what can we do for you? >> point confirms passages on -- president obama confirms packages contained explosives. >> a terrorist group based in yemen continues to plan attacks against our homeland, our citizens, and our allies. >> this is one of the devices that caused dealers. >> welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast on pbs and around the globe. the death toll from the tsunami in indonesia keeps rising. bad weather hampers rescue efforts. will dilma rousseff become brazil's first female president?

lost songs from springsteen. >> hello to you. president obama has said two packages found on cargo planes do apparently contain explosives. they're the center of the security alert covering three continent. there were discovered in britain and dubai, but the ultimate destinations were jewish places of worship in chicago. it is from yemen and the al qaeda group based in the region that officials believe the packages originated. one pack and ship it -- one package was found in to buy and the other at the east midlands airport. three ups cargo planes in

philadelphia and newark have been searched. we have the latest. >> this is the ink cartridge that has cost the security alert on three continents. it is a potentially sinister device. dealers began at 3:28 a.m. and east midlands airport. it was discovered on a united parcel service cargo plane. there was white powder on it. a similar device was found in dubai. president obama was alerted seven minutes later. counter-terrorism cheeps met in washington to discuss what to do next. >> president obama spoke a short while ago, saying the devices had explosives in them. they had been sent to jewish groups in the states. >> initial examination of those packages determined they do

apparently contain explosive material. i was alerted to this threat last night by my top counter- terrorism adviser. i directed the department of homeland security and all of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to take whatever steps are necessary to protect or citizens from this type of attack. >> he said that both packages came from yemen, where al qaeda is a serious threat. >> we do know the packages originated in yemen. we know that al qaeda in the arabian peninsula continues to plan attacks against our homeland, are citizens, and our friends and allies. >> two ups cargo planes were grounded in philadelphia. there was another in newark. they had packages from yemen on board. all of the aircraft were removed from the sites and searched. there was another alert in new york. a ups truck was stopped on the

bridge when the bomb squad went in. >> one was identified as being possibly involved with this threat. that package has been scanned by our bomb squad and has been cleared. >> it is still not clear exactly what the device is and how dangerous it could have been. >> we go now to washington. our correspondent is there. security chiefs say they have been looking at this intensively for 24 hours. what is not clear is whether this as seen as some kind of a dry-run or whether these packages themselves were intended to do harm. are you getting anything on this? >> john brennan, the counter- terrorism chief, was asked that question at a news briefing a short while ago. he did not get too detailed. he seemed to imply the level of sophistication would have been found -- made it seem strange

that this would have been a dry- run. they would not have actually put explosives in a package of this nature. he declined to go into great detail about what was found. he said this was explosive material found at east midlands airport in the u.k. and in the airport in dubai. he said the parcels involved in each case were about the size of a breadbox. that is how he put it. it was about the size of a bread box. other than that, we are keeping the details -- they are keeping the details secret at this stage for obvious reasons, while making it clear that this, so far, is a success for u.s. intelligence. the application is there was a tip-off, and as a result of that, the searches were carried

out. >> there are many people watching this wondering how much they should worry. is there a suggestion there might be other devices still out there? >> mr. brennan was stressing there have only been these two packages found, intercepted, and made safe, both outside the united states. he acknowledged that other searches were taking place. it was logical if you had some packages coming from a country, yemen, with the militant association, you would look at other packages. that explains why we have seen planes moved to secure areas of airports in two locations here in the u.s., and why we have seen other precautions and heightened security at american airports. >> thank you very much. more of the main news. choppy seas and poor visibility are slowing the delivery of food, water, and emergency aid

to the indonesian islands hit by monday's tsunami. indonesia has dealt with two natural disasters. there are continuing eruptions. they have killed 35 people. these islands are among the most remote and most vulnerable to a tsunami of any in the region. the death toll from the latest giant wave has passed 400. our correspondent reports from djakarta. >> more than four days on from when the tsunami struck the shores, and the horrific stories of those who survived are just beginning to emerge. hundreds have been severely injured. the trauma of what they witnessed is more painful than their physical scars. >> we could not save some of our relatives. the waves were too big and high. if they were not so high, we could have saved them. >> in this remote island

community, there is a sense of growing helplessness about the future. these people have lost everything. many need urgent medical attention, and no aid has reached them yet. >> we do not have enough medicines, and we need more oxygen supplies. many patients need oxygen and it is very limited here. it is almost all used up. >> some help is finally getting through, though. rescue workers are slowly but surely getting to some of the most isolated parts of the islands, where they found beach is littered with corpses. mass graves are being dug in villages where dozens have perished. one bright spot in the middle of this tragedy, remarkably, this three-month old baby survived the enormous tidal wave, found in a ditch days after the tsunami struck. his mother drowned and his father is still missing.

the priority for the government is to get as much aid to these remote communities. it needs to help people rebuild the hundreds of homes that were destroyed by the force of the water. relief efforts have been hindered by bad weather. indonesia is used to natural disasters. it sits on the pacific rim of fire, one of the most volatile areas in the world. this week, it has been hit by two catastrophes, and the challenges are stretching its ability to cope. thousands across this nation have suffered yet again. bbc news. >> more of the main news you from around the world. european leaders agreed on a new plan to deal with future economic crises. there would be tougher penalties for countries running up big deficits and more help to prevent it from happening. one problem, how to implement

the changes without altering a sensitive european treaty. a bomb exploded in central iraq, killing at least 20 people. the suicide bomber blew himself up inside a coffee house about 70 kilometers northeast of baghdad. about 30 people were wounded. russia and the u.s. have destroyed four drug laboratories in their first joint operation in afghanistan. russian officials have shown pictures. there was more than 1 ton of heroin and opium. in a few days, brazil will go to the polls to choose its next president. in the first round of voting this month, no one gained enough votes for an outright win. the favorite is dilma rousseff. she won 47% of votes in the first-round.

she is chief of staff in the current administration. her opponent is jose serra. he took 33% in the first round. he is an experienced politician who ran and lost against president lula in 2002. our correspondent has this report. >> in the end, it seems president lula's record popularity will prevail. dilma rousseff looks set to be elected brazil's first female president on sunday. it is the first time she has run for office, a virtual unknown. >> she has worked so many years with lula that the hope of everybody -- and that is why she is strong in the polls -- there will be continuing the humane development in the country.

>> jose serra gained popularity following allegations of corruption within the government. rumors that rousseff would legalize abortion upset conservative voters, in particular evangelical christians. >> in this country, more than 90% of the people believe in god. this is a fact that cannot be ignored. it is the reality we live in. >> on the outskirts of sao paulo, these people are proud of their newfound political force. just look at the numbers. we are 30 million evangelical christians, and we have shown in elections that we have a lot of power.

for the first time, moral issues like abortion and gay marriage have had a significant influence in a presidential election in brazil. in this second round of campaigning, the candidates had to spend a lot of time and energy. evangelical christians have shown they are a political force to be reckoned with. many in brazil feel that moral discussions and corruption allegations have taken the campaign away from the issues that really matter. some are going to vote on sunday with no clear idea what the new president has in store for the next four years. bbc news. >> good to have you with us. stay with us if you can. 200 countries have agreed to protect endangered species. collecting their dna help bring them back from the dead?

last week, a group -- we reported new research on the number of people dying from malaria and how it has been underestimated. it is 13 times more than estimates. 200,000 deaths per year. a british medical journal reports that eradicating the disease will not be possible without the vaccine, and that such efforts in some countries may even be counterproductive. >> malaria still kills around 1 million people a year, most of them african children, like these children in western kenya. it is not surprising that some countries want to eliminate the disease forever. a british medical journal says prevention may be better than the cure. in a series of papers, scientists and health care officials argue eradicating malaria would be immensely difficult.

mosquitoes carry the parasite that causes malaria. there is still no effective vaccine. some countries do not have the infrastructure to rid themselves of malaria. even if they can kill off the disease, it may come back with even greater force. the report says the situation has not been helped by what it calls the lack of leadership from the who. there are criticisms of bill and melinda gates. they called for revocation back in 2007. it could lead to dangerous swings in funding away from current measures to control the disease. many of these measures are simple but effective, such as mosquito nets and insecticides. others require the government to monitor the disease. the journal said the tried and trusted methods have been shown to reduce infection and deaths. bbc news.

>> the latest headlines for you, president obama is saying that two packages found on planes bound for the u.s. did apparently contain explosives. this is one of the devices that caused the plane to be searched , an operation on three continents. three months after floods swamped so much of pakistan, agencies are concerned about the plight of those in the worst-hit area. we told you about the continuing emergency. malnutrition is a major concern after three months. the individuals or paints the picture best. our correspondent tracked down one man she met the height of the flood. >> a return journey to the flood zone in search of one man.

we had to travel with an armed guard. this flood plain area down south is bandit territory. last time we were here, in august, the only way in was by boat with the pakistan army. on board, this man, determined to save his neighbors. he found him -- he found them just in time. this elderly woman sat by, so weak, she had to be carried. generations rescued as a land was swept -- as the land was swept away beneath them. >> how are you? i am very happy to see you. we found him back in his remote village. the flood consumed all he had. his home, his crop, his daughter's dowry, and in a

few days, the food he has will be gone. >> who will help us? we will only survive if god gives us something. otherwise, we will die of hunger. >> overhead, american helicopters. they fly past every day, carrying made, but not for this village. people have been trying to rebuild with whatever they confined, mostly with bits of tway and brush. they have been back for months now and they have not had any help from anyone, not from local authorities, the government, or eight agencies. we are the first outsiders to have come here. they do not expect any help from anyone.

this woman is back home. she survived the ordeal of the floods, but she has been weakened. we are getting sick, she says, and the medicines are gone. everything is gone. a 3-year-old has been sick for days. the clinic is almost three hours away, so we gave his family a lift. the doctor suspects malaria and warned the treatment won't work unless he has enough to beat. back in the village, the men gather to discuss their problems. every day, the list gets longer. they are haunted by what they have lost and worried about what is to come. the man should be planting a new wheat crop now. he borrowed money for the tractor, but cannot bar with for the sea. a man who helped so many has no

one to help him. bbc news. >> a un by a diversity summit reached a deal to protect key habitats and oceans. it overcomes divisions between rich and poor nations. scientists are not taking chances. they're collecting genetic samples from endangered species so they can be brought back from the dead if necessary. >> this is the world's smallest but most dangerous bear. it is nearing extinction. today, they're being moved from one zoo to another. >> good condition. >> they're getting them an essential check-up before their journey. it is also the perfect opportunity to take some vital dna, which will live on even if the species dies out in the future. >> it is a race against time.

we are taking genetic material from endangered animals like these. the species are dying out like never before. >> after being given a clean bill of health, the bears are on their way. their dna is headed elsewhere. at the university, scientists have banked 2000 samples like this from endangered species. they plan to have 10,000 in the next five years. the freeze them so they will last almost indefinitely, long enough to develop that technology to bring the species back from the dead. >> although scientists do not like to talk to much about it, there's a real possibility we might be able to bring back an instinct or very endangered species. that cannot be anything but good to preserve the by a diversity

on the planet, rather than lose it all and lived in a barren world. >> what they're talking about is cloning. time is running out. it is controversial, but they say if we do not collect the dna now, we won't have the option in the future. >> we are just not saving some of these species in the wild. we do not have the resources. we are moved -- we're losing them quickly. we have to release preserve the genetic material and hope we can recreate these animals in the future, potentially. >> it might sound like something straight out of "jurassic park," but scientists hope it will become a reality. these bears may just have done their bit to help preserve their species. >> loss songs from the sessions that gave birth to a bruce springsteen album have been released more than 30 years after the original lp came out.

he insists the sentiments in his lyrics are still vital today, as the recession has hit america. >> of like to do this for you. it reminds me of a country with people, it is easy to let the best of yourself slip away. ♪ >> darkness on the edge of town was poetic rock-and-roll about paying your bills, losing your job, doing your best, but it not being enough. >> trying to make a record about what that particular moment felt like. in the 1970's, there was a recession in the states. when you smell something in the air, we would not stop until we had a piece of what that was.

there was some distillation of the times. >> it was here tonight. he was at the premiere for the album. he rarely does interviews. why is he returning to this album now? one clue is unemployment. in 1967 and now, unemployment in new jersey has peaked. >> we are having very difficult times in the states right now. it is a hard time for music. that is what our band was built for and that is what we really have been the best that. >> the sons were written more than 30 years ago, but the lyrics seem suddenly contemporary. every monday morning i have

to drag her down to the employment agency ♪ >> that was essential to me. i did not put a record out until i felt i had moved deeper into the questions that those mysteries set forth. ♪ >> the message then and today, a reckoning with the adult world. for most of us, there is nowhere to run. bbc news. >> the man having way too good a time in the background. american officials are saying two packages at the center of the airline terror alerts contain the same powerful explosive as previous failed attacks. they just said the intelligence tip-off came from the saudi arabian authorities. you will find more on that and the international news online at bbc.com.

get in touch with the team on twitter. we are also want facebook. >> and now "bbc world news." >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> 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.

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