>> record economic growth in germany phelps the europeans outpaced the u.s. what surprises is the web site wikileaks have left to reveal. flood waters are still rising in pakistan. independence day celebrations have been scrapped. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast on pbs and around the globe. discharged and disgraced, the war hero who took on a sri lanka's president and lost. are you just a picky eater or could it be down to your genes?

>> with many doubts still hanging over the european economy, there is a ray of hope. germany posted its biggest quarterly growth since reunification. the economy expanded by 2.2%, driven by strong exports. the french economy also performed better than expected. gdp increased by 0.6%. spain managed some improvement. >> it has been a tumultuous few months for the -- 40 euro zone. workers protesting about tough spending cuts, by there is --

but there is better news on the economy with the strong growth. the traditional powerhouse germany led the way with the biggest expected output boost driven by exporting companies. it was a pleasant surprise for the nation's economy. >> we have tremendous figure is considering our gdp growth and main rivals are the exports and investments in machinery. >> germany's growth figures were ahead of other european and economy is. -- other european economies. others are still struggling, like greece where output fell over the same period. all that is important for british exporters like this one that benefits from growing and european economies.

this manufacturer is seen accelerating sales thanks to foreign customers. >> exports are vital to our business. we have to look at new markets. exports in european countries are vital to the growth of our business. >> here is an example. what is made in essex is bought by shoppers in paris. if french consumers are feeling confident, that is good news for the u.k. economy. what does the future hold? there is anxiety in france and other euro zone economy is about whether the pace of recovery can be sustained. there are signs of confidence ebbing amidst fears about

government cuts. we cannot assume there will be another big step up next time. >> when a secret military documents were leaked onto the net it caused an outcry and concern. a former director of the cia told the bbc another leak is inevitable because of the way intelligence has been shared. there could be another 750,000 classified documents yet to come out. they provide an unprecedented new view of war, but do they offer more clarity? debate rages over the wikileaks disclosures. the suspicion is there is more documents. >> we think they may have

another 500,000 records from the iraq war from the same period. they may also have 260,000 state department diplomatic cables. >> suspicion has fallen on u.s. private bradley manning. many intelligence experts also suspect another culprit. one is the post 9/11 pushed to share more intelligence to prevent a repeat of the failures. >> we always knew this was a danger where something like this could happen because we have moved into a world in which more and permission is more available to more people. this is the dark side of that virtue. >> the u.s. intelligence industry has mushroomed.

an investigation found 854,000 people hold a top-secret clearances. 1200 government organizations work on intelligence issues and 1000 private companies. in the world of cyber security, so much of the focus has been on protecting the system from outside attacks, but the inside job was a combination of the technology, lowering of security barriers and access that gives low level operatives to a vast array of them permission. the failed detroit airliner bombing shows u.s. intelligence still struggles to connect the dots. the suspect's father told the u.s. embassy of his concerns and there were reports of a suspect meeting militance in yemen.

he is restricting that internal flow is not an answer to stemming leaks. >> i would be the last dukeland this will never happen again. -- i will be the last to claim this will never happen again. >> pakistan is still in the grip of disaster. for those who escaped floods, disease and hunger are new threats. the president scrapped the independence day celebration. the un is warning of more rising floodwaters in provinces where the indus river runs. >> it is a disaster of epic proportions. for a nation already broke,

another huge burden to bear. the floods have killed 1600 people so far. aid agencies are warning disease could bring a second wave of deaths. they are worried about malaria and infections. the most vulnerable are the young and the old, but the biggest problem is diarrhea which can be fatal. so far 36,000 acute cases have been registered. this man is one of them. just four-years old. this is what diarrhea can do. we found him today in a makeshift clinic in a camp in northwest pakistan.

his mother tries to revive him. but he can barely move. >> i was hoping he would get better soon, but he does not even know i am here. >> this one-year-old lies beside him, still strong enough to cry, another victim of diarrhea. the clinic looks like a health hazard with flies all over the floor. another risk for the ball marble. doctors are seeing -- another risk for the bull marble. doctors are seeing thousands every day. most are ill with and diarrhea. many get sick all over again as

soon as they go back to their tents. doing the rounds here, this doctor is a volunteer. he has enough drugs but is desperate for vaccines. >> we have to safeguard the children against typhoid and cholera. if collar or breaks out, there will be death everywhere. >> the red cross says children are dying right now because they don't have clean water. this boy look better later in the day. doctors say he will recover, but many others could die for nothing. >> he commanded the shrill laska army and was a national hero -- commanded the sri lanka are made. the general is likely to be

stripped of his rank and medals for getting involved in politics while still in uniform. >> not so long ago he was a war hero praise for leading the armed forces to their victory over the separatists. his reputation for toughness and hardline nationalism was unmatched. he then came the transformation, disgruntled with the president and his brothers, angry at what he saw taking all the credit and false accusations against him, he retired early in the campaign with all his might to oust him from the presidency. he sought to take back the credit for the wars achievements.

>> [unintelligible] i liberated them at the command of the army. the brunt of the campaign was taken by the army. we liberated them from the [unintelligible] >> he got 40% of the vote with allegiance from unlikely quarters, including many who wanted him ousted. the general lost and was arrested days later. he has been in military custody ever since. he is convicted of playing politics before he left the armed forces. >> senior officials have been denouncing the general so this verdict was not a surprise and he is in for more difficulties because there are other charges still pending in military and civil courts.

>> stay with us on "bbc world news." still to come, iraq united in harmony for one of the country's new musicians, it has become more than just a dream. another tainted food scandal may be emerging in china. tainted milk powder has caused premature sexual development. the company denies any wrongdoing. >> baby milk and china is investigating reports of contamination after the media claimed or munns had been put into the powder that caused premature sexual development in girls. one father took his daughter in for medical tests after feeding her the milk powder three weeks ago. >> the hospital confirmed my

daughter is sexually premature, but they have no proposals for treatment. >> parents reported their daughters as young as four months have been found with abnormal levels of hormones, including prolactin which stimulates breast milk. >> i don't know how to select milk powder for my child. should i believe experts or the official department. >> the company that makes the milk denies the allegations. >> we would never at hormones during the production process. why would we do this? >> two years ago china took action against a different company accused of putting industrial chemicals into baby milk.

company directors were taken to court and two sentenced to death. recent surveys showed two-thirds of chinese people worry about food safety. the government says a special panel is looking into these latest fears. >> the latest headlines, germany's record recovery is boosting the economic performance of other nations. with flood waters still rising, there are warnings of a second wave of deaths in pakistan from waterborne diseases. opinion polls suggest public support for the nato mission is dwindling. officials tell you this is because of the fighting in the south. nato forces are also active in the north. we found locals keen that u.s.

-- nee no forces should stay for now. >> three decades ago the nato army stumbled into the area through this bridge. 100,000 soldiers are going across this bridge and leaving behind a country in ruins. what will the army's leave behind when they finally quit afghanistan? nato took as number 2 this town that was a success story. insurgent attacks have been on the rise, including roadside bombs and the south. this has long been one of the more secure areas. today, there is a building boom and the west wants to develop the economy.

the american aid agency is hoping to paint a brighter future for afghans, investing in new equipment so business can expand. [unintelligible] >> we don't have a bad insurgency because we don't share a border with pakistan. the taliban came from pakistan. >> with unemployment almost 70% of workers at this factory are grateful to have jobs. many of them are women, like this woman with five children. >> she tells me nato troops must stay so her children go up safely -- grow up safely.

>> most people laid pretty normal lives. they say they have a sense of security and have worked in this village. their only worry is that could change. posters are up for next month's parliamentary vote. it is already leading to more tensions. some candidates have been threatened at and killed. afghan forces will be in charge of security. american soldiers are training the afghan border salesian -- afghan border police. this bridge was built by the soviets for their invasion and with drawl after losses. nato has been here nine years. for all the hard work, many afghans fear nato forces leave too soon their legacy may be little better than the russians.

>> news from iraq, not all i iraqis are preoccupied all the time by their security and stresses of life. the new national youth orchestra just performed in kurdistan. our correspondent went to watch and listen. ♪ >> 22 musicians from all over the country performing an iraqi composition in baghdad. ♪ if it is a bittersweet peace reflecting the mood swings of iraq possibly later capital. believe third -- their capital. it is partly funded by the

british council. it was created by a young baghdad music student. >> i was given an opportunity to campaign for something i believe in. the opportunity pop up just like that. ♪ >> this is an amazing achievement for a 19-year-old student. it is a success and is moving, but it is not in baghdad. that is the dream. >> is kind of hard thinking there are two places in iraq were one is safe and the other is not. hopefully baghdad will be saved next year. -- will be safe. >> the main challenge was choosing the musicians.

>> many of them are a self- taught. many don't have access to the quality of teachers we can bring here. many have never played in any form of group at all. >> many of them did not have access to unstable baghdad. they auditioned on youtube. ♪ they also play [unintelligible] music that is a messenger of peace in a troubled land. [applause] >> immigration officials in canada have begun processing several hundred people believed to be migrants from sri opera thrived on vancouver island.

they have been at sea for three months. officials are screening passengers and want to find members of the tigers. sierra leone's human-rights commission wants police to hand over uncut diamonds given to naomi campbell given to her by charles taylor. she told the war crimes crile she received a late night gift of -- war kind -- war crimes trial she received a late night gift of diamonds. an american charity warns thousands of children could starve to death without emergency aid. the director of helen keller international told the bbc drought has wiped out crops and malnutrition rates are dropping -- topping 20%. russia says it will take a key

step towards starting up and -- starting a reactor in iran's first nuclear power station. it could be six months before the reactor is fully operational. the white house shows this shows tehran has no need to pursue its own program. what is it that makes some people happy to eat anything while others run at the site of broccoli or fish? picky eaters are usually dismissed as fussy, but scientists find evidence this may be in your genes. >> this woman is a typical picky eater. she likes half a dozen different foods and will not touch anything else. >> cherry tomatoes, i would like to like them but i cannot get past the squish.

>> her aversion to the texture of food is not unusual. others say they don't like the smell of food, raising the possibility that they are born with genes that affects their sensory perception. researchers launched a nationwide survey. >> there are a lot of places for people to tell their story. we want this to be somewhat open-ended so people can share what their experiences have been like. >> this is what this woman orders for lunch every day. she only eats plane meat and potatoes, but says that is okay. >> the worst thing is the social aspect. everybody's life revolves around food. let's get together and have a big meal. that is not something i enjoy it. >> jennifer comes from a long

line of picky eaters and believes this is genetic. thousands of picky eaters have already responded to this survey. even if the research cannot find a reason why, picky eaters hope it will give their food issues a recognition and remove some of the social stigma. >> a crate of scottish whisky trapped in antarctic ice for a century has finally been opened. it was recovered and 11 bottles were wrapped in paper to protect them from freezing temperatures. the case was frozen but the whiskey was not. it will not be tasted by whisky lovers, it will be preserved. you will find much more on that and international news any time on line at bbc.com. get in touch with me on twitter.

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