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."

>> a shot dead by his bodyguard, one of pakistan's most outspoken moderate voices in silence. as the australian military brushes to help screen -- help queensland's + stricken residents, there are crocs -- flood stricken residents, there are crocodiles lurking in the waters. welcome to bbc world news, broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. my name is mike and leave. coming up later for you, this genetically fortified pig, will it save bacon or prove to be in no more than a pig in a poke? and you're sending pictures of the partial solar eclipse.

hello, it is an assassination that has shaken the art -- already turbulent world of pakistani politics. the governor of punjabi, salman taseer, has been shot dead by his own security detail. he was a well-known figure on the liberal wing of politics with outspoken secular views. he recently made a stand against the country's blasphemy laws. >> the killing has sent shock waves through a country already in crisis. the governor was gunned down in broad daylight in a popular shopping district. police say this killer was one of those supposed to protect him, a member of his own security team. police are now gathering evidence here at the scene in the heart of the capital. it is just a short time since the attack took place the governor of the punjabi province was at a cafe. he was attacked as he walked

back to his car. and he was shot repeatedly at close range. >> the reason, according to pakistan's interior minister, was his out step -- outspoken criticism of the country's blasphemy laws, which the governor condemned as draconian. in recent times he called for the release of a christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy charges. he visited her in prison and vowed to fight the laws, even if he was the last man standing. the governor's stand in flint islamist groups who took to the streets. friends say he knew he was at risk. last december he explain his refusal to be silent. >> before i was going to say this, a lot of people said to me that you are making a mistake. do not do it. and i said, no.

if i do not stand up, then other people who think like me will not be able to stand up either. >> human rights workers say pakistan has been robbed of a rare voice of courage, a champion of women's and minority rights. it is the most high-profile assassination since the killing of the former prime minister, benazir bhutto, in 2007. the country's government is hanging by a thread and the killing of solomon taseer will add to its insecurity. >> picturetel its own story, but the rising waters seem to be reaching their peak in australia. in queens, a week's worth of rain is making its way -- in queensland, a week's worth of rain is making its way to the ocean. floods have cut the town's air, road and rail links for the 75,000 inhabitants of rockhampton.

>> this is the day that rockhampton has been bracing itself for, with flood waters expected to pique over the next few hours. these are the low lying fringes. 150 houses are already under water. more than 500 people have either fled or been rescued from their homes. a coastal city at the mouth of the swollen fitzroy river, this should be the last stop before the flood waters reacheddrwfbwae ocean. but rockhampton could be under water for the next 10 days. when last hit by flooding in 1991, it became an island city for a fortnight. forgiven for thinking this is the major river running through rockhampton when, in fact, it is the major highway. the main link between this regional center and brisbane, mdot the state capital much further to the south. -- the state capitol much further to the south.

it is completely inundated with water. the fear is that it could be that way for more than a week. >> from the south, the only way in is by sea. normally, sparkling, but right now, murky brown. these are those returning from a christmas trips who found themselves stranded. these waters are riddled with venomous snakes and crocodiles. it is a very australian flood. imrick what can you do? it is not like you can't put -- >> what can you do? it is not like you can put your hand up and stop it. it is just going to come. it is just the way it is. rockhampton has seemed to become an island and the water breaks behind us. maybe one day you may be able to see the peaks of the city, but at the present time, many residents take it for granted

and we just prepare for it. it is life in queensland. >> never before in queensland have all three river systems flooded at the same time, which is where the crisis has been so bad and widespread. even after the waters peak, this state will be affected for months. bbc news, rockhampton. >> some of the day's other main news for you, it has been reported that gbagbo has refused to step down. he agreed to a temporary peace. that news came from the chairman of the ecowas commission, which has been trying to solve the conflict. mr. gbagbo has refused to step down.

the sudanese leaders are meeting ;8dñvlñwith mr. r shearer. he has said he would be sad to see it split into two countries. in an attempt to curb illegal immigration, there is activity on the turkish border. the european commission says it will work short-term. the 120,000 immigrants crossed into greece in the last year, most from africa and asia. $'(byñthieves emptied a vault ae than 100 safe deposit boxes. alarms went off several times overnight. police saw the doors shut and took no action no one was sure how much was stolen because what was in the deposit boxes is confidential. a cloud of controversy is

hanging over the start of hungry's six month presidency of the union -- european union. hungary hopes to put its own imprint on the you. -- on the eu. >> making a fresh start to the new year. they have been washing away the extent panes of budapest, even in the midst of winter. now they hope to take advantage of hungary's unaccustomed international exposure. >> is a doubly important year for us, as well as the eu presidency, it is also the hundred year [unintelligible] >> running the eu presidency

also puts more controversial aspects upon policy in the spotlight, like for example, the country's new media law. >> the midday news @ hund gary and russia -- national radio. the guard its independence fiercely. -- at hungarian national radio. the guards its independence fiercely. many journalists fear for the future. even those in power say they mean no harm. and suggest there will be no mass redundancies. but the power struggles are more visible here and somehow, more relaxing. >> one of america's most senior naval officers has been relieved of his command over a series of lewd videos shown to his career with the knowledge of pentagon top brass.

he has starred in some of the weekly videos and it showed him making lewd the /te3ss and actions. prosecutors in los angeles offer evidence that michael jackson's dr. was responsible for his death. firefighters are battling a massive flighdelays in new jers. ybarra on tuesday at a condominium that is still being built. firefighters have had difficulty controlling the blaze. no injuries have been reported. police in london have read the list -- released new cctv coverage of attacks by students on the prince of wales and his wife, the duchess of cornwall.

police have identified a number of people they believe are responsible for violence and damage. how protesters surrounded the convoy and hurled things at the cars. police are trying to track down those involved. this woman in particular, she appears to have repeatedly attacked the cars. here she is again running behind the rolls royce. scotland yard hopes that it will lead to someone revealing her identity, or that her companion will come forward as a witness. police also want to trace this man, filmed and running alongside the royal car and hitting it. a third man ran alongside the vehicle before sinning to take pictures. charles and camilla were uninjured, despite the dutch as being pulled by a stake through an open window. there are, however, was damaged. the cctv shows armed officers

stayed in their cars, relying on the armed convoy to push through a tough read then getting out and dealing with protesters. the metropolitan police say officers were just seconds from during their a -- drawing their weapons and showed admirable restraint. the investigation has not been published, but it is reported to say that the convoy took this route despite being warned that there were bands of protesters in the area. hours of video footage is being combed through to identify those involved. scotland yard says it respectñ!3 their right to protest, but will f8nq5&qo all it can to ensure tt offenders face the consequences. >> stay with us if you can on bbc world news. still to come -- the discovery that gave new

wheels to one of this year's big oscar contenders. first though, a russianize brecker is trying to reach around 600 sailors on board ships in the russian siege. they are trapped. three vessels have been icebound since friday. we have this report. >> at the vladivostok offices of it russia's largest shipping company, there are at least five ships trapped in thick ice off the eastern coast of siberia. of the together concern r. h. roller that is being pulled -- are a stroller that is being pulled by eyes off shore and another one that has been sending in as a west -- sending an s.o.s.

>> the lines keep snapping and there's not enough to break away from the shore. >> on friday, three ships were caught by the rapidly freezing c and at least two more became stuck on monday. some 500 sailors are now on board the ships encased in ice. one small ice breaker is struggling to free them. another is pulling its weight to the scene. they have a small window of good weather before it closes in again. >> on the fourth and fifth it máh;rill become calm, but aftert it will be bad again because the storm is moving to the south. it will bring strong north winds and bad visibility. >> russian seamen are accustomed to the reporters around their coast, but the sudden freezing has caught them by surprise. if the icebreakers cannot get through, then four helicopters

will have to airlift the men to safety. bbc news, moscow. >> the latest headlines this hour on bbc world news, one of pakistan's best known liberal politicians, the governor of punjab, solomon taseer has been shot dead. -- salman taseer has been shot dead. harsh winter weather has been severely disrupting transport and travel in southwest china. local authorities have dispatched teams to provinces and regions to cope with the unusually low temperatures for this time of year. >> it is the same story across much of southwestern china. snow and freezing rain paralyzing the transport network.

authorities here have been trying everything to get the trains moving. on the roads there is also gridlock. thousands of motorists have been stranded because of the bad weather. many people spent the night in their vehicles or at service stations in nearby villages after roads were closed. no one is going anywhere fast. authorities say thousands of emergency fast -- staff were deployed to ease the chaos. power supplies were also affected by the cold snap. while conditions are slowly improving, the weather is set to worsen again by the end of the week. bbc news, beijing. >> severe weather is sweeping pakistan purist is suffering from a cold wave that is also gripping part of -- this week in pakistan. it is suffering from a cold wave that is also growing part of india.

some parts of the country are likely to be in a group of extremely cold weather for another two days. a photograph taken by a philippine politicians moments before he was shot dead has led to the rest of the suspected killer. the district council took a photo of his family outside their house on new year's day. unknowingly, a man raising his gun to fire was included in the background of the snap. the victim's family give the photo to police and they have detained a man on suspicion of murder. many people are on the world have witnessed the first partial solar eclipse of 2011. it is visible from north africa and the west as far east as china. the most dramatic was in sweden, where 85% of the sun was obscured. >> the golden door. this far north, the sun was so low in the sky -- high in this guide was only seen from trees

and buildings. -- high in the sky, it was only seen from trees and buildings. >> it is incredible. the light and shadow were totally different than normal. magic. >> from the south, the swiss alps were raised -- were bathed in a rosy glow. the sun disappeared behind the moon. there will be four partial solar eclipses this year. that is the most for a decade. sadly, the others will be largely uninhabited places. these czech children wanted to make the most of it. astronomers and amateurs gave in op. >> -- gazed in awe. >> it is a wonder of nature.

>> in iran, the eclipsed gre drw students to telescopes. it was an outdoors astronomy lesson. anyone feeling left out needn't give up. if they can get to the arctic on june 1, they will get another chance. >> other scientists are constantly looking for ways to feed the plants growing population. gm auto is controversial -- gmo's are controversy about, but north american food agencies are now considering applications for gm foods. >> in the deep freeze of the

canadian winter, something is stirring. this could be the plan its first genetically modified farm animals for human consumption. -- this could be the planet posey first genetically modified farm animals for human consumption. they look like pigs and behave like pigs, but they are modern science. a and each one contains genes from mice and the e. coli bacteria that has been inserted into their dna with precision. >> it is one of only two animals right now using this kind of modification. it is absolutely -- it is in a sense a mind-boggling technology when you think about it. >> is mind-boggling, but i will try to explain. normal siong giggs cannot digest phosphates. that means the stuff -- normal pigs cannot digest phosphates. that means the stuff that comes out of the back end. these pigs can digest

phosphates. no more pollution and cheaper to feed. the science of genetic modification is moving faster from the early days with low in the dark-and cats to these fast- growing salmon -- with these global in the dark mice and cats to these fast-growing salmon. the very notion of genetically modified animals is, to some, in nightmare. >> this is a critical find. north america is at the very center of the global complex over genetically modified animals where we are about to break open a new era of application of this technology. we never imagined it could be possible. >> the arguments about gm meat or fish are essentially the same locked in stalemate. but this comes as world

agriculture is faced with massive challenges of feeding a rockabilly -- it rocketing global population andreyna sustainably. -- and doing it sustainably. these may be among the first gm farm animals. they are certainly not going to be the last. >> films with a starring role for the british families seem to have a track record in hollywood. there are high hopes for the latest bit of blue blooded some mark. "the king's speech" tells the story of the current queen's father as he struggled to overcome a speech impediment. >> my husband is required to speak to the public. >> there is a public speaking, and then there is a very public

speaking. if you have a speech impediment, can seem more pronounced. -- it can seem more pronounced. "the king's speech" is about george vi's stammered. very little was known about their private session until nine weeks before the film was due to go into production. that is when they discovered this, lionel rove's archives. it was found in his attic. for the director and the actors, it was a revelation. it goes into enormous detail and has hundreds of letters between the two men about his mental state it says, quite normal. he has accused nervous tension.

on the physical side, he is well built with good shoulders, but the waistline is very flatly. -- flabby. colin firth plays george vi and is no doubt a beneficiary of the our cars importance. >> i had never read a world biography in my life until i took this role on. it was starting from scratch. -- i never read a royal biography in my life until i took this role on. it was starting from scratch. >> the two characters have good chemistry. >> there is talk about an oscar award for your performance. how does that feel? >> it cannot but make you feel guilty. >> and he certainly has the support of his queen. -- it cannot but make you feel

giddy. >> and he certainly has the support of his queen. >> you have to have belief in the person offices. -- person opposite. he takes you there. >> there is one thing for certain, "the king's speech" has people talking. >> before we leave you, something that might make you a bit nervous about going fishing. a group of fishermen off the west coast of australia just went swimming and got back into their deneen when they saw this in the water. it is a 5 meter long great white shark. it circled the boat and even started to attack the of board motor. they managed to make a hasty get away, understandably. that and much more on international news at bbc.com. you can see what we are working on, too, and what is coming up

on facebook. >> 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 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?

>> bbc world news