>> america's political landscape transformed. the president takes the rap but insist that the voters want change, not deadlock. >> what the american people to not want from us, especially here in washington, it is to spend the next two years refining the political battles of the last two. >> action security at churches in iraq after the country's deadliest day since may. fighting off cholera but now and the path of a tropical storm, new trials for the earthquake's survivors of haiti. a very warm welcome to "bbc world news." seeing is believing, the new implant that in some cases could reverse of blindness. he fell from seven floors up, a

young boy and his miraculous escape. as president obama looks ahead now to two years of political compromise, he has publicly taken direct public responsibility for his party's defeat in the midterm election. he is eager for an honest and simple debate with his republican opponents but he insisted that americans do not want politicians to spend the next two years fighting the political battles of the previous two years. more from washington on what the results mean and what happens next. >> the most obvious result of the stunning gains made by the republicans last night is that president obama and the democrats will now have a enormous trouble passing

legislation that they want for the rest of the president's term in office. both sides have said that they want to meet in the middle. the american people deserve bipartisanship. some pessimists are predicting is that what they will get is gridlock. >> republicans win big all across the country. >> we have come to take our government back. >> unanimous verdict, a disaster for democrats and a republican rebirth. it was a spectacular night for the opposition party which captured congressional seats in governors' mansions across the nation. >> people are fed up. >> get excited. >> at midnight, barack obama called his opponents offering congratulations and the commitment to common ground. this is a defining moment. he gave his first public

reaction a short while ago. >> over the past two years we have made progress but clearly too many americans have not felt that progress and they told us that yesterday. as president, i take responsibility for that. what yesterday told us is that no one party will be able to dictate where we go from here. >> what this result means that power in america is now divided between the democratic president here in the white house and his republican opponents here at congress, america's equivalent of the british house of parliament. they will have to work together. republicans have made a habit of opposing the president on health care and government spending and global issues -- immigration, arms control, climate change. >> i've spent my whole life chasing the american dream. >> in victory, not their leader

showed a softer side choking up but he also spelled out his party's demands. >> the president will find the voice of the american people as they have expressed it tonight. standing on principle, checking washington's power and leading the drive towards a smaller and less costly government here in washington, d.c. >> big winners included canada's favored by the tea party movements. the anti-government message was rejected in nevada where the chief senate ally of the president merely defended his seat. voters reflected on the gamble of divided government on the streets of las vegas. >> people are voicing their displeasure and taking out people that may or may not have been responsible. >> they don't listen to the people. the need to listen to the people. >> america has been here many times of war.

in 1994, bill clinton's democrats took a midterm mauling. he was able to gain election, however. obama hopes that history will repeat itself. >> we are joined by a political science professor at john hopkins university. thank you for joining us. both the white house and the republicans have to carefully calibrate how they behave in congress. the republicans cannot be seen to be overreaching their mandate from last night. the white house still needs to be seen as relevant and pushing forward an agenda that the american people want. >> that is correct. i would say that it is not clear to me to the people who supported the republican party, they actually might be more conservative than their 1994

counterparts. the republican party might have more latitude to take more aggressive and extreme steps than they did in '94. >> you talk about the influence from within the republican party, the tea party. >> yes. >> isn't there an inherent danger? they could be thrown out in exactly the way the democrats have been tossed out now if they don't get things done. >> yes, but that depends upon what the democratic party does. if the democratic party is successful at demonizing them for these actions, they will pay at the polls. if they're not effective, then they won't. >> if there is gridlock which was the case back in 1994 when bill clinton lost the house, he managed to turn that into his favor. he blamed everything on congress. >> there was a star down between the president -- a stare down between the president and

the speaker of the house at that time. the speaker lost. but the president can learn and president obama is able to frame them as being basically recalcitrant, we will see a different result. >> is he that kind of personality that can turn defeat in to his advantage the way bill clinton did? >> he is that the question is is he aggressive enough. he has been that when he was in the state senate, a senator, the president of the law review. will he be aggressive enough? that is really an open question. >> in an ideal world, what are the kind of things that president obama would like to push through over the next two years and now possibly one not be able to? >> climate change. that is dead in the water.

i think that he would like to repeal some of the bush tax cuts and that will be very difficult. given the economy, it is possible that he would have tried to drive a seconds to this package and that is dead in the water. >> we will leave it there. good to talk to you. thank you. >> good to talk to you. >> many thanks. well, the u.s. central bank, the federal reserve, is to inject another $600 billion into the sluggish american economy by the middle of next year to help to stimulate and safeguard the recovery. this is the policy known as quantitative easing. the fed hopes creating new money to buy government bonds from financial institutions would drive down interest rates leading to more lending, consumer spending, and more jobs. romanian scientists have confirmed that a body exhumed

from the cemetery is that of the country's former dictator. his eldest son requested the test. he doubted the official account of where the body was buried. the dictator and his wife were overthrown and executed in 1989. google has been found guilty of violating privacy laws in the u.k. this was a significant breach of the u.k. data protection laws. the information commissioner stopped short of finding them over this but they will continue to monitor their practices. there is extra security around churches and other christian institutions in iraq. this is in response to threats from militant islamist group linked to al qaeda. the group calling themselves the islamic state of iraq describes all christians as legitimate targets. they have claimed responsibility for the attack on a charge that has left more than 60 dead.

attacks in the past 24 hours have killed another 64 and injured nearly 300. >> after the bloodbath in the christian church on sunday, now, it was the turn of muslims to bear the brunt of the violence. most of the bombs went off in crowded areas heavily populated by shiites. once again, they find themselves the victim of random explosions apparently aimed it simply at causing as many casualties as possible. this is similar to the offense in 2006 that took the country to the brink of civil war. so far, there has not been such a reaction. just the day after the christians buried their dead, now the shiites were doing the same. with the same grief and the same anger. the hospitals are swamped with another flood of injured, are

around 300 from this latest bonds. among them, a child who was in his father's car when they were hit by the explosions. >> a large piece of shrapnel took off the top of his skull. they did an emergency operation and they managed to save his life. they told me that i should taken abroad and have a bone graft. >> the prime minister was attending the wounded. the violence comes at a critical time in domestic politics. the prime minister is blamed by his rivals for not controlling the violence. his circle has accused them of encouraging it to block the government. the political struggle should be resolved by monday when parliament holds their first full session since the march elections. people here are keeping their fingers crossed that the climax of political tensions will not bring more scenes like this.

>> the british home secretary has said that a member of the group al qaeda at in the arabian peninsula was arrested in britain earlier this year on suspicion of plotting an attack. this is the group linked to bombs found in packages on cargo planes last week. it is highly unlikely that the extremists will return in somalia and tried to commit mass murder. stay with us if you can. a new implant that could restore sight to the blind. an exhibition is opening in london revisiting one of the most compelling disasters. the sinking of the titanic in 1912. >> two miles down on the atlantic seabed, one of the world's most famous shipwrecks. more than 1500 died when the great liner that they said was

unsinkable hit an iceberg. discovered in 1985, the wreck of the titanic has been giving up her secrets ever since. on show in london, parts of the vessel itself such as the wheel housing from the bridge. there are also personal possessions such as hats, shoes, musical instruments, and a hand- written score of an original piece of music. it seems remarkable that more articles of clothing should have survived. >> they were in sight of leatherbacks which for some reason the micro organisms that live at that level were not interested in so they did not penetrate or destroy the fabric. >> a first-class ticket cost 8 pounds and got you a bunk. first-class passengers travelled in luxury but their tickets cost almost 1,000 pounds. this was the biggest man-made

object in her day. the ticket offices in new york were besieged by friends and relatives seeking news. the fate of the titanic has fascinated people ever since. when you come to the exhibit, you get a boarding pass with the name of a real passenger on the back. this one belongs to and englishmen who was traveling to idaho. he was traveling with his daughter and wife. at the end of the exhibition, you will find out if your passenger live or die. in this case, he died, however his wife and daughter survived. >> the latest headlines for you on bbc world news. president obama has publicly conceded that his party's domestic losses show people are deeply frustrated about the u.s. economy and jobs. there's extra security in place around churches in iraq as the

threats against them are leveled by islamic groups linked to al qaeda. now the thames from 80 to recover from the earthquake have doubled. cholera is rising and they are bracing them selves for a tropical storm. -- people in haiti are starving to recover from the earthquake but their troubles have doubled. this seems too much. >> at the people who have suffered some much since january's earthquake and now they are preparing for this. i don't know if you can see behind me that many of the trees have been cut down. the fear is that if the tropical storm does right, it could cause landslides because there are no

obstacles to stop the mud from slowing down below. you have millions of people living in tents. the tense cannot really withstand a strong wind and rain that could come with a tropical storm. we have just heard that the storm had been weakening a bit to a tropical depression and it is now gathering in strength and heading towards haiti. one for the problem is that haiti is already suffering from a cholera epidemic, there has been an increase in the number of new cases but doctors feared that the rains will further spread cholera across the country. >> there is talk on the latest news wires at the center of the storm is expected to approach 80 on friday. this is pretty close to hurricane strength. -- the center of the storm is expected to approach haiti on friday. >> they're telling people to

leave the tens if they can print them -- if they can't. -- they are telling people to leave the tents if they can. some camps have already been evacuated. otherwise, they are appealing for assistance. they don't have enough to deal with what it may come. this is an extraordinary situation for a country that has gone through some much. at the beginning of the cholera epidemic, people were worried about it spreading. on top of that, they have this tropical storm to be concerned about. >> desperate times. and thank you very much. it is a major new corruption in the volcano in indonesia. scientists say that it is more forceful than last week. the safety ring around the

volcano has been increased to 15 kilometers. >> scientists warned that the most dangerous volcano in indonesia could be erupting for months. early morning and several times it threw out a fury of ash as it eases pressure built up inside of the crater. more than 7000 people have been moved to shelters and told no one knows when they can return home. the president visited with a reassurance that they would be looked after and compensated for loss of property. he also said that more eruptions were expected. >> you need to stay here in the shelters. i hope that you can go back to your homes soon. the volcano is more dangerous

than previous times. that is why we need to handle it with greater care. >> the experts explained why. >> these latest eruptions happened at about 7:45 last night. halt about -- hot volcanic ash came down. >> doctors say that many are suffering from respiratory and eye infections because of the sulfuric ash in the air. despite government warnings, some people are returning to their homes. this sprawling archipelago is used to natural disasters. indonesia sits on a belt known as the pacific ring of fire. 1,300 kilometers to the west, relief efforts continued for victims of a tsunami that swept away entire villages last month. bad weather there is hampering

efforts to distribute aid to this area. >> now to a medical breakthrough that could potentially change the lives of thousands of people without sight. german scientists have developed an implant which has helped the three blind people to see shapes. >> this woman is blind. now -- this man is blind. now, he can read his own name because of an electronic device implanted in his eye. he has a condition that affects his right now. over the years the cells that are used to detect light have stopped working. what has been implemented is a light-sensitive chip which sends signals directly to the optic nerve. this is what the implant looks

like. this is the chip itself measuring just 3 millimeters. this is a prototype which scientists hope to improve. to begin with, he was able to only see flashes of light. after a few days, he began to make out random lines. gradually, as his brain got used to the implants, the lines came together and he could see outlines. one patient was even able to discern features on people's faces. it will not enable them to see the way we do but it will help them enough to negotiate the world around them >> i can see vertical lines. >> he was part of a very small study. the next stage is to begin trials in u.k. hospitals next year. exciting, though these results are, it is still early days.

more research will need to be done to see if it can be developed into reliable, -- lasting treatment. -- -long-lasting treatment. >> a child was playing near a window seven stories up and he fell. he survived without a scratch. >> from this balcony, it is a 50-foot drop. this is the extraordinary story of a little boy who defied certain death. bouncing from this awning and into the grateful arms of a total stranger. the man who saved him is a doctor. he is a keen sportsman. imagine the pressure of making this catch. >> at that moment, you don't have time to think. i'd just had enough time to

check was in the right position. this was just a reflex. >> the story is more remarkable than it might first appear. not only was the doctor in exactly the right position but ordinarily this awning would have been folded away. it was a bank holiday and the cafe was closed. it was only left open because the mechanism had jammed. the child's parents had left the boy with his sister alone in the family apartment. it was only the quick action of a neighbor that prevented the little girl from following. >> my brother clambered over the balcony. you can imagine the horror of the parents when they finally returned. the parents have since been detained on suspicion of child neglect. the ploy is in perfect health in every sense of the word. -- the boy is in perfect health.

>> a british student has been sentenced to life in prison for trying to kill her local member of parliament because he supported the iraq war. she is 21 and she stabbed and the mp in the stomach. >> she is a brilliant student from a family that is not particularly religious. it became her dream to die as a mortar defending the muslim faith. this is her arm with a kitchen knife about to step up the parliamentarian. afterwards, she told police that she had been prepared to be killed by those trying to stop her. >> when she pushed her hand into my stomach, i realized that i had suffered a blow, i don't think that actually saw the knife. >> she said that she would

remain a danger for the foreseeable future. she intended to kill at a political cause. during her trial, she refused to recognize the jurisdiction of this court and would not leave her prison cell to attend. in today's video link hearing, she stared impassively ahead. when the judge reminded her that she ruined her life and she said it was worth it, she broke into a smile. this evening, youtube has begun removing videos of the preacher who detectives believe is responsible for radicalizing the woman threw his sermon. the woman he influence with such appalling consequences is beginning her life sentence. >> you will get many more details on all of the international news online at

bbc.com. i thank you very much for being with us. >> 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. up

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