businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> containing the cholera outbreak. medical teams in haiti say the epidemic may be stabilizing. afghanistan's president karzai confirmed his office did receive the bundles of money from iraq. and parties as the rescued chilean miners are welcomed by the president. welcome to bbc world. coming up later, we will meet the palestinian laborers building jewish settlements, and the real-life battle for middle earth. new zealanders fight for the right to keep production of "a hogget" at home. -- the hobbit at home.

officials are saying the cholera epidemic in haiti may be stabilizing. they are still on high alert. hundreds of thousands are living in makeshift tents. they said haiti should be prepared for the crisis to spread across the country, although the number of new cases is falling. >> the likely source of the cholera outbreak. once the river became contaminated, the daily ritual censured the disease spread rapidly. now -- ensured the disease spread rapidly, leading to the baby's and warsh and his mother's pain. we saw the devastating affect color rudd is having on the most vulnerable. however, they are now editing

fewer new patients. the speed at which it may be stabilizing has surprised some cholera experts, who say there is still a significant risk of the disease spreading from here to the rest of the country. the top humanitarian official in haiti is still preparing for the possibility of a national outbreak. >> it has stabilized in the areas. that does not mean it is not going to spread. for me the message should be do not get too comfortable here very good >> the villagers are learning to be wary of the water. aid agencies are telling people not to drink the water. wash their hands. use bottled water instead. the crowd listens carefully. this woman lost one of her

relatives to cholera. people here wish they had been told before the river could be deadly. if we had known, this man told me, lives could have been saved. the question is just how long -- how far along the river this says spread. >> karzai has admitted his chief of staff was given a large bag of cash from iran, but he called it a transparent process. he said u.s. officials were aware of the payment and also provided cash. "the new york times" has reported the money was used to pay lawmakers and even taliban commanders to secure their loyalty. >> when president ahmadinejad wants to said 18 -- to send aid to karzai, he sends cash.

they said one of the payments home on the presidential plane. that might worry some about what iran gets for its money. at a news conference, president karzai said the payments were nothing out of the ordinary, simply legitimate funds for business. >> the cash payments are done by various friendly countries to help the presidential office, and this is transparent, and this is something i have also discussed when we were at camp david with president bush. this is nothing hidden. >> even the united states gives its aid in plastic bags. once or twice in the year, iran has given 500 or 600 or 700,000 euros, but they are likely to

reassure some foreign partners who are worried about corruption within government, and they will also be asking where has the money gone, because afghanistan is still one of the poorest countries in the world. western afghanistan is one of the richest parts of the country. its influence runs deep. these motorbikes will be sold across the border, but what will tehran get for the money it stands? >> they have provided hard cash to the most important personal staff member to influence the way the president sees the world and acts. that is the part of the culture they have been worried about. >> deal or no deal has become one of the country's most popular shows, and few of its viewers would be surprised with

the revelations. everyone needs cash to get by, even government ministers. >> the international military force is denying reports that as many as 25 civilians may have died in a nato airstrike in the south. coalition forces confirmed there was an air attack, but insurgents were killed, including a taliban commander. officials are investigating. the and this detainee at guantanamo bay was pleading guilty for conspiring with al qaeda. he was 15 when he was detained. he was also the last westerners held at the camp. france's main oil refineries have voted to return to work. it looks for -- it looks like a victory for president sarkozy,

but there are still fuel shortages. a bomb has exploded at the gates of a shrine in eastern pakistan. it killed at least six people and wounded several more. it is the third such attack in recent months on sufi holy places. >> i witnesses say there have been hundreds of people at the famous shrine when the explosion happened. according to the officials, the bomb had been attached to a motorcycle. it went off just after morning prayers had finished. they are asking how militants expected to have carried out the attack can justify destroying a muslim place of worship. it is not the first such attack. the suicide bombers blew themselves up.

it is a mystical, moderate form of islam. several worshipers were killed and dozens injured. in the summer, a similar attack. it killed nearly 50 people. now this was still an attack which caused considerable shock. several instruments groups, including the taliban, were shown at the signs of st. -- the strength of saints, which is considered un-islamic. >> in chile, the miners are rescued after more than two months. they have been received as guests of honor. they also played a football match against those who rescued

them. it did not go as planned. >> the chilean president was at the san jose mine to welcome the miners back into the world. today he invited them into his office. thousands of people gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the man. most of the miners seem to be taking their newfound celebrity into stride, although a few do appear to be feeling the strain. their fame has spread far beyond chile. here at the world expo in shanghai, one of the escape capsules has become a tourist attraction. it hardly matters that it was not actually use in the rescue. it is still seen as a piece of history. >> it is very touching. >> mr. pollera -- pinera has been reminding the world of just how successful this was.

here a souvenir from david cameron, a rock from the mine, and another one. it has been less than two weeks since the miners were pulled to safety in the original phoenix to capsule, which is now in public display at santiago's square. they can surely never have imagined they would have emerged from underground as such celebrities. after the visit to the palace, they went to the national stadium for a football match against the team's of the government. they played well against the miners. a former professional footballer put them ahead, and they then scored four a 2-0 lead, but the government hit back with three goals, including one from the president himself, and they won the match, 3-2. even media superstars cannot be

a always on the winning side. >> gunmen in mexico have killed 13 drug addict at a rehabilitation center. it is reported the victims were lined up in -- and shot. the motive is not clear. three days ago 14 people were killed at a party. the tropical storm has factored believes. 10,000 people were forced to take shelter from the storm as it swept the island. some buildings were damaged but no injuries reported so far. european countries are planning to send guards to greece's border with turkey to help deal with illegal migrants. the team of experts are going to see how the front here might be strengthened. please stay with us if you care and.

-- if you can. the young voters still believe in president obama. first, the driver of an underground train which was blown up in the bombings of 2005 has told the inquest he tried to make -- the radio he used was not working. he had to use his cell phone. >> the driver of the train described now allowed and explosion and then what he called on haunting cry for help from his passengers. something that still makes my blood run cold when i think about it. he attempted to make a mayday call on the radio, but it was not working. he turned off the power and helped evacuate some of the passengers to safety along the track. meanwhile, aboveground, the

station supervisor was making increasingly desperate calls for help to the underground network control center. we have customers on the track. >> nearly five minutes later -- >> would you please get as many ambulances as you can? >> she disclose there were no underground for skaters on board that morning -- first aiders on board that morning. >> i removed the hand from my head. i was told to do it, but he died instantly. it has been very difficult for me being on the train. i tried, but i have not been

able to. >> she lost part of her leg. she hopes coming to the inquest will help her emotional recovery. >> the latest headlines for you this hour. the cholera epidemic may be stabilizing. the un says haiti must be prepared for further outbreaks. an attempt to buy influence or not? the afghan president welcomes a large cash donation from iran. for the palestinian leadership and international media agencies, israeli settlements on occupied lands are an obstacle to peace. they say it has increased fourfold since the possible freeze ended next month, but many of those helping israeli settlers say they have no chance

for jobs anywhere else. >> hundreds of palestinian men key ring at the checkpoint, practically -- queueing at the checkpoint, trying to get a job. for some men, it is good work, but the irony that these palestinian laborers are helping to build a little jewish homeless on occupied land is not lost on him, but he says there is no comparative work in the palestinian economy. >> i agreed with the sentiment, and if they gave us work, i would be the first to stop working here. good >> peace now says the end of the building freeze last month work has begun on 600

jewish homes across the westbury. a race of construction four times faster than before. about 500,000 jews lived on the west bank in more than 100 sediments considered illegal under international law. the number of homes that have been built or not been billed is academic. they say this is their land, and they are in a hurry to build. >> this land was bought. it is our land. >> every day more than 20,000 palestinians leave towns and villages like this, where there are few opportunities to work in the jewish settlements. it is something the palestinian authority wants to stop for political rather than economic

reasons. palestinian ministers say they will simply work on their own projects, although they cannot match the salaries paid in the settlements. on tools says in an ideal world, he would not work in the settlements, but options -- ab dul is in an ideal world, he would not work in the settlements, but options are limited. >> an earthquake of 7.5 has struck off the indonesian island of sumatra. elsewhere, thousands of villagers living near a volcano emerge to move to safer ground. it could erupt any time. from jakarta, our correspondent speaks. >> it means mountain of fire. it has stayed true to its name. it is one of the most active volcanoes in indonesia, which is

why when it began spewing white clouds of smoke over the last few days, officials raised the alert level to the highest loan will, signaling an imminent eruption, but many refused to heed the warning. there are reports that more than 5000 people live on or near the mountain. anyone within a 10-kilometer radius must evacuate, but many local people are choosing to wait, saying it is too soon for evacuation's. refugee camps have already been set up. the government has been taking no chances. this volcano killed thousands before. the nearest city has an estimated population of more than 10 million people. for many, this is a sacred place revered and feared. local people believe it is home to ancient spirits, but this

month and has caused a great deal of damage in the past and has the potential to do so again. >> barack obama is facing his biggest election test since he entered the white house. we will see american voters elect senators, congressmen, governors common -- governors, and our correspondent has been testing opinion across the u.s. she has been speaking to a glee club in philadelphia. >> ♪ don't stop believing ♪ >> meet the pennsylvanian counterparts. many voted for the first time in 2008. >> i voted for obama. i think they agreed with a number of policies.

>> during the campaign, he was a political rock star, and that appealed to him. >> thermo than 16 million people registered to vote here in the united states -- there are more than 16 million people registered to vote here in the united states. more than 2/3 voted for barack obama, and thousands of people volunteered. >> we drew strength from the of people who rejected the myth of very generation -- of their generation's apathy. >> on university campuses, rallying support for the democratic party in the upcoming midterm election. the vote has also been seen as a referendum on the president's

first two years in office. >> i do not think i am going to be voting in the upcoming election. i think in many ways what he said during his campaign was pretty hollow. >> if president obama does not energized that youth vote, the losses he will experience will be far more significant. >> an unprecedented number of young people turned out in 2008, but opinion polls are predicting a much lower turnout. until then, expect politicians to do something of their own. >> it is going to be a blow to hipsters everywhere. sony has said it will stop selling its once groundbreaking walkman. they have stopped production in japan.

>> in 1979, the walkman change lifestyles but pauperizing recorded music on the go. -- by popularizing recorded music on the go. no longer do music lovers have to take ghetto blasters everywhere they went. for the first time, music was mobile and personal unless it was turned too loud. this caught the imagination of travelers, joggers, and teenagers. 220 million were sold since as a testament to the 1980's icon, but three decades on, the device is struggling against the ipod and in peace 3 phase of the digital realm. -- mp3 phase of the digital realm. in asian demand is not add zero.

>> yes, we did. dozens of new zealanders are taking to the streets to ensure that "the hobbit"is not moved overseas. >> the fight for the future of middle earth. this is no digital battle. it is a struggle by ordinary new zealanders to keep the filming of baja but -- of "the hobbit"in their country. it would generate vast revenue, and this is a first glimpse inside the home on the set. it is all under threat. industrial interruption has made senior film executives wary of sending more resources to new zealand and left the director wondering what more can be done.

>> it is a question of confidence, and the damage was done within a week. what happens in a year's time when warner brothers has spent $250 million and the actors decide to do something. >> they say they have removed the threat of strikes. >> i will not take responsibility. if that happens it is because warner brothers is trying to make a profit. >> they have stepped in to make sure that will not happen. >> there will be no industrial action. we have sent information out to america. >> it could be too little, too late, with reports that warner brothers are considering moving some into new england, meaning middle earth may already have fought and lost its last battle.

>> the jamaican reggae musician gregory isaacs has died in london. he was 51. he was best known for his 1982 song recorded at bob marley's studio. his career was hindered by prolonged drug addiction, but he returned for a final album in 2008. he was diagnosed with lung cancer last year. our main story just briefly. in haiti officials are saying the cholera epidemic may be stabilizing. the number of new cases is falling. hospitals are on high alert. they are concerned the of break may strike the capital. thousands are living justified in makeshift camps. much more on our web site.

thanks very much for watching. >> see the news unfold. get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to our website to experience the in depth, expert reporting on line. >> funding for this presentation 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. ♪

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