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>> somewhere in america, there's a doctor who can peer into the future. there's a nurse who can access in an instant every patient's past. and because the whole hospital is working together, there's a family who can breathe easy right now. somewhere in america we've already answered some of the nation's toughest health-care questions. and the over 60,000 people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. >> and now, "bbc world news." >> making the case for religion. the pope delivers an historic speech. >> i cannot avoid my concern. [unintelligible] this is taking place in some quarters in that nations which places emphasis on tolerance.

>> police in london and arrest six men in connection with the plot to harm the pope. high security as afghanistan prepares for a landmark elections. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast on pbs and around the globe. coming up, karachi shuts down after a politician is murdered in london. approaching the end of his trip, our correspondent goes to the depth of despair among the pakistani flood victims. >> every time we are surrounded by those affected by the flood comes up we are hoping we are here to help.

>> the pope has issued a rallying cry for religion in an historic speech made to the british parliament. the pope said the world of faith and secular rationality needed one another. religion and christianity was being marginalized. >> this was the secular centerpiece of the pope's visit, an address to politicians in westminster. he was sentenced to death for putting got it for politics. >> the nation's political

institutions [unintelligible] in the process great britain has emerged as a democracy which places great value on freedom of speech and [unintelligible] with a strong sense of [unintelligible] the quality of all citizens. >> he also voiced concern at the more rationalization of religion in a modern society. -- concern of the commercialization of religion -- marginalization. there are those who would [unintelligible] at least relegated to the [unintelligible]

[unintelligible] freedom of religion, but also the role of [unintelligible] >> it was a short journey by the pope mobile to westminster abbey. at the door pope benedict was introduced to the reverand. the first time this opponents of female ordination has shaken hands with a clergywoman in public. >> as the pontiff and primate of england process of the aisle, the symbolism was about a coming together of two traditions. >> on behalf of the christian communities, we welcome you to this great shrine which has

been of such significance. >> i came here from rome to pray [unintelligible] [unintelligible] >> the piece of the lord be always with you. [applause] >> despite the appearance of unity, serious differences remain between the church of england and the roman catholic church, but today both traditions agreed on the pope's central message, the need for religion to have a recognized voice in the public sphere. >> security is extremely tight and central london after police arrested six men with a plot against the pope.

>> just two miles to where the pope is this evening, police officers searching for -- searching through cars. the cleaners arrived for work. the police were acting on a tipoff that five cleaners were preparing to attack the pope. the people arrested were five men of north african origin, including one algerian. they were all employed by the environmental services to have a contract to sweep the streets. a sixth man was arrested in north london. the information came in late last night and they were unable to disprove it. they felt they had to arrest the men this morning. >> the security policy has

involved a difficult balance between protecting an international figure and making a religious leader accessible to the crowds. >> what we know is not much more than what you know. we can say we are confident in the work of the police. we have [unintelligible] >> everyone in the vatican is aware of how close the attempted assassination came to success in 1981. he was shot four times and was rushed to the hospital with massive blood loss. it is the $64,000 question. how much vision do you give? how relaxed do you get? interestingly enough, the pope

got face to face with some who wanted to meet him. there were a lot of security forces also. >> scotland yard said arrangements did not change because of this morning's arrest. detectives have not found anything suspicious, but the five street sweepers are still in custody. >> cedro boring a rescue toll has reached the miners trapped underground for 43 days. it will take weeks for the whole to bere-drilled. the drill is called the machine of miracles. three people were killed in the kashmir when security forces opened fire during a demonstration. the indian army joined the police and military forces in

trying to restore order. this came on the sixth day of a curfew and other parts of the valley. hiv infections have declined by more than one quarter in sub- saharan africa. the figures show that country's including nigeria, ethiopia and the zimbabwe are leading the drop in new infections. absurd is the verdict of rwanda's president dukeland that troops may have committed genocide. they may have been involved in the mass killing of thousands of refugees who fled to congo. speaking to the bbc, the president explained why he was enraged by the report. >> [unintelligible]

[unintelligible] a genocide that took place. the thinking that there was a genocide [unintelligible] [unintelligible] the whole process of investigation, and if you read the report it speaks to its own weaknesses. the people behind did -- behind it. [unintelligible]

>> they go to the polls on saturday for the second parliamentary elections. the taliban warned afghans if they cast their ballots they will be punished. 2500 afghans are competing in these polls. >> there is a new look in afghan politics this year. this 30-year-old tells his campaign team they should emphasize he is young, educated and can serve the people. he is one of hundreds of afghans who have decided they see democracy has a future for them. >> if we want to build a peaceful process then we need to stand up and say we can bring peace to this country.

that is why i am standing here. >> it is a message some afghans will vote for. >> we hope these new faces will solve problems. look at this. it is full of unemployed people. >> everywhere you look there is a reminder of the past. mostf this country's powerful politicians is [unintelligible] this is a former commander and human rights groups accuse him of war crimes. these men tell me he is a strong man who will fight for them in parliament. it is about looking strong. lunch is provided at his headquarters.

politics still works in the traditional ways. if you are powerful than voters come to you. if you get the support of these tribal elders, you get the votes of their communities. >> he handed over his weapons years ago. he is accused of war crimes. critics say it has should have barred people like him. but he says he fought with a gun in a war and now fights with a pen. in this race for the people's vote, some prefer turbans and some ties. whatever choice afghans make will shape the face of their future. >> you are watching "bbc world

news." we will introduce you to the mosque and a box. a mobil prairie unit for the mobile muslim. -- prayer unit. prince william has graduated the royal air force helicopter pilot. he will become part of the busiest search and rescue fleet off the coast of wales. >> he spent the past 19 months progressing through the training program. there have been assimilated rescue missions, they kind he will be doing for real. flights over the atlantic where ships can run into trouble. and in the mountains where every year his squadron is called out to rescue climbers in difficulty.

today the training came to an end and william was given a badge. they say he has done it on merit. >> he has completed the course successfully. he is here on his own right. >> he will be the co-pilot of the helicopter and then in command. those who know him say he is determined to make success of it. the domestic side of his life will have to fit in and around it. while he is on duty he will live on the base ready to respond when the calls for help are received. every year hundreds of people find themselves in mortal danger and william bewails will be one of the people coming to their rescue.

anyone making bogus calls could be charged with the cost of the operation. >> you are watching "bbc world news." pope benedict delivers an address to parliament. he warns the voice of religion is under threat. thousands of afghan troops are being deployed for the parliamentary elections. pakistan's biggest city is on high alert after the death of a politician. one of the leaders of a party was killed outside his home. life has come to a standstill with the threats of strikes. >> this is the scene of the

crime, a normally quiet street where this man was stabbed several times. paramedics tried to save him but he was pronounced dead an hour later. no arrests have been made so far. >> i have demanded of the british government to find out the killer and bring them to justice and uncovered if there is any conspiracy linked to this assassination. >> mourners gathered as soon as they heard the news. some people are trying to destroy the peace. this murder is a big shame. >> businesses closed for respect.

the largest city brought to a standstill. at least one store was set on fire in protest. the security forces were on alert for trouble. the murder last month triggered a wave of violence in which 80 people were killed. one of the founders of the mqm went into hiding in 1992 when a cleanup was launched against the strong arm tactics, including kidnapping and murder. he insisted charges against him were politically motivated. he had been living in the u.k. since he was granted asylum in 1999. the question now is who murdered him and why? >> let's stay in pakistan where two months since the floods the

country is struggling to cope with the impact of the disaster. the international community must do more to help. all this week we have been traveling along the indus river. these reports come from one of the hardest hit areas. >> the families that used to live here have homes and a community, but it was all swept away. it is a sad indication of how desperate people are. every time there is a car they are hoping we are here to help. weeks after the disaster, most are dependent on handouts and have no means of helping themselves. >> at least someone got something by the government.

that is why i can honestly tell you nobody has died of starting. >> it is not going as smoothly as the government says. there is not enough aid to go around. this descends into chaos. flood victims tired of waiting for food take matters into their own hands with dozens jumping onto the aid trucks. the decision is made to get the vehicle away from the rest of the crowd. a truck is driven down the highway filled with people still trying to cling on. some managed to get off some distance away. the incident illustrated dave plight of so many across this nation -- the pitiful plight.

>> a military court of sri lanka convicted the former military chief of corruption. sarath fonseka was found guilty. his lawyers told the bbc he would be appealing against the conviction for which she could be sentenced for three years in prison. officials in the sri lanka say 25 people were killed by an accidental detonation. the police station near the city where the explosives were stored was destroyed. hurricane is moving over mexico after making landfall. it has been downgraded with winds of 175 kilometers. officials say the hurricanes strong winds mean it is still dangerous and urged residents to stay indoors.

the exiled leader has been arrested in poland. he lives in britain and is wanted by russia for kidnapping and murder. this dates from the first chechnya war in the 1990's. >> he was aware of the warnings from the polish authorities they may rest him. he did not believe it would happen. he was escorted to the polish prosecutors office. he was prominent in the chechnya war that started in the mid 1990's. first as a fighter and then a member of the government. he is a wanted man in russia. he is accused of being behind

several attacks in russia. he has always denied charges against him. they have lots of support among those he was due to meet in poland. >> he was legally taking part of the resistance of his country. you have the same thing in this country. he was doing his duty to sort things out. >> the timing might be important when you consider the relations between poland and russia. months ago dmitry medvedev was in poland to attend dave president of the -- attended the funeral of the late president. they may find there is not

enough evidence to send him in moscow's direction. he may be a free man once again. that is for the courts to decide. >> a businessman who is the imam of a large mosque has come up with a new idea to help muslims too busy to pray. he thinks he has hit on a winner. >> is the ultimate gadget for the bitter -- busied modern lifestyle. it is the mosque in a box. it folds out to recreate the perfect environment for prayer. >> prayer is norris meant for the soul. you have to be in the right -- nourishment for the soul.

we cannot always drop things in an instant to go pray. >> the three panels decorated with the arabic script [unintelligible] is positioned in the direction of mecca and particularly good for women who are faced with a new law that will soon bandy -- soon ban the burqa. up to 600 models for the super deluxe version. with the country of a growing population of muslims, you might be praying for a tidy profit. >> this next story is one that we could not make up. a parrot has been detained after

a drug gang used the bird as a lookout. he was trained to screech run during drug raids. the bird has barely stopped talking since his arrest. you can find that story and much more online at bbc.com. you can see what we are working on on our facebook page. coming up, more success stories from the world of commerce. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank.

>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> i'm julia stiles. >> i'm kevin bacon. >> i'm kim cattrall. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lili taylor. >> i'm henry louis gates, jr., and public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can count on. >> for conversations beyond the sound bites. >> a commitment to journalism. >> for deciding who to vote for. >> i'm kerry washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.