>> this is bbc "world news america." >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs, and hong kong tourism board. >> want to know hong kong's most romantic spot? i'll show you. i love heading to repulse bay for an evening stroll. it is the perfect, stunning backdrop for making romantic moments utterly unforgettable. i've lived in this city for years, but hong kong still makes me fall in love with it time and again. >> and now, "bbc world news america."

♪ a russian president diary for 2016. we look at vladimir putin's very own calendar. ♪ alice: a very warm welcome to you. it is good to have be with us. one of the world's best-known entertainers will be in court to face sexual assault charges. american comedian bill cosby is accused of drugging and sexually abusing a woman at his home in 2004. during a brief hearing at a district court in the outskirts of the city he was freed on $1

million they'll. his lawyer says he will be exonerated following a vigorous dissent. bill cosbynt: arrived escorted by law enforcement officials to face a charge of aggravated indecent assault, the first criminal charge to arrive at from a mountain of allegations. he was released on bail of $1 million and did not enter a plea . for decades, he was an american icon. then came this. when a standup routine by a lesser known african-american comedian went viral over a year --, allegations surfaced allegations that had surfaced over the years. new momentum. women came forward saying that bill cosby had drugged and sexually assaulted them.

some of the allegations dated to the 1960's and was beyond the statute of limitations. chargesania has filed 2r andrea constand in january thousand four. the charges were filed a day before the statute of limitations were due to expire. >> on the evening in question, mr. cosby urged her to take pills that he provided, and to drink wine. the effect of which rendered her unable to move or respond to his advances. he committed aggravated indecent assault upon her. bill cosby has denied allegations against him as recently as two weeks ago. he filed defamation lawsuits .gainst several accusers now 78 years old, the man once

known as america's favorite dad could face up to 10-years in jail. david willis, bbc news. with: we are in the studio a professor from the university of pennsylvania. she specializes in women, gender, and religion. talk to me about the accusations that were brought. brought because of the transcript that came out from when he had the deposition in the case of andrea constand many years back. it outlined all of the things bill cosby said he did. andrea constand was paid out. the other women in the suit didn't get any funds. the cause of all of the uproar and the poignant cover on new york magazine that happened, that seems to have put this in the public eye. re-released transcript

statements before the trial made it impossible for people to ignore. it is also a different time. alice: remind me how big of a figure will cause me is --bill cosby is in america. he is a moral figure, the head of a family. show the 1980's bill cosby was washed by millions. he was a father figure to many african-americans. because of the things that he did, respectability that he spoke about, education, that kind of thing. he became an iconic figure, in part not just because of the fictional character he put trade, but the messages he put out. to have these accusations have been troubling for many people. alice: how has his own family reacted to all of this? >> what his wife did a few

months ago was very telling. she tried to this march -- she tried to besmirch the stories of the women accusing him. she is a philanthropist involved with many black universities. for the family, it must be embarrassing. before the obama's, they were the first black family. this has troubled many people. it is difficult to think of bill cosby with these elected charges. alice: of course. could this be the start of things to come in a legal sense for bill cosby? this is the first time he has been charged. you think we will see other accusations follow? >> i think we will get he has recently sued a few of the women that have accused him. that will take an interesting turn. two weeks ago.

now, you will see more women come out of the woodwork. whatever happens in the case, his public reputation is destroyed. that is something you cannot get back, even when you are pronounced not guilty. it is hard to get that kind of reputation back. he is an older man. even the mug shot shows how much of a told us as taken on him. alice: how do you think bill cosby has handled himself throughout the preceding? >> i would say, arrogant. he has said, i have not done this -- which he has the right to do -- but he has had a high and mighty position against others doing transgressions. to watch him in this position is very terrible in a certain sense, but it another you might have said he reaped what he sowed. alice: many thanks. professor anthony from the

university of pennsylvania. thank you. agency, nasa, has warned about the effects of el niño. it could be as bad as 1998, the strongest on record. it was late to strong floods in paraguay, uruguay, and brazil. 38 people have died in the state of missouri after days of flooding. correspondent: the worst flooding is across missouri. it is more reminiscent of spring than winter. it is the result of spring-like warmth across this part of the usa, fueling exceptional rainfall amounts. missouri had its wettest november on record. twice the normal average rainfall. that has been followed by an exceptionally wet december. they are concerned about the water levels on the mississippi as a result.

better news in terms of the weather is high pressure is building in to settle things down. the water levels will remain high. blamed for theg exceptional rainfall across southern brazil, northern argentina, paraguay, and uruguay . this is only the early part of the rainy season, which extends through january and february. it is a well-known fact that during a strong el niño that tends to enhance rainfall across this part of the world. there could be more problems to come in the months ahead. el niño is potentially to blame for the store and slamming into the u.k., bringing extensive flooding. the latest storm was so powerful moving across iceland, it has pushed warm air into the arctic. at the north full, temperatures are slightly above freezing. when the warm air pushes north,

it should normally be -25 at this time of the year. alice: u.k. has been hit by severe weather. it is cleaning up after widespread flooding in the north. one of the worst cases is dumb freeze in scotland. correspondent: knowing can say the word worried up out the -- they weren't warned about the flooding. people acted fast to move people away. it flooded this part of town a withbut rarely like this 120 millimeters of rain over 24-hours. they did what they could to hold the waters back. but it was all in vain. when the flooding hit in the midafternoon, it left

businesses. many are saying with the damage is before they can think about clearing up. the river has doubled in with. in terms of intensity it is much bigger. it is impressive very people have come down to see. if you are a business on the opposite side of the river, you will not be impressed by what is happening. at the town's marina, boarding this vessel was made a risky business. the tall ship has never stood as tall as this. the saving grace is that few residential properties have been affected, but it isn't over. >> some businesses suffered badly. some will struggle to get going. correspondent: in southwest scotland, it was the first place to see evacuations. people try to salvage the property they could.

passengers had to be rescued from this service bus. coast guard and the royal navy helped with this one. near the queen's residence, hundreds were forced to leave their homes. with which the speed the waters rose was a surprise. even to those who thought they had seen it all. >> very very quick. i have never seen it as high as this. correspondent: tonight, floodwaters are still high. only tomorrow's a will reveal the damage caused. bbc news. alice: a teenager from texas and to mother have won a delay their extradition from mexico, where they fled for breaking the probation. even couch became known in the u.s. as the affluenza teen which a drugial in

driving crash killed four people. his lawyer argued that he was so spoiled by his parents that he could not tell the difference between right and wrong. canceling fireworks amid the extreme andtacks by spirit if follows the rest of 2 islamic state members over an alleged plot to attack partygoers in the belgian capital. isitary clothing and propaganda were found. 2 were found in molenbeek during a police raid linked to the paris attacks. turkish police have detained two men plotting a suicide attack targeting new year's revelers in the turkish capital of ankara. ball bearings were among the items seized. they had staked out

potential targets in ankara. a new year's fireworks display in paris has been canceled. there is a visible police presence at landmark's. that is where 130 people were killed on november 13. soldiers will be deployed across france on thursday. i spoke with an expert on countering violent extremism a university in canada. i asked him if canceling the fireworks in brussels was the right decision. >> the government would not have taken that decision if they had not believed it was necessary. the authorities look at intelligence. examine it. determine the level of threat. they found and determined it was at such a level that warranted canceling the event. otherwise, they probably would not have been able to guarantee

the safety of the people attending the new year's gathering. is is'what do you think strategy at the moment in targeting people in these particular countries over the new year festivities? >> i think is' strategy for the 2016 --'s holidays, and in the context of what is is currently experiencing, we know they have lost territory in iraq and syria. they still hold on to quite a bit of territory, but it seems as though there is momentum .gainst is is' strategy is to show it isn't on the defense, that it is continuing to go on the offensive. attacks on in of the west, if they can pull them off, they have the resources to do so, they would help in shaping perceptions. not just global perceptions, but

people who support is. the leadership of is once to sustain the perception that they are on the march, and not being defeated. u.n.: still to come, the confirms one million refugees and migrants have reached europe sea. we report from a germantown offering hundreds a new home. >> the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted is underway with the introduction of the euro. >> tomorrow we will be in upland using money we picked in belgium. then in france it will be the same. it has to be the way to go. ♪ the former beatle, george harrison, is recovering after being stabbed at his home.

a 33-year-old man from liverpool is being interviewed on suspicion of attempted murder. >> i think it was good. >> just good? >> no, fantastic. >> that's better. [bell ringing] ♪ is bbc "world news america." with me, alex baxter. bill cosby is in court in pennsylvania after being charged with the legends actual assault 12 years ago. his lawyer expects him to be exonerated. the new year's festivities in brussels has been canceled due to security reasons. 8 miners have been found alive after being trapped or five days in a collapsed mine

province.ng they have not freed them, but they have gotten supplies to them. steven evans has more. stephen: rescue his board if underground, where they think the miners are trapped. 17 were caught behind a rock fall. it was so severe it was detected at china's earthquake monitoring center. after five days of effort, infrared cameras detected life. holes were made and contact was established. please, be calm and wait patiently. we are sending you food soon. are they saying? everybody, be quiet. what do you need? miner's lights.

we will send food. right now. wait a second. please, drink some nutrition liquid first. ok. we got it. 8 are still alive. food and lights are being sent down. conditions underground are treacherous. rescuers have to retreat in the ofe of sudden in rushes water and rock falls. the authorities are keen to be seen doing everything possible. their sensitivity of the safety record of chinese heavy industry. chinese tv is playing video of officials directing operations at the scene. a criminal investigation is underway to see if negligence caused the emergency underground. over the weekend, the mine owner

jumped down a mine shaft to his death. they say it was suicide. ,teven evans, bbc news beijing. have arrived,s many making the perry ellis journey across the mediterranean. many are in germany. welcoming has been warm, but many are struggling. jenny hill is seeing how the town of abensberg is adapting. jenny: it is the promised land of europe. you come to a small town. this is abensberg. 14,000 people live here. now, it is also home to 200 refugees, and counting. it is new territory. shelterdge of town, a

to accommodate dozens of people. it won't be enough. undoubtedly, the refugee crisis is changing germany. even its chancellor admits that. 2015 was the year angela merkel said we can do it. 2016 is the year in which she will have to prove it. people like this who have to make it work. she finds homes, jobs, and german teachers for abensberg's new arrivals. >> the people who came here, it's ok. next year, they will come more people. jenny: the german economy needs new workers, new blood. at the local brewery they have little time for angela merkel's open door refugee policies.

course, we must help the war refugees. we should take fewer economic migrants. the politicians say it will fill gaps in the labor market, but of one million people only 1/3 will get a job. the rest will be a burden to the welfare system. jenny: this young woman cannot wait to work. she taught biology in syria. abensberg is home. have you encountered difficulty as a muslim moving to this country? the'm not acceptable in religion and tradition here. it is their country. i come to this country. i must accept this tradition and religion. i also have my own religion. i cannot change it, it is mine. and my tradition also. abensberg is a tourist

town in conservative country. politicians worry. support is growing for the populist anti-refugee party. >> abensberg is rich. we can manage, but there are limits. we manage at the price of social cohesion. if the same number of refugees arrives next year, germany will change. bavaria,bensberg, in do not want things to change. that is impossible. it is a tug-of-war. jenny: they take christmas seriously in abensberg. what comes next will not only define this town, but germany itself. jenny hill, bbc news, abensberg. alice: 2015 so vladimir putin make russia and himself central to some of the most pressing issues of the day -- such as the conflict in eastern ukraine and russia. his personality is manifesting

itself in a range of ways, including the 2016 calendar. steve rosenberg is looking through one. how would you like to spend a whole year with vladimir putin? now's your chance. presenting the putin calendar, 2016. ♪ january, february, march, april, may, june, july. january, february, march, april, may, june, july. september, october, november, december. august, september, october, november, december. ♪ steve: with this calendar, you

don't only get pictures, you get words of wisdom. this is march. vladimir putin with a flower of his nose and the words, i like all russian women. i think russian women are the most talented and beautiful. october, military garb and a serious expression. no one will succeed in gaining military superiority over russia, putin says. the next month, slightly less serious, vladimir putin says dogs and i have very warm feelings toward one another. judging by the pictures this will be a big year for russia. the rio olympics -- will russian taketes be allowed to part? september, parliamentary elections. the last time russians voted for parliament, it sparked giant antigovernment street protests. you really want this face, a

russian president, staring at you day in and out for 365 days. personally, for my 2016 calendar, i will do what a lot of russians do and go chinese. year of thethe monkey, instead of a whole year of vladimir putin. alice: you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. we love to hear from you. thank you for watching. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by -- the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation -- giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation -- pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs, and hong kong tourism board. >> want to know hong kong's most romantic spot? i'll show you. i love heading to repulse bay for an evening stroll. it is the perfect, stunning backdrop for making romantic

moments utterly unforgettable. i've lived in this city for years, but hong kong still makes me fall in love with it time and again. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.

captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> ifill: good evening. i'm gwen ifill. judy woodruff is away. on the newshour tonight, deadly flooding from the mississipi river forces evacuations in missouri and illinois. also ahead, after decades' worth of sexual assault accusations, bill cosby faces criminal charges for the first time. did the u.s. government spy on israeli government officials as they lobbied congress on the iran nuclear deal? plus, michael pollan comes to the defense of food: the best- selling author proposes an alternative way to eat. >> we need to kind of take back control offour diet from industry which is really trying to get us at every stage to eat and drink more than we en