>> protests heat up in france, with refineries and fuel depots blockaded. petrol stations are running out. the british government's new national security strategy -- terrorism and cyber warfare identified as the biggest threats. china's vice president,>> hello and welcome. -- china's vice president, xi jinping, and given an important military post. why this rain forest is worth more than $1 billion a year to kenya.

the french government is preparing what it calls emergency measures to deal with fuel shortages. a wave of strikes over pension reform gathers momentum. petrol stations have begun running out of fuel in some areas. on tuesday, one in three flights is expected to be canceled. bbc's europe editor has the latest. >> the protests in france are spreading. this was a paris suburb this morning, students try to blockade their school. cars were torched and riot police intervened. these protests are against the president's plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, and to raise the age when a ball pension will be received from 65 to 67. the protest movement appears to be beating up other resentments like unemployment. -- feeding off other resentments like unemployment.

younker groups are attracted by the chance to attack authority. in the capital and across france, long lines have formed outside petrol stations as workers have continued to blockade oil refineries and depots. sometimes are running dry. there is little diesel left. >> it is a nightmare. i went to 10 stations but could not find any diesel. >> this was the southern city of marseille, piled high with rubbish as collectors went on strike for a sixth day. >> look at that. i hope it is joined to stop soon. it is terrible. >> truckers drove slow, snarling up the highways. >> i think it is a great success today. >> there is significant support for the protests. president sarkozy, who was today

meeting with the german chancellor, insisted the pension reform would become law. >> this reform is essential. france is committed to it. france will carry it out. >> of france feels like a country on edge. tomorrow, more protests are planned. on wednesday, the senate is expected to give its final vote on the pension bill. after that, the government hopes the protests will subside. it is banking on the french people rejecting chaos. bbc news, paris. >> a real strike across belgium has caused disruption to france, the netherlands, the united kingdom's, and germany. the 24-hour industrial action cut euro start services across belgium. workers are in dispute over an unpaid bonus and changes to the railway car drove division. dmitry medvedev has bestowed the

country's highest state honors on the sleeper agents deported from the united states in july. the 10 spies spent many years living as citizens in the suburban u.s. to return to russia in the biggest spy swap since the end of the cold war. fifa launched an investigation into allegations that committee members accepted bribes during the choice of who to host the world cup. they are from nigeria in tahiti. they will go before the ethics committee. the british government has declared that its national security strategy must meet unconventional security threats such as cyber attacks. britain's intelligence gathering center has already warned that cyber warfare poses a serious danger to the uk's computer infrastructure. the strategy is the first part of the defense review that would see some big spending

reductions. our security correspondent reports. >> a strong written in an age of uncertainty is the ambitious title given by the british government to its new national security strategy, revealed today. >> protecting national security is the first duty of any government. it is one of the first things we have given attention to. we are saying there are threats. >> we need to clear russell square. >> international terrorism is listed among the serious threats known as tier one. counter-terrorism is likely to remain well resources. then there is cyber security, protecting britain's computer system from threats. it is a growth area and will get 500 million pounds of new money. what exactly are the cyber threats? what does this phrase mean?

cyber theft happens every day, stealing money or identity over the internet. it costs an estimated 52 billion pounds worldwide each year. then there is cyber espionage. that is stealing secrets on line, both government and business. they have been targeted by hackers and spies. cyber terrorism means a possible future threat to the national grid and other key systems. cyber warfare is potentially a game changer. iran's nuclear program was recently targeted by a computer warm. how worried should we be? >> there are safeguards in place. this is something the rich countries have the same goals in mind. you have to spend like -- you do not have to spend like to spend on an army. it is just a group of experts and best practices. the right approach should not be something that people will have to worry about. >> a big worry is the threat of

natural catastrophes, accidents and things like lou pandemics. those are hard to plan for and not always predictable. unlike the afghan conflict, now in its 10th year, david cameron has promised an operation would be fully resource. how does defense it into this plan? >> if we are going to redraw our defense policy within natural boundaries, we need to rethink what we are doing, not just decide what to hang on to and what to cut. >> an international military crisis is in the top tier of threats. a lot of expensive cold war hardware is likely to be cut. the question is whether there is a genuine u.k. strategy, or whether it is being molded to fit the inevitable cost cuts coming later this week. frank gardner, bbc news.

>> china's vice president has been given a key military post. analysts see an important signal that xi jinping is likely to succeed the current president in 2012. he is 57 and is an advocate of business and an opponent of corruption. it is thought unlikely he will favor more democracy. >> in china, political battles are fought behind closed doors. few public disagreements here. instead, today's sober announcement, a promotion of this man, xi jinping. china's communist leaders command the world's largest standing army. the party has been in power more than 60 years. xi jinping is joining the barack

-- joining the party that controls the armed forces. that is what the current president did years ago. >> today's appointment as vice president of the central military commission will be viewed as a major step forward in his becoming jintao's successor during the park transition that will happen in about two years' time. >> for the public it is a strong hint that the process of selecting their new leader is under way. chinese people have no say in the process of choosing their next leader. they are told little about him. what they look for are signs and signals like today's appointment from which they can try to interpret what is going on. for a while, he was better known for his marriage to this entertainer. she is a household name for many chinese.

now, it is her husband who has the attention of a world anxious to discover what kind of president he might turn out to be. bbc news, beijing. >> it is hard to beat the positive publicity chile has had in the past week. 33 rescued miners provided a glorious images that will forever be associated with the south american country. besides the minors, no one benefitted more than president pinera. he is now making a european visit. >> presidents are rarely welcomed into 10 downing street, but he is enjoying celebrity status. he has approval ratings most can only dream of. his president is one of the

winners of the world-watched rescue of 33 miners trapped underground. he has a priceless gift for the queen -- a rock from the san jose mine. and one from the -- one for the prime minister. in return, he received bottles of english beer for each of the miners, and cards from english schoolchildren studying spanish. mr. pinera said the incredible rescue had changed his country forever. >> they are different people. they have been reborn. the chilean government is not the same. we realize that united we can do and achieve great goals. >> over the weekend, some of the miners returned to camp hope. their lives have been transformed by intense media

interest. some are reported to have sold their story for thousands of dollars. in tv terms, the drama that unfolded above and below was priceless, the ultimate tale of survival against the odds, 33 stories with cameras covering every angle, and most importantly a happy ending. tv producers are keen to cash in -- to cash in. >> stay with us if you can. still to come, -- this place is an incredible source of water. i will be reporting what that means financially. mumbai pick supreme court is hearing an appeal by the only gunman to survive the 2008 attacks on the city.

the pakistan national is expected to contest his death. >> the only surviving gunman of the 2008 mumbai attacks appeared in court today for his appeal hearing at 11:00 a.m. sharp, but not in person. he appeared by video link due to security concerns, and legal teams on both sides point to public prosecution, his legal team can tending that it was logistically impossible for him to come to and from court every day. during the first day of proceedings, those inside the court have described him as disinterested in the proceeding. he appeared at times to be yawning and smiling at certain times. this appeals hearing is set to last about three months. during this time, both sides of the legal spectrum will argue as to whether or not he should face

the death sentence that was handed down by a special force in may. if he loses this appeal, he can take his case further. he can take his case to the supreme court of india, within the legal parameters there. if he loses that appeal, he can also take his case to the president of india and apply for a more cheaply. at this point in time, in terms of public sentiment leading into this appeal, but is likely to be some months, many people in india are aware this is going to be a long process. it could be years before the final case is decided, and whether the death sentence is carried out. >> the latest headlines for you on bbc world news. nicolas sarkozy has bowed to press on with pension reform.

fuel is running short as public protest spread. from terrorism to pandemics -- the threats facing britain in the 21st century. the iraqi prime minister is in tehran for talks with iranian leaders as he pursues his bid to stay in office. it is more than seven months since the general election in which he was runner-up. the shiitetrong in community and could encourage other factions to support him. >> his bid to keep his job is far from unassailable, but the incumbent iraqi prime minister was accorded an official reception in tehran with all the pomp and circumstance of a visit by an important head of government. he held official talks with the controversial iranian president, mahmoud ahmadinejad, whose

recent visit to lebanon on irritated the americans, just as this display of iranian influence is likely to do. leaders refrain from openly to remainmaliki's bid in power, but it is thought that behind the scenes they have been pulling strings on his behalf, including work of the militant young cleric who could back him with the 40 seats he controls in the iraqi parliament. mr. maliki was given a meeting with the supreme leader, who urged all iraqi politicians to hurry up and form a government. he blamed the americans for all of iraq's woes. iran's is under heavy fire from chief rival,

alawi, with whom he is likely to share power. this is likely to strengthen the politician in some ways, but is unlikely to break up the logjam that is preventing the formation of a new iraqi government some seven months after elections. >> it is likely to be the most powerful typhoon in four years to hit the philippines. it has brought ferocious winds and heavy rain to the island. thousands of people have fled their homes in case it triggers floods or landslides. >> the typhoon buried -- burrowed into the philippines with winds of more than 200 kilometers an hour. it toppled trees and telephone poles and brought heavy rain with high waves which matched the kosher wine. the authorities have warned there is serious risk from landslides and flooding.

before the typhoon hit, weather forecasters had warned that it would be the most part will storm to hit the philippines for four years. emergency services did what they could to prepare for its arrival. thousands of soldiers and civilians volunteered to be on standby to help rescue people. boats were taken to the most affected areas and hundreds of families were moved to higher ground. people shored up their buildings as best they could, stockpiled food and medicine. the philippines is frequently subjected to severe weather. a year ago, two typhoon struck within a week of each other, triggering the worst flooding in the country in recent history. the authorities were criticized for their handling of those disasters. this time, they want to show they are doing all they can to minimize the damage. bbc news, manila. >> the environment ministers

meet in japan to discuss targets for nature conservation. experts say the world is losing species of plants, animals, and entire ecosystems at an alarming rate. the headquarters of the u.n. environment program is in nairobi, in kenya. from there, our environmental correspondent. >> it starts with a few precious drops. the rain beats down and the trees act as a sponge, trapping the moisture. this is a forest in kenya. like all rainforests, it provides a valuable service. it is not just a home to wildlife. it is also a natural reservoir for millions of people. this forest generates 12 different rivers that flow in all directions. new research shows just what this means financially, keeping the forest upstream. this is not just about conservation for its own sake. it is about supporting the kenyan economy. downstream from the forest are

the animals that are one of kenya's most malleable attractions. tourists are drawn to dazzling sites like this. wildlife is worth millions to the kenyan economy, but everything hinges on having enough water. exports,nya's biggest tea, also relies on water. this plantation depends on the forest and the rain that comes from it. >> our forest is our source of rainfall. without the trees, we do not get rainfall. therefore, we do not have our tea. without rainfall, the t dries up and we are not able to sustain the livelihoods of our ancestors during that time. >> the flow from the forest is also a source of electricity. about half of kenya's power is generated by hydroelectric stations like this one. without the forest upstream, the

power supply would be at risk. so this one forest stretching over the hills is reckoned to be worth nearly 1 billion pounds a year to kenya, but nearly half of it has been cleared, and that carries serious costs. >> if we destroy the forests, we compromised natures ability to provide us with regular water supplies. these are simple but powerful and vital services major provides to us. without them, we either cannot survive or have to spend a lot of money in finding alternatives. >> but what about the thousands of people living inside the forest? the kenyan government plan to move them, but this is highly controversial. where trees once stood, this family is planting teeth. they say they understand the value of the forest but they need money right now and cannot afford to leave. >> there is nothing i can do. i do not have anything.

how do i feed my children? >> which should come first, the natural world or the needs of people today? usually, it is nature that loses, but putting a value on it may start to change that. david shipman -- shukman, bbc news. >> archaeologists have found a coin that suggests chinese explores beached -- reached africa before the first european. that forces a re-examination of the history and the region's current trade links to china. we report from the excavation site near the coast. >> not china, but kenya. the archeologists pick and scrape their way through layers of history. they are searching for clues

that might give fact to a legend, a chinese explorer whose stories say came here 600 years ago. -- who stories i came here 600 years ago. the settlement has 15th century chinese property, evidence that supports china beat the first europeans here by more than a century. >> now we begin to do something more -- more research, and more and more people know that or pay attention to that. >> the jigsaw is infuriatingly in precise. it could also suggest that traders exchanged ancient pottery. they have found what appears to be the crucial clue, a 15th

century: that would have been carried only by an envoy of -- a 15th century coin that would only have been carried by an envoy of the emperor. >> this is the one piece of evidence that must have been brought here by that explore. >> as the team examines the evidence, it has triggered eight days. was africa the dark continent european described, or was it already looking east? >> this not only forces us to examine trade relationships between ancient china and east africa, but the current relationship. critics accuse china of economic imperialism. now it seems that is nothing new. >> kenya has not lived in isolation. it establishes that kenya is part of the family of the world.

we have been cooperating with other people for a long time. maybe we should continue to do so. >> the work to uncover the past will not change the present. china is hoping it might make its business here seem part of a very long history. bbc news, on kenya's north coast. >> just briefly, the french government preparing what it calls emergency measures to deal with fuel shortages. a wave of strikes over pension reform is gathering momentum. petrol stations have begun running out of fuel in some areas. on tuesday, one in three flights is expected to be canceled. you'll find more on that anytime you want it online at bbc.com /news. you can get in touch with most of the team on twitter and on facebook. thanks for watching.

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