has cut its global expertise to work for a wide variety of companies. what can we do for you? >> and now bbc world news. >> celebration's were sabotaged. bomb blasts killed eight on the day that nigeria marks 50 years of independence. ecuador's president is free by the army while in the grip of his own police force. bmw recalls thousands of cars because of a potential problem with the brakes. welcome to bbc world news. coming up later for you, a small step or a giant leap? china is closer to sending a man to the moon. ♪ and the musical triumph that has become an institution. "les miserables" celebrates its

25th anniversary. it should have been in day of celebration for nigerians as they mark 50 years of independence from britain. but the events were marked by two car bomb attacks near the main square of the capital city. at least eight people were killed. the biggest nigerian rebel group issued a bomb warning today. >> threats of bomb attacks and explosions. three of them sounded through the capital as nigeria celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence. earlier in the day, and militant group known as the movement for the emancipation for the niger delta sent a warning about an

attack, telling people to keep away from the independence celebration. for years, the armed group has been in violent confrontation with the government and oil greatercompanies, demanding a share of oil resources. but today, it was an act of terror. there have been fatalities. there are too many to count at this point. there are a number of injuries as well. there is a lot of confusion. people are waiting to find out what happened. despite the rambling chaos, celebrations went on with president goodluck jonathan handing out medals. it has started out as a day of jubilation and a show of how not -- how far nigeria has come. suddenly, a swift and brutal reminder of the harsh realities

and challenges this country still faces. >> the president of ecuador has said he will punish the police officers who staged what he called a failed attempt at a coup on thursday. he gave a televised address saying that there will be no forgetting or forgiveness for the revolt which saw him attacked with tear gas, trapped for hours in the hospital, and eventually rescued by the ecuadoran army appeare. >> of the present was overcome by tear gas. -- >> the president was overcome by tear gas. the police did not like his plans to cut their pay. a gas canister exploded nearby. he was hustled away to hospital. it was there that the chaos escalated. people coward in the corridors

as police laid siege to the hospital. after 12 hours, the president was rescued by the army and police special units. then gunfire broke out again. one of his bodyguards fell. at least three people are dead and 37 are wounded. he emerged safely near a the presidential palace to throngs of supporters. >> those who attack their own people and abused the weapons given to them by society are a disgrace to the police uniform. of course, everyone who is convicted of involvement will face a suitable punishment. >> people will have taken to the states in support of the

president. crucially, he retains the backing of the army. >> the armed forces will fulfill their obligation to insure the state of emergency as decreed by the national government. we appeal to all of our fellow citizens to collaborate with this task so the state can return to normality. >> ecuador's and military is now attempting to restore order. the past three presidents have been deposed. the survivor -- the survival of the current regime remains in the balance. >> the former military leader of pakistan has launched a new political party. it is the all pakistan muslim league he spoke in london, -- all pakistan muslim league. he spoke in london. the united states has apologized

for infecting hundreds of people in guatemala with gonorrhea and syphilis during medical tests almost 60 years ago. many of the subjects were psychiatric patients and prisoners who did not give their consent. the international labor organization says that global employment is not likely to recover from the financial crisis until 2015. that is two years later than previously forecast. toe ilo blamed the switch fro austerity plans. bmw has recalled vehicles, including rolls-royce. there was a problem with the braking system on the cars. the company says that drivers have to use more pressure than they should when they are breaking. a bmw spokesman says that there is no immediate danger to drivers. >> rolls-royce is a bmw's flagship brand.

the super-luxurious machines sell for six-figure sums and are meant to symbolize the the highest standards of engineering prowess. it was more than little embarrassed and that they are included in the mechanical recall, along with three other bmw models. bmw says the problem is related to hydraulic leaks in the power- assisted picking system, which could reduce the overall power of the bridge. -- power-assisted braking system, which could reduce the overall power of the brakes. there have been no reported accidents. recalls are common in the industry and this one is much smaller than many. tokyo recently had to recall 8 million cars to two concerns -- toyota recently had to recall 8 million cars due to concerns.

>> the government of pakistan is investigating a video footage of that appears to show uniformed soldiers shooting a group of unarmed and blindfolded man. the pictures, which emerged on the internet, are said to have been shot in the valley. that cannot be independently verified. -- theyen't asked to have been asked by the united states to investigate further. >> blindfolded, unarmed, and apparently being led to the slaughter. the blurry footage is alleged to have been filmed last year during the army's offensive against the taliban. we cannot verify its origin or authenticity.

six young men are lined up. do you know the kalma? he asks them. that is the profession of faith before death. then men dressed in military uniform take aim and fire. [gunfire] the pictures are too disturbing to show. the crumpled figures are shot again at close range as the wounded moan and cry. we asked this retired pakistani general to analyze the footage. >> it is very serious. >> he cannot be certain either way. but he says that some aspects seem credible. >> the troops seem to be trained and professional. they give an impression that they have an experience of

combat and they are not immature. it looks as though it is a g-3 rifle and the uniforms will look like the ones that the pakistan army wares. >> standard issue. >> yes. >> at their headquarters, the army says the authenticity of the footage is questionable. but it is being investigated. a spokesman told us that army uniforms are freely available at local markets. he said the scene in the video could have been staged in five minutes. he dismissed the footage as propaganda. this is not the first time the army has been accused of carrying out executions. there are claims that there have been scores of killings in the past years. defended theis t army. >> its -- a soldier is

responsible. there is a chain of command. i do not think anyone can question the discipline. >> but questions are being asked, including the white house. washington is calling on pakistan to investigate the video fully. >> the united nations has published its report in two mass killings in the democratic republic of congo. it dittos events between 1993 and 2003. basic to account for the mass killing of hutu people there. they accused rwanda and ugandan army is of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and possibly genocide. >> the united nations officials around the world have been waiting to see if the language in the published report would change. the leaked draft spoke in one

key section of systematic and widespread attacks against hutus in congo which could be classified as planned -- as crimes of genocide appeared in the end, the thrust of the published report was -- genocide. in the end, the thrust of the publish report was widespread attacks. however, u.n. officials insist they will follow up on the human rights violations in congo. >> these are issues for a court of law to decide. our report is a mapping report. we are mapping out the scale of the violations. we say that serious violations have taken place in the republic of congo. >> this diplomatic flurry does not change the bloody history of central africa. one place to begin understanding that is in rwanda in 1994, when

a well documented genocide of ethnic tutsis to place. up to 1 million tutsis and their allies were killed by extremist hutus in 100 days. it was a killing rage faster than the whole cost of the jews in world war ii. at that to the rebels then overthrew the killers and stop the 1994 genocide. the rest of the world looked away. the rebels became the government of rwanda could from their border, they pursued some of the ethnic hutus who had committed the first genocide and then fled to congo. but the u.n. report, both of the official one and the lead to one, say that the rwandan army went further than just pursuing the perpetrators of the first genocide. hutu women, children, and old people were killed in congo. the president was furious at this allegation. >> the holocaust section of this

report is total fraud. the whole idea of thinking that there was a genocide in congo was flawed. >> few people now doubt the fact of the first genocide, the genocide of the tutsis. but controversial information is emerging and will no doubt continue to emerge about a possible second genocide of the hutus in congo. >> 57 days trapped underground -- could there be new hope for the chilean miners? the smokers in japan will have to reach much deeper into their pockets after a 40% tax rise on cigarettes. it has been imposed by the

government to curb the rate of smoking. >> being a smoker is pretty grim at the best of times. coming out in the cold and rain to a place like this to feed your habit. but in japan, it got a lot more expensive. the government has increased the tax by a record-breaking 40%. it means that aipac used to cost 300 yen is now 400 -- it means that a pact that used to cost 300 and is now 400 yen. it is only about $2. but it is a lot for japan. overall, japan is the biggest market for tobacco. so how have people responded to

the tax rises? they have been busy courting cigarettes to try to beat the increase that the tax man is demanding. japan tobacco, the market leader, has increased production to meet demands with an extra 12 billion cigarettes. even so, in some shops, they have had to ration carton's. all that said recording is likely to have an effect on japan's economy. some economists have estimated that consumer spending in the july-september quarter could be of abies much as 4.6%. however, in the long run, about 60% of japan's smokers say they intend to quit is mentally because of the tax rises. so a slump in cigarette sales could add to the pressure on japan's economy. >> this is bbc world news. these are the top stories.

at least eight people have been killed in nigeria as the country celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence. security is tight in the ecuadorean capital after protests by the police. barack obama wants call him the most popular politician on earth. brazil's president lula has been credited with producing property and expanding the governor. but he will soon leave office. on sunday, voters in south america's superpower will elect a successor. >> this is what an economic boom looks like brazilians i appearebrazilian style. not so long ago, this woman struggled to cover her basic household needs.

now she is part of brazil's newly minted middle class. >> in the past, i did this beauty stuff at home. at that time, the salons were exclusive and expensive. now most of us can afford to invest and are looks. >> nearly 40 million brazilians have joined the ranks of the middle class. so have been helped by government handouts and others by improved education which leads to higher wages. so brazil is rising from the towering new homes to stores offering generous credit. there is now a feeling that brazil's time has finally come. the economy will grow by 7% this year. they have already treated 2 million jobs in 2010. these days, brazil does not borrow money from the imf. it lends money to the imf. that is a huge source of pride.

the carnival mood has reached the for the stock exchange where, last week, president lula donned the jumpsuit of the national oil company to announce a world record share issue. >> it did not happen in london or new york, but right here in sao paulo. >> internationally, this former metalworker has moved his country center stage. the most popular politician on earth, said barack obama, one of many admirers. >> he became this leader who really led his country through this remarkable economic and social progress and really got brazil to this day stay where you can say that brazil is one of the major players on the world stage. olympic triumph was his crowning achievement.

his successor is an economist and technocrat who left the crowd underwhelmed. butlacks la's star power, she promises continuity. >> there is renewed hope for the 33 chilean miners who are stuck underground. >> this is the news that families here at camp hope and the 33 men trapped underground since august 5 have been waiting for appeared the chilean mining minister -- waiting for. the chilean mining minister says they should be out on the 15th of this month. that is much quicker than they had previously said. they had been seeing the -- they had been saying the beginning of november. the men are very happy. it looks as though they will

become an through plan b perio. there were tears if you didn't go after they reached 300 meters underground. i also ask the minister if there was anything that could go wrong. he said, we cannot guarantee everything, but we are hopeful. the men are hopeful and are happy that they should be out on the surface by the 15th of october. once the shaft is onto the roof, they have to prepare it and the wenches. each miner will come up individually in that capsule. >> china has launched its second lunar space probe, part of the plan to put a chinese astronauts on the moon. it will orbit the moon and take images of possible landing sites for unmanned craft.

>> china's latest lunar expedition could take the country one step closer to putting a man on the moon. broadcast live on national tv, the probe will orbit within 15 kilometers of the moon. it will carry out various tasks in preparation for an unmanned landings expected in the next three years. the country hopes to have chinese astronauts on the moon by 2025. it is a feat that, until now, only america has achieved. on national day, china's space program is a growing source of pride. in the next few years, beijing hopes its technology and expertise will be a match for the american and russian programs. but there are fears of a future space arms race.

like america, china wants to stake its claim in space and neither country will want to be eclipsed. >> it is the west stands longest-running musical, and global hit that has been seen by 50 million people worldwide. "les miserables" celebrates its 25th anniversary. ♪ ♪ this is one of the world's most successful musicals. ♪ ♪ >> the production had humble origins. it started here in an old theater as a co-production with

of the royal shakespeare company who have enjoyed commercial popular success. this man was one of the show's original directors and was in charge of the rsc at the time. the production received almost universally bad news. but the press were not in tune with public opinion. >> the very thing that i had hoped for occurred. word-of-mouth about the show spread. it was at the speed of forest fire. therefore, after a few days, there were queues around the block. >> romeo, where four of our -- where for art thou, romeo? >> productions like this have benefited from the millions of pounds that "les miserables" has

generated. >> times have been really crucial. in the 1990's, in that recession, it was very important to the rsc. ♪ >> here is a man who should be able to explain the music's enduring appeal. >> it is epic and intimate at the same time there are those little moments, the magic knows, as they are called, the magic notes that, every time you hear it, a little free song happens. ♪ ♪ >> who knows what shakespeare would have made of all this. but the irony that it is the most successful show ever produced by the company that specializes in making his work would not have been lost on him. >> we have a quick reminder of the top story could at least eight people have been killed in

explosions in the nigerian capital, marring celebrations to mark 50 years of independence. >> see the news unfold. get the top stories from around the globe. go to bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vt., and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank.

>> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can it do for you? ♪ >> there is one stage that is a the met and carnegie hall. it is the kennedy center and a club in austin. it is closer than any seat in the house, no matter where you call home. ♪ ♪ pbs, the great american stage that fits in every living room. your support of pbs brings to the arts home. >> bbc world news