>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is 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. ♪ >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major

corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> standing together, and nato leaders said reach agreement for the anti defense missile system for europe. safety fears and hamper rescue efforts for 29-missing after an explosion in new zealand. coming up later on the program, the satirical novel banned by the soviet union on the english stage. the electric car steps up a gear as the u.k.'s first mass- produced vehicle hit the streets.

president obama says an agreement has been reached at the nato summit in portugal. the two-day meeting will also discuss improving relations with moscow. here is our defense correspondent. >> u.s. president barack obama of flu in off error -- on air force one. ♪ the president and other leaders will announce the vision. agreeing how best to shelter it from the nato act shall --

safety umbrella. >> we ought to realize if we are to protect our people effectively, we need to address the new threats, like missile attacks, cyber attacks, terrorism. this would improve our capability. >> that means a past agenda that includes a rain on streamlining. a shield to protect europe against a ballistic missile attacks. making this cyber defense part of nato and formulating an exit strategy for afghanistan. nato agrees on how best to -- a real challenge is getting right in today's conflicts in afghanistan. nobody is suggesting that it will be easy. it will depend on how you define

success. with afghanistan the longest conflict, it will seek control of security. that should start next year. combat operations to finish by the end of 2014. >> the real challenge is in the transition to make sure we get it right. to make sure that we are contributing sufficient troops to the nato training mission to make sure that the quality of the afghan troops is improved. the start of building peace. cox as they have mentioned, plans are being made in the number of provinces before the transfer of security

responsibility from international to afghan forces. our offense in general ready? -- are afghans ready? >> it is only an hour's drive, but it feels like another world. people can easily go about their business. you can walk the streets without too much trouble. kafka and police are on patrol. they have been trained by nato. in the mountains, it is another matter. we've traveled about 10 minutes, but the police say it is too dangerous, we cannot go any further.

the other side is like taliban valley. the police are spread too thinly, says a local politician. >> but please do not have any resources. -- the police did not have any resources. our forces are not ready. they have not been equipped. if a takeover, the security situation will get worse. >> the taliban are not the only problem. the local police commander took us into the back streets. unemployment is running at about 70%. robberies are on the rise. >> we have not seen any help here in afghanistan. we do not even have clean drinking water. the money has never reached us.

we've got nothing, no work, and no hope of work. how can i feed my family? instead, i have to steal. >> the mountains are marked. it is safer here than in many parts of the country, but fear and despair run deep. this valley was a a front land in the battle against the taliban. the people need help to keep at bay. >> in new zealand, emergency services are desperately trying to reach 29 miners missing after an explosion. the blast took back at the river coal mine on the country south island. tests are being carried out to

see if it is said to try to rescue the missing men. there are concerns about the threat of poisonous gases. >> a new mining disaster, this time in new zealand. these pictures of the ventilation charge should the blast on below. smoke and coal dust blowing out. this is one of new zealand's largest coal mines. it was suddenly rocked by a huge explosion. a few lucky men managed to get out. but dozens more are unaccounted for and still below ground. >> i believe there has been an explosion. there was some communication, but we have not had any further communication. >> pike river is a direct line. a 2 kilometer long title drills horizontal the into the north

side to reach the sea. the ventilation shaft rises 100 meters to the top. some reports suggest that a faulty electric and the ventilation system may have preceded the blast. this site is still too dangerous to properly investigate. >> crews are working frantically at the moment. they are doing everything they can to making sure that the miners are -- the-a to go down. >> the danger is trapped gases, which a rescue mission might ignite. the hope is that any surviving minor caught by the blast have enough oxygen supply with them to keep going until it is safe to get them out. chile.just saw in th all of those miners got out of that mine. >> relatives and friends are

waiting anxiously. the latest reports say no rescue mission is likely to start before saturday evening, new zealand time. >> it turns out that rescue workers to help clear the rubble following the september 11 attacks on the world trade center have approved a settlement with the city of new york. they will receive over $625 million in compensation board being exposed to toxic dust. what of the biggest banks in ireland says they have seen a major decline in the size of deposits. allied irish banks says is deposits have fallen by $18 billion since january. that is 17% of the total. talks in dublin have spent -- how are people in ireland reacting to a possible bailout? >> if you are looking for a

symbol of the irish economy, you do not need to look any further than this. it should be the new headquarters for the irish bank. work has stopped for some time. there is progress across town here in dublin. officials from the imf and the you are missed -- art league -- meeting with civil servants. the finance minister it said that there is no shame in this situation. the help minutes -- the health minister said this is not the government's fault. he is a taxi driver who gave us a lift earlier. one irish historian says the fills the whole nation is being humiliated. is that putting into strongly? >> i am very embarrassed today to be irish.

our leader is cutting ribbons on a new terminal. he is deciding our future. >> you feel that it for the first time since irish independence, your sovereignty is at stake? >> absolutely. it has been eroded. we had the lisbon referendum twice. >> thank you very much. he was talking about the irish prime minister. he said there is no question of our sovereignty being in jeopardy. the corporation tax will not be raised. there will be no forced redundancies in the public sector. watch out for the austerity budget on december the seventh. it will be a sign --

>> test driving the car of the future. >> more than 100 cardinals have gathered at the vatican. it comes before a special ceremony when new cardinals in the appointed. >> some of those attending are more fragile than others. many are renewing old friendships. the child sex abuse scandal, a key discussion. >> i will lead speaker for scotland and say that -- i will only speak for scotland and say that [inaudible]

>> the cardinals will also address strained relations with china. the government-backed church there has ordained a bishop without the pope's approval. >> their rights as human beings. to have the freedom to give that message. >> pope benedict later led the cardinal in music and in prayer. the manual one day be part of the enclave -- conclave. the vatican says this meeting is all about communication, information. they are discussing the child abuse scandal and they will be talking about prosecution of christians around the world. the decision by pope benedict to allow clerics from the anglican faith to join the catholic church.

the cardinals will be joined by 24 new ones in a special ceremony on saturday. new faces pour this ancient and changing institution. >> you are watching bbc world news. nato leaders -- agreement on a new anti-missile defense system for europe. afghanistan is also on the the agenda. 29 workers are trapped in the new zealand. the remains of more than 2000 fetuses have been discovered at the buddhist temple in thailand. the police have arrested the caretaker. they say they came from clinics where the abortions had been carried out. >> it was in the buddhist temple

mortuary that the remains of the fetuses were found and the terrible smell that alerted police. 350 remains were discovered in plastic bags inside containers used for storing bodies that were cremated. upon further inspection, more than 2000 found. to temple workers have been arrested, along with a woman who brought the fetuses for cremation. she is believed to a been paid to dispose of them in clinics were illegal abortions have been carried out. abortion is illegal in thailand, except in cases of rape,. many illegal operations are carried out every year. >> this reflects a problem in society. i think all of these sectors have to work together, government, public, and private, to find a solution to this

problem. >> as the fetuses were removed, offerings left for the spirits of the dead. >> the enterprise adviser later said he regretted his comments. the prime minister calls his remarks offensive and inaccurate. >> britain is emerging from the worst recession in more than half a century and it is facing the deepest spending cuts since the 1970's. he has paid a political price for suggesting that -- >> the vast majority of the people today have never had it so good. ever since this recession started. anybody with a mortgage, most

people with a mortgage, were paying a lot of money each month. >> it was a conservative who originally said -- but that was at a time of rising prosperity. the current prime minister was -- was assessing flood damage, but you really wanted to take >> key is extremely embarrassed about what he said. he has withdrawn what he said. he doesn't speak for the government. he will be doing a less speaking in the future. >> with no end to the media storm, the prime minister had accepted his resignation. when he appointed him, he urged him to be brutally honest. perhaps he took that advice to literally.

he was a key link between government and business. >> of lord young is a right to go. his remarks are disgraceful and many of the people are struggling with the consequences of the recession that we had, the consequences of spending cuts that we are seeing. >> he said the loss of 100,000 public sector jobs was in the mark -- was dead within the margin of error. >> it has been revealed that a suspicious suitcase found at the airport was a specially made test device. the case was found in a routine checks. the case was one made by an american company to assess security. a new opera, based on a book

that was banned in russia, will have its u.k. premiere tomorrow night. the production features some of puppetry and some gruesome action. our arts editor has this report. >> ♪ this is the story of a dog and its heart. it is sort of a canine frankenstein. an ambitious scientist wants to try a new experiment. ♪ could you by transplanting a human body part turn a dog into a man it?

the answer is yes. but not wide -- but not one you want to live with. there is an element of the experiment about this production as well. it is a collaboration by two of europe's leading opera companies. what would happen if you took a largely unknown at russian composer and putting together with an avant-garde british theater maker u.s. never directed an opera before? here is the answer. the composer has based his opera on a novel written in 1925 by another russian. the book was immediately banned in russia. the authorities considered it to a damming satire of

communism. and it was. the dollar represents the russian underclass, trying to survive on the margins of an emerging society. >> he is starving, angry, bitter. he is the person at the edge of society, almost lower than anybody who has become involved in the revolution. he is the rubbish of the world. >> the challenge was how to present the dog on stage. this is their solution. how did they make it feel like it is alive? >> i think it is the way in which the audience collaborate. it feels like we are an extension of this space. our movements are rounded to are as interesting and important that is as the dogged self. >> english national opera -- it

is a bold strategy, but is it -- but it is wise? >> there is always a risk. it is always a risk. the risk has to be taken. the rewards can be great. >> this is a new opera up with an old message created man must recognize that its actions have consequences which can sometimes be disastrous. >> car manufacturers have been promising us for years that electric vehicles will revolutionize the way we travel.

the u.k. is providing for its first mass-produced electric car. it will be cheaper to run than its equivalent, but a lot more expensive to buy. >> what do you think the future of motoring looks like? it could be a lot like this. it is the first mass-produced electric car to be purpose built and people start driving it here early next year. just how practical is it? you will not be taking it on a tour of the country. it is not practical for that sort of use, but there are charging points in various cities around the u.k. and a full charge will give you a range of about 100 miles. that means running costs are going to be much lower. they will have to be because the car cost 24,000 pounds to buy. >> it is a question of image. people who buy this car will want to be seen in it.

it could be' time, a financial decision. >> something that is a problem with electric cars, though, is that they are so quiet, pedestrians do not often hear them coming. we have had hybrid cars that use a combination of electric motors and a petrol engine for a few years. but a range of manufacturers are racing to get their cars to market. we have got to have renewable power to be powering are electric cars. behavior changes an important part of the solution. we have to change how people travel. the car industry cannot just focus on electric cars. >> it is almost going to sell

itself. drivers can take further than that. they can even up below their data and compare themselves with other drivers ride across the world and debate range based on how economic it is. the car will be imported at first, from 2013 it will be british-made. >> the new arrival has been shown not to the australian television in melbourne. they carefully removed the check as the proud father stood by. president obama says an agreement has been reached at the nato summit in portugal. invite russia to take part. you can find more about that

story and all the day's stories on our website. this to our facebook page as well. >> 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. ♪

>> union bank offers unique insight and expertise in a range of industries. what can we do for you? ♪ >> there is one stage that is the met and carnegie hall. >> o, that this too, too solid flesh -- >> it is the kennedy center. >> check, one, two. >> and a club in austin. >> it is closer than any seat in the house, no matter where you call home. >> the top of the world, and i'm there, i'm home. >> pbs -- the great american stage that fits in every living room. your support of pbs brings the arts home. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.