got enough

firepower to protect us and let us do our jobs here. While some have

had miraculous escape, some have been injured. Some of their

comrades by roadside bombs. Frpblt I have a wife and daughter at --

have a wife and daughter at home. I tend not to tell them much. They do

worry about me. They will celebrate Christmas here in this remote spot

as much as they k although away from family and friends. Back at

the unit's headquarters, it's time for the daily briefing. It's been

another busy day across their area in the constant battle of wits with

the insurgents. There will be no let-up here, even over the festive

season. The more talking, the better. We're going to be doing

operations as normal, because the insurgent is quite cunning. He will

be thinking we're in here, celebrating Christmas. We will have

our Christmas dinner and carol service, because that's right and

proper. We will do it at a time of our choosing, and when he thinks we

will be back here, enjoying the fest I've season, we will be

securing the route. The plan is to ensure that the Afghan security

forces, training to search vegs at the checkpoints here, will be ready

-- vehicles at the checkpoints here, will be ready to take over on their

own. They are keen to prove themselves, sometimes a little too

much so. You have gotta treem them as if they are not guilty -- treat

them as if they are not guilty yet. They need this training. From 2014,

it will be up to the Afghan forces to hold the ring, while a search

for a political solution goes on. It was hard enough getting

thousands of US troops into Afghanistan. Now it's becoming even

harder getting them out of that land-locked country. The challenge

has become trickier after a recent Pakistani blockade, which the

country's prime minister says might not be lifted for weeks. One option

for the NATO drawdown is the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan.

An angle of the US that outsiders don't often see. Hi-tech

legitimates, this is how the US fuels the -- hi-tech logistics,

this is how the US fuels the fight, literally. This is pretty

incredible. The jets come up really, really close, basically as close at

this. And, really, at any given moment, day or night, there is

always a refuelling plane above aves.

-- above Afghanistan. Once done, we head back, across the mountains to

Central Asia. This region is the back stage of America's war effort

in Afghanistan. It doesn't make the headlines, but it's crucial to the

Not only fuel, virtually every coalition soldier comes to the

Manas air base in the way to or out of Afghanistan. It provides a

location where proximity matters. It allows the international efforts

in Afghanistan to be sourced much quicker at times than it could from

other locations around the world. But now, Kyrgyzstan's new leader

says he will shut down the base in 2014. This could seriously

complicate logistics of President Obama's planned withdrawal. With

Pakistan increasingly unreliable, and a threat of losing this base,

the Americans have been courting other Central Asian leaders.

Ends on a very high note. This was Hillary Clinton on a recent trip to

Uzbekistan. Next to the man whose human-rights record is often

compared to that of Colonel Gaddafi. The president used to be regarded

as a pariah in Washington, but the US has now lifted a ban on military

aid to his government. Why is the US doing it? It's because they are

pretty scared. 2014 is approaching. They not only need to get troops

and material into Afghanistan, they need to get a lot of hi-tech

equipment out. They clearly don't feel they have all the exit routes

that they need. President Obama's priority is to end the war and get

these soldiers home. But deals made along the way could have a lasting

Tens of millions of people in the Philippines live in poverty. The

country also has one of the highest birth rates in Asia. The government

now wants to encourage its citizens to have fewer children and is

putting forward a bill in parliament to provide free

contraception. But many are Catholic and the Church is unhappy

with the bill. Little Danielle wakes for lunch.

But for her mother, finding enough food for all 10 of her children is

a real struggle. TRANSLATION: Often we have nothing

to eat. And when my kids are sick we have to pawn whatever we have.

Like most Filipinos, she is a committed Catholic. But recently

she start to do think the unthinkable.

TRANSLATION: The priests say contraception is against God's will.

But now I think we really need family planning. Birth control is

expensive. A packet of condoms costs as much as some families earn

in a week. So the government has put forward a bill to provide it

for free. But the bill is facing powerful

opposition from the Church. It's not the business of the

government to be promoting contraceptive devices. It would be

like, say, the government will pass a law, which will fund the

promotion of pork eating among the Muslims.

Supporters of the bill say you just need to come to places like this to

see why it's so urgently needed. There are often two or even three

mothers for every bed here in this maternity ward.

Population growth in the Philippines is one of the highest

in South-East Asia. It's a situation the president says is

unsustainable, which is why he's backing the bill. This is a fight

not against the Church. This is an attempt to address the situation,

that exists, and would we be happy to let the status quo as it is?

That would be criminal. Not something I subscribe tofplt that

would be against the teachings of the church I belong to. Neither

side in this debate seems prepared to compromise. But the Philippines'

80 million Catholics know that somehow they need to reconcile

their faith with the reality of life for the country's poor.

More famous than most stars, the Hollywood Sign is an icon of the

entertainment industry. It's also a real pain to live next to. For

years, people have found their way to the neighbourhood for the

perfect photograph. Now GPS technology has them positively

flocking there. The residents are It's iconic, it symbolises a

century of shoz biz and the tourists love it -- showbiz and the

tourists love it. Absolutely fantastic. You see it, it's like,

"Wow." We want to touch it. Gotta be at least ten, 15 feet from it,

and then you have done it. The sign started out as an advert for a

development. Hugh Hefner stepped in with celebrity friends to make it

what it is today. And it has some very rich neighbours. This is

Madonna's old house. They might have a great view from their narrow

streets, but not everyone likes what fame and new technology brings.

WOMAN: The last 0.7 miles to Hollywood sign. We have always

welcomed tourists, but this was before GPS. You had a small group

of tourists. It's like saying we're gonna put Disney Land in the middle

of a residential neighbourhood with no supervision in a big fire zone.

Sat nav systems now bring secret local spots to the masses. Look at

this. Researchs are, of course, up in arms. You're not supposed to be

parked here. It's illegal. It's dangerous. An accident could happen.

This neighbourhood is going on the offensive against traffic and

trespassing. It's a typical residents and city council row, but

this is Hollywood. You live next to a public park, you gotta expect the

public. When had you live near a Hollywood sign, people would say,

"God, I want toss live next to the Hollywood sign." The row is all

about access to the Hollywood sign. This is fantastic access. Up here

is really where all the tourists want to come to, but, of course,

they can't. We're just here because we got special permission. These

letters have been built to withstand an earthquake. So

whatever happens, the row is set to go on for a very long time.

MAN: You are trespassing and subject to arrest. Get down off the

hillside right now. Despite Europe's economic problem,

members of the European Parliament have approved more money for one of

the biggest scientific gambles of all time. It's hoped the

thermonuclear reactor will produce environmentally friendly energy

through nuclear fusion. What's slowly taking shape here in

the Southern French countryside could provide the answer to the

world's energy crisis. Or it might prove one of the most expensive

failures in scientific history. When it becomes fully operational

in 2027, the giant reactor is supposed to prove that nuclear

fusion is viable, that it can provide lots of cheap and

relatively clean energy for when fossil fuels run outment

project, in which the European Union is claberating with Russia,

the United States, India and Korea, to produce energy available for the

whole of mankind. Fusion creates energy by combining atoms, rather

than by splitting them. They need to be heated to a temperature ten

times hotter than the sun. The problem with fusion is that in all

the experiments so far they have only managed to get out a fraction

of the power that they have had to put N now, the hope of doing things

on a massive scale like this is that it will be more efficient.

That ten times the power will be produced as they put in in the

first place. Critics point out that the costs have trebled in five

years and they say the whole project is a gamble that won't pay

off. It's not realistic to think that this is going to work in this

century. This is for the next century, perhaps. All this money,

15 billion euros, would be better used, for example, at improving the

safety of the existing nuclear reactors. The European Union is

paying for nearly half of it. Brussels has just approved an extra

1.3 billion euros to cover the latest overspend. Many believe

there should be other spending priorities. We don't know whether

it will deliver what they promise. I think it's more crucial to invest

the money, what we have now, in clean technologies, which would

have a good result. Even its most powerful supporters admit the

scheme has no guarantees. It's an expensive, risky project, but it's

an option which we cannot afford not to explore. It may be a

potential source of energy, which will solve our energy needs in the

period after 2050. It's an experiment so long-term that few of

these workers will live long enough to see if it succeeds.

If you're young in Gaza, your horizons can seem pretty limited.

The United Nations estimates that youth unemployment is well over 50%.

The tiny Palestinian territory has been under a heightened blockade

ever since Hamas came to power. But a group of young men have found

release in a relatively new sport. As if Gaza wasn't dangerous enough.

This is parkour. Part gymnastics, part breakdancing. Part

rockclimbing. And for the past five years, these

three young men have been throwing themselves around the Strip.

TRANSLATION: It's a fast-moving sport using all your athletic able

tos to get from A to B as quickly and as smoothly as possible. A good

warm-up is crucial, not to mention a strong nerve.

All of them say they have broken more bones than they care to

remember. TRANSLATION: This sport is

dangerous and risky. You have to be very self-confident. Three years

ago I really damaged my teeth doing the jump badly. You have to know

what you're doing. Up can't hesitate. It you're young in Gaza,

life can be pretty dull. Everywhere you go, you see people with time on

their hands. The United Nations says around 70% of Gaza's

population is under 25. Youth unemployment is over 55%. For some,

parkour has provided an escape. TRANSLATION: Parkour helps me get

away from everyday life. When I first started, it helped me get out

of the depression I felt living in Gaza. Over the decades, Gaza has

seen all manner of conflict and destruction. Millions of dollars

worth of damage. This area around here has seen many incidents of

fierce fighting, the walls potted with bullet marks. But for the Gaza

parkour team, it's given them their playground.

TRANSLATION: The thing I really like about this sport is it gives

me freedom. There are no limits. You feel that you can cross any

obstacle. You feel nothing can stop you. And in a place like Gaza,

where the ambitions and aspirations of young people are so often

crushed, for three three at least, that counts for a lot.

Every parent tries to do their best for their children, so when it

comes to making a packed lunch to take to school, there's always

someone who will take it one step further. In Japan, the packed lunch

isn't just about being healthy and tasty, lunch has to look appealing

to the young ones. We report from Tokyo, on how the ancient Japanese

skills of food presentation have blossomed in the school lunch box.

It's lunchtime here at this kindergarten in Japan, and the

children are eager to see what their parents have made for them.

In this country, a dry sandwich wrapped in tin foil just won't do.

A pacted lunch is elevated to something near an art form. On this

table, there's some great ones. Here's Hello Kitty and a teddy bear.

Right next to her friend, a piano. Great, isn't it? Tomomi Maruo is an

acknowledged master of making character bentos, as the mostly

rice-based meals are known. She gives lessons to other mothers who

want to know how to make a packed lanch their child would be proud to

open at -- lunch their child would be proud to open at school. Is

there competition? That must be tricky? I feel, "Oh, my gosh, it's

sports day" The expectation is getting high. You have to sit next

to other mums. So I feel pressured, you know, certain pressure. So this

is - what else have you done? The teacher has kept photographs of

their best designs. So who are these, these portraits? Michael

Jackson. Michael Jackson? Mm-hm. Harrison Ford. With the Indiana

Joans hat and stubble. How do -- Indiana Jones hat and stubble. How

do you dot stubble? With little seaweed. It's fun. I enjoy doing it.

And my kids enjoy it. Back in the kindergarten, and lunch is coming

to a very noisy end. None of it lasted very long. Cute pandas, and

colourful characters. What took hours to make has been gobbled in a

And that's all from Reporters for this week. From me and the team

Hello there. Good morning. We have seen the temperatures dropping

sharply overnight. Widespread frost in Scotland, England and Wales.

Potential for icy conditions following the early showers, but

also in the morning, as wetter weather eases in from the western.

Rain from the west, but in Scotland, mainly north of the central belts,

we're gonna find some know, even at lower levels. Treacherous in the