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>> britain makes big cuts in its armed forces. >> britain has traditionally punched above its weight in the world and we should have no less ambition in the decades to come. >> millions protest for a sixth day in france against pension reform. insurgency return to chechnya, six died as gunman infiltrates mccotter -- the capitol building. coming up later -- a saudi prince found guilty of murder for killing his servant in a london hotel. afghan vashon finds an international audience.

hello. british prime ministers have unveiled big cuts in the armed forces, saying that the country will be able to better confront on conventional threats. the army will lose 7000 troops. david cameron insists that britain will remain a front ranked power. >> the flagship of the royal navy is headed to the scrap heap in a major upheaval of armed services. other significant capabilities will go like the nimrod airplane. despite the cuts, government says that britain will stay above defense spending targets. >> this is not simply a cost saving exercise to get to grips with the biggest budget deficit in coast for history. it is about taking the right decisions to protect national security in the years ahead.

>> carrier forces, meaning no british aircraft for 10 years. the government says they are not essential for now. critics say that the shows that a defense review does not add up. >> a profound opportunity, spending dressed up as defense, chaotically conducted, hastily prepared, simply not credible as a strategic blueprint. >> the navy will get two new big aircraft carriers. prove that britain will still punch above its weight on the world stage. the navy will be smaller but better able to tackle new threats like modern piracy. the navy says it will be true of all of british forces. britain will not be able to deploy such large forces again in the future. still, mr. cameron telephoned president obama to assure him that they would remain a front

ranked power. special forces and intelligence are what really matter in the defense relationship with america, which has been protected. the government has reaffirmed its commitment to maintain nuclear capability. >> the french government is now saying that it will get past the demonstrators blockaded in the fuel depots. the prime minister has declared that no one has the right to take hostage and tired country, the economy, and jobs. according to the trade union, 3.5 million people have taken part in a sixth day of protest against plans to raise the retirement age. >> at no point over the past two months has support for the union movement faltered. today they protested in 250 towns around the country.

there is burning frustration that the government refuses to bend. >> today we are fighting to keep hold of our rights. on retirement we will fight until the end. if the government refuses, it will paralyze france. that is clear. >> nowhere is determination more evident than oil refineries with blockade still in place. sporadic tickets across the country. shortages are beginning to bite. long lines for gasoline, tonight to 0.5000 stations -- tonight 2005 hundred stations will be running light. 50% of flights were canceled. but this is what concerns the government most. violence in the always volatile

suburbs. in paris the police confronted mess feuds for the second day running. no one needs reminding what happens when the suburbs ignite. president sarkozy signaled that his government is running out of patience and that it was time to get tough. >> we are not doing this out of choice, but we must protect the pensions of today and tomorrow. we call on all players to shoulder their responsibility. >> mr. sarkozy is an inevitable position. this is a pivotal part of his reform program. is this just a union backlash? or is there actually a popular movement against his presidency? where will that leave him in 2012? the next few weeks may provide the answer.

>> the european commission has suspended its threat of legal action against france over the expulsion of row of people, accusing them of criminal activity. -- roma people, accusing them of criminal activity. at least 16 people had been killed in pakistan's port city of karachi. used cars and machine parts are traded there, there was more violence around the city. bloodshed triggered. a former british prime minister, lady thatcher, admitted to hospital in london, described as a routine condition for an infection. reports say that she has not completely recovered from the small illness that kept her away from her 85th birthday.

gunmen stormed the party -- the parliament building, in chechnya, randomly shooting and setting off explosives. they have described themselves as stable and prosperous, declaring victory with separatists. security forces blamed international terrorists for today's events. >> it is one of the most heavily fortified buildings, but today the chechen parliament was under attack. security forces rushed to the scene to search for rebels after it emerged that these gunmen had broken into the parliament. troops combed the building. inside there was a gun battle and a serious of explosions. the authorities say that all of the attackers were killed.

at least one parliamentary official also died. the building was evacuated. an armored personnel carrier held to the speaker of the parliament to safety. >> i want to say that an operational situation of this kind is extremely rare. why? on guard, other police officers of the republic. of >> chechnya has suffered one and half decades of violence. after two wars, but they were rebuilding. in recent years, militants carried out fewer attacks. instability does remain. not only in chechnya. this year there has been an upsurge of attacks. last month, 16 people were killed at a bomb blast.

there are daily reports of violence from other parts of russia's most volatile region. the kremlin claims that what happened today shows that the insurgency is continuing, highlighting the russian failure to being piece to its borders. >> at least 10 people are known to have died in the philippines. the strongest to hit the philippines in several years, headed for the southern coast of china. tax investigators in india have searched the offices of several contractors used in the run-up to the commonwealth games. the games were marred by spending and the opposition said they had evidence of corruption that the government level. mexican soldiers received 105 tons of marijuana with -- on the

border of the u.s.. at least one person was injured. a saudi prince has been found guilty of murdering his servant in a central london hotel. the jury was told that he abused a victim in a personal attack for his own gratification. >> these pictures revealed the violence at the heart of the relationship between the prince and his manservant. the lift of a hotel turned into a boxing ring. at one stage, the prince walked out of the lift, only to return immediately to post more punches. three weeks later he was beaten again, this time so badly that

he died from his injuries in the hotel bedroom the the men shared. the prince claimed that they were living in champaign lifestyle, traveling the world. the staff of the hotel said that they appeared to be in a sexual relationship with the prince was in charge. >> used his position of power, money, and authority over his victim to abuse him over an extended period of time. >> not surprisingly, the details of what happened appeared to have caused considerable embarrassment. lawyers tried to prevent some of this evidence from being heard in court. it particularly wanted to ban suggestions that the prince might be gay. not because homosexuality is illegal in saudi arabia, but to hide the fact that there was a

sexual element to the murder. but leaving his position in the royal family would protect him. >> they would have been dealt with behind closed doors. possibly it would not have reached the port. >> he now faces life behind bars. >> still to come, the fading glory of a bygone era. first, lawyers for the family of a british student killed in italy have reacted angrily to the comments coming from amanda knox, the american woman jailed for murder. >> now the subject of books,

talking about everything from bike riding to aliens in our space. she was convicted of killing her wrote -- who made who came from london. the two women share this house. she was found guilty of carrying out the murder in 2007. her story has already been turned into a number of books and at least two films are in development, but not with her cooperation. until now. this member of the italian parliament has released a new book with her to try to tell the story of the person and not the crime. >> i was somehow intimidated this -- by this girl who was described as sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll. instead i met a girl who was profound. she continuously and constantly

goes over the themes of life through reading and studying. >> he only mentions the murder once in the book and does not discuss the case at all. she denies being famous and says that she just wants to get married. but the lawyer for the murdered girl has described the book as inappropriate, that it was an attempt to portray a man the knox as a smart, profound woman who could not have committed murder. her appeal is due to begin next month. duncan kennedy, rome. >> the latest headlines for you on "bbc world news." britain is to slash spending by 8%, cutting equipment and 17,000 members of the armed forces.

transports have disrupted the outbreaks of violence across france. trade groups say that 3 million have joined the process -- protests. farm subsidies have swallowed more than 40% of the european union budget. now the economic downturn in europe means they might be next in line. which is worrying some. >> this is the story of two farmers and a single european agricultural party. subsidies to the farmers are declared wasteful, opaque, and unfair. farmers said that without them they would not be able to survive. >> this sheet former grazes on 3,000 acres of land in the south of england. he has done everything that he can to reduce costs. why should taxpayers subsidize farmers like these?

>> i am just a simple sheep farmer. the steel industry, we used to have a motor industry, the banking industry that was just bailed out. >> it has been called a scandalous waste of money and europe's best policy. now ripe for reform. with austerity measures across europe, it could soon be sheep like this that must justify their budget to the european taxpayer. >> hundreds of miles away, this farmer has taken a different approach. near a campsite that likely looks nice in the summer. >> it sits on 3 acres, producing 65% of the whole farm.

>> decisions being made in brussels right now. and >> one woman has been prosecuted and fined $400 for dropping a cat into a garbage bin. captured on video, provoking an outcry against her. >> leaving court today, she hoped that pleading guilty would take her out of the spotlight. >> filmed on a security camera, these pictures ultimately landed her in court. she drops the cat into the bin and walks away.

it was when the owners opposed the images on line that they went around the world. the sheer numbers of journalists and cameramen here are a clear indication of the level of interest. in the court room i was sitting next to a journalist from germany. which was not the only country where she had made headlines. >> for a moment aberration, she has paid a significant price. she has resigned from her job. she has received hate mail, and death threats. >> the judge says that this was all taken into account in calculating pension. she paid almost 1,500 pounds in a fine and costs, still maintaining that she does not know why she did it.

>> if we ask you to imagine women's clothing in afghanistan, a group of afghan designers are painting a fresh, colorful picture of their country, with a fashion show the date declare is for a good cause. experiencing the catwalk. >> and new clothing designs in an afghan style. this time in one of the world's fashion capitals, london. this is a new line of the first half an international designer. >> this fashion show is called made in afghanistan. this is the first time that afghani clothes are being showed in london. the design and the colors have

captured the attention of the audience. raising money for charities related to afghanistan. >> these charities aimed to raise $80,000 from this show. the words of the designer have already been shown at fashion shows in paris, new york, dubai. >> trained in the style of the look, mixing the tradition as something very modern. i think at the pad has failed as traditional ethnic clothing. >> londoners calling his passion -- calling this a passion. >> it reminds me of my time in

afghanistan. >> the second part of the show, afghan handicraft and carpets are put out for sale. most designers have come with many hopes to the root -- london fashion market. some of them have been successful. some of them have not. >> reminders of another era, relics of a time when the city was the paris of the middle east. a fashionable destination. now under threat from modern development, many have already been demolished. our correspondent is taking a look. >> it used to be one of the glories of cairo. now many of the grand villas are

in ruins. many more have been abolished. imagine a fashionable parties that this fabulous area once toasted. >> this is an absolutely fabulous villa, at least used to be. ornate decorations on the outside are breathtaking. a shadow of its former self, falling down. clearly he wants to place the collapse, presumably so that he can build up a high-rise blocks instead. >> perhaps soon this could look more like this. once the sight of a beautiful old villa. >> i am ashamed to say that the sight of our below was a garden where i grew up. brothers and sisters where i have beautiful parties. >> much of the area has fallen

to the bulldozer of the developer. but there is one that survives. >> there is a lot of homogeneity and harmony in this case. >> living alone, she is not able to sell or demolished. >> no one wants to buy a. i cannot live here, it is very expected. >> bustling crossroads of the middle east. >> egypt had a very different image of itself 100 years ago. >> european women stand side-by- side with the bearded, where the past is never far behind. >> just as they expressed a self confident vision back then, so has the decline had its own message.

>> i think that there is a mixture -- what is our history really? >> working on the restoration of this magnificent palace, there is a growing respect for this heritage. clever ideas needed to make this come back to life for the president -- for the present and future. >> the flight attendant that quit his job by grabbing a beer and hurling himself down the emergency chute, stephens later avoided jail under a plea garden to undergo counseling and substance abuse treatment. remember, he won sympathy and internet celebrity around the world when he complained that he

had lost patience with a rude passenger and headed home through the emergency exit. briefly, the main news, of david cameron has announced the biggest cuts in defense spending since the end of the cold war. saying that manpower cuts were made across the army, the navy, and the air force. army strength will be reduced to just under 100,000. promising that afghanistan operations would not be affected. even though the navy did not have suitable aircraft for several years. briefly to transport, trade unions say that about 3 million people have joined protests for about six days since raising the pension age. stay with us, if you can. all that international news online at, any time.

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