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>> it is official. southern sudan confirms 97% voted for independence from the north. thousands of protesters are demanding the immediate resignation of president mubarak. the founder of wikileaks leaves british court after the first day of the fight against extradition to sweden on sex charges. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast around the globe. coming up later, the french foreign minister bytes calls for resignation. why did she holiday indonesia in the middle of an uprising? here comes the sun as never seen before. nasa creates the first 360 degree view of the entire surface.

it is official. after decades of civil war, africa's biggest company will split. it is not confirmed that the south of sudan voted almost unanimously for independence. the world's newest nation will be created in months. in july, africa will gain a 54th state. this is momentous for both. there are likely to be hard times ahead. from khartoum, the bbc reports. >> first they fought each other. then they made peace. today, president bashir and the leader of the former southern rebels were handed the results that confirm their country will split. southerners feared the north would go back on its promise to respect the south picked choice. president bashir said he would

keep its word. >> this is one of the most crucial days in sedan. we would like to congratulate the people for the choice they have made. made this crucial event today marked the end of the boundary between war and peace. >> the separation of southern sudan is not the end of the road. this does not mean we will be enemies. instead, we should build strong relations, just as the president said. the borders between north and south will only exist on paper. >> a new country is going to be born. southern sudan's independence will not happen until july. there are still obstacles. there will be negotiations on the disputed border, citizenship, and resources like oil. there is the potential to cause real problems. an independent south will be one of the least developed countries on earth.

the north will feel the economic shock. most of sudan's oil is in the south. there have been street protests in khartoum for the high cost of living, inspired by egypt. southerners have dreamed of independence. in five months, there will be able to raise the flag of their own country, with the challenges enjoy that will bring. already, the celebrations have started. >> the new egyptian cabinet held its first full meeting as authorities moved to put the economy back to normality after weeks of protests. on money markets, the egyptian currency was at a six-year low against the dollar. the stock exchange was expected to reopen today, but will not do so until sunday. >> hello from cairo. this was the day the authorities tried to stop the process --

start the process of getting the egyptian economy on track. banks and many other businesses were open. there was more traffic on the streets of cairo. it became clear from the currency markets that it probably was not the right moment to take a risk on reopening the stock exchange. it will be next week before that changes. in cairo's central tahrir square, protesters showed no sign of going anywhere. they are still demanding the immediate stepping down of president mubarak. on day 14 of the unrest in egypt, let us get this report from our cairo correspondent. >> tahrir square, day 14. a routine has set into the

protests. but selling tea, cigarettes, and snacks. there is an egyptian flag that costs 10 egyptian pounds or $2. for many people, this tent city has become their home. they are ready to stay as long as it takes to get president mubarak out of office. >> we will not leave the square until he is out. >> we can handle it. it needs to be done. >> on one corner of the square, there is a confrontation brewing with the army. this is a major government building that the government was hoping would reopen today. but protesters are having none of it. the government wants to reopen this building to start processing paperwork. but protesters are having none of it. they formed a human chain to prevent anyone getting in.

they are in a standoff with the army, who are confronting them here. the army said it will not use force. banks have reopened in cairo, alexandria, and other cities. the stock exchange remains closed, presumably because of fears everyone will want to sell. state television released pictures of president mubarak meeting with his new cabinet. the government announced a 15% pay rise for government employees from april. the talks with opposition members at the weekend -- the government made concessions, including a committee to review the constitution. the opposition say the measures do not go far enough. here in tahrir square, they want the departure of president mubarak and and and to the system under which he ruled for 30 years. until that happens, they are going nowhere.

>> while those protests are ongoing in cairo, two weeks into this crisis, we have moved into a more political phase. the government is talking to opposition groups, notably the muslim brotherhood, for the first time. that has been a band group in egypt. one person at those talks was found of the telecom giant who has interests all over the world. he is part of the committee of wise men offering counsel to the government. i asked him how he thought this will end. >> the demands were not all met. dp -- the president has provided the possible demands that can accommodate in a short time. he promised this is not a -- this is just a first step. there is one stumbling block.

there are two groups in the opposition. one demands the departure of president mubarak. there is another group to which i belong which says there is no need for him to depart. he can remain until the end of his sentence. we can move forward. >> you say the solution is he stays in his post until september. at this time, what would happen? >> if you read our declaration of the wise men, it states all the demands. free elections under international control, the amendment of the constitution of all the statutes that are not acceptable, the freedom of speech, communication, and media, free from interference, the exhortation that president mubarak would not run for another period, then his son

will not be a candidate, that the next elections will be done under different mechanisms -- >> but the central issue is the trust between the protesters and the government. they feel none of these concessions would ever have been made if they were not there. why should they trust the promises? >> i think the vice president has provided immediate steps toward that goal. >> the vice president has been at president mubarak's side. >> but he is not mr. mubarak. "is the man mr. mubarak has appointed as vice-president. >> does that say he will act like mr. mubarak? "has been part of the egyptian establishment. >> what is the other option? >> i am asking you.

i can see from the protesters' perspective -- >> first of all, they are not unified. there is no organization to negotiate with. they do not provide a solution to the conditions. although we are discussing is important for egypt. >> that is one of the most prominent businessmen in egypt. if you talk to the protesters who are still in the square, they have a different view. they believe nothing the government has given so far can really be trusted to deliver a different political system. they are hoping their numbers swelled in the next 24 hours. tuesday is planned as a day of a big protest here. >> many thanks. let us bring you more international news. nato sources in afghanistan are telling journalists at least 900

taliban fighters have switched sides since august, helping create conditions for international forces to withdraw. hamid karzai promised to announce next month the first part of the country where afghan forces will take over from nato. activists from the basque country in spain have launched a new political party they say will seek independence. the opposed violence. that are the successor to a party banned for links to a violent separatist party. there was a permanent cease-fire last month. the spanish government insists it must disarm. the volcano is erupting in russia. it has been dormant since 1929, but began erupting again two years ago. it is showing ash up to 3 miles into the air. aircraft are told to give it a wide berth. lawyers representing julian assange have told the court in london he will not get a fair

trial in sweden, where he is accused of sexual offenses. the wikileaks founder has not yet been charged in sweden. loyalists argue that extraditing him on suspicion would be wrong. there is a risk he would face extradition to the u.s. >> it is not the swedish courts that alarm julian assange, but the fear that extradition will deliver him to an american prison cell. he came today to fight the swedes. he has a growing army of high- profile campaigners on his side. for the crown prosecution service, it was said mr. assange used force to have sex with one of the women, using his body weight to restrict her movement. this was unlawful coercion without consent. mr. assange denies that the relationships were not

consentual. his defense lawyer says rape cases in sweden are routinely held in secret. public opinion is hostile. there is a risk of flagrant a mile of justice. the defense also questioned the most efficient of this woman, the swedish prosecutor who issued the european arrest warrant. a retired swedish judge said she appeared to have a bias against men. she was so preoccupied with the plight of battered women that she had lost balance. under cross-examination, the same witness said she did not know ms. hye and had based her opinion on television and radio. julian assange is the polarizing figure of the times. to his supporters, a champion of free speech. to many in america, a dangerous threat to national security. his defense team believe the swedish prosecution is connected to a malicious and politically- motivated attempt to destroy his reputation by them -- by

branding him a rapist. >> for the past 5.5 months, we have been in a condition where a black box has been applied to my life. on the outside of that black box has been written the word "rape." that box is now, thanks to an open process, being opened. >> julian assange will be back in court tomorrow. this is bbc news. >> much more to come. stay with us if you can. shunning a new light on the sun, at nasa technology provides an astonishing sight and a helpful hand it to weather forecasters. first, cambodian troops have clashed for a fourth day over a disputed border area.

a world heritage site may have been damaged. the cambodian prime minister is appealing to the un. >> and 11th century hindu temple makes an unlikely focus point for a border skirmish. it is a world heritage site. now, it is taking hits as cambodia and thailand squabble over who owns the surrounding land. the temple itself belongs to cambodia, much to the chagrin of time nationalists -- thai nationalists. cambodia has protested to unesco over what it calls "thai aggression." this buddhist pagoda is abandoned and thousands of villagers have fled for their lives. cambodia's prime minister has put the blame squarely on its larger neighbor and says thailand wants to take control

of the land around the temple. but htai -- thaiss have been suffering as well. they have accused cambodia of starting the fighting. >> when there is firing into thailand's territory, it is necessary for thailand to protect its sovereignty. we returned fire only at military targets. >> it is hard to say what triggered the current outbreak, and difficult to see how tensions will be reduced when the sides cannot even agree on a way forward. cambodia is looking for outside mediation. thailand wants to keep it between the two countries. it will be some time before the small temple looks like a world heritage site again. bbc news, the no. 10 -- phenom penh. >> southern sudan has announced

98% of its population voted for independence from the north. dozens of protesters are still in cairo, demanding president mubarak go. the currency has hit a new low and the stock exchange will remain closed until sunday. the french foreign minister has been forced to defend herself against the demands for her resignation over her handling of the crisis in tunisia. she took a holiday in the country during the uprising brought down president ben ali. >> she was a key part of the october cabinet reshuffle, an appointment presidents are cozy -- sarkozzi hoped would reverse his fortunes. but she has been an embarrassment. offered french gendarmes to help

the tunisian police restore order, the same police force that had been accused of shooting innocent protesters. the french government has criticized her misreading of signals indonesia -- the french government has been criticized for misreading signals in indonesia and supporting an unpopular president. the foreign minister was holiday inn -- holidaying in tunisia, traveling in the jet of a businessman with close ties to the deposed president. >> this is a person who never asked anything of me and of whom i have never asked anything. but i can see it is shocking people. i will not take a private plane again as long as i am a minister. >> the foreign minister told reporters on saturday she did not believe she was the foreign minister while on holiday, a

statement she has been quick to retract. a senior figure from the opposition socialists said her government should call for her to be sacked. they say is highly unfortunate for a foreign minister to holiday in a country where an uprising is under way. bbc news, paris. >> it was always an ambitious goal, but the european goal looks likely to fall short of its target 20% cut in energy use by 2020. there is a disconnect between alternative energy sources and the energy grid. chris morris reports from the german/danish border. >> changing our energy supply will be a long, hard time. in the flatlands, wind is abundant. the produce five times as much energy from wind power as can be

consumed locally. but much of it goes to waste. wind turbines have to be switched off. the need agreed to get the power they produce to people who want to use it -- they need a grid to get the power they produce to people who want to use it. there are obvious -- term benefits. >> we need to look forward. if we do not start now, it does not set -- it does not make sense to build more windmills when we do not get this energy to our customers. >> europe has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95% by 2050. you need a smart grid across the country to transfer solar power from the south and wind power from the north. it all has to be done more efficiently. at the border of denmark, an

incineration plant. the heat produced is piped to homes and offices in surrounding cities. nearly 2/3 of all danish buildings used district heating systems, a good example of efficiency. but across europe, more can be done. a huge amount of heat from energies like power generation is lost, wasting hundreds of billions of euros every year. >> it can go out as water in rivers and the sea. one point of district heating is we can use this heat. we pipe it to customers. installations like this one can replace what we would otherwise use for heating this building, which is gas and oil. >> this retirement home is on the district heating system. choices on energy policy affect everyone, but government and industry have to take the lead. >> it is the power industry who

are going to build the big renewable resources we need. that are also going to have an important part in building the grid. government also has an important role. this is large public infrastructure. that requires big investments. >> europe's energy landscape is changing fast. the mix between renewable, nuclear, and other technology has yet to be determined. decisions in the next five years will set the course for the next 50. chris morris, bbc news. >> an official report into the release of a libyan man convicted of blowing up an airliner over lockerbie in 1998 has concluded that britain's government wanted him released before he died and helped to secure his release. david cameron today described his release as a very bad decision. there were 8000 costumes from

the rio de janeiro conable destroyed in a fire. the mayor of rio has promised the groups most affected would get help to be ready for the parade on march 6. at least 40 homes have been destroyed by bushfires in western australia, which have spread into the suburbs of perth. hundreds had to seek and urgency shelter as plans were fanned by strong winds. emergency services say the fire has been contained. here comes the sun, in detail never seen before. nasa has produced pictures that allow a 360 degree view of the surface and atmosphere. this will help forecasters predict the weather here on earth. our correspondent explains. >> the sun like we have never seen it, turbulent, constantly erupting, a restless power. huge arms of fire reach into

space. scientists have been getting more detailed pictures. the sun makes life possible on earth, but now and again, great explosions send it damaging particles our way. until now, we have not always known they are coming. from earth, we never get a view of the far side of the sun. it is where the biggest eruptions start. two spacecraft were launched five years ago. they are not directly opposite each other. that means photographs can be taken in 3d, all around the sun. we may get early warning of trouble. this footage captures a blast of charged particles surgeon around mercury, and on to venus. this shows the direction reaching us on earth, the blue dot in the center of the screen. this is space weather. it can prove devastating. electrical supplies and

satellites can be disruptive, destabilizing our magnetic field. scientists must keep a constant watch. >> what we really want to do is be able to see exactly what the sun is doing. we want to be able to watch regions on the sun as they grow and evolve. we want to see them as the sun rotates and brings regions of activity toward the earth. >> this nasa mission using british cameras is set to run for many more years, building an understanding of how the sun works, how its eruptions can be forecast, and producing sites most of us could never imagine. bbc news. >> much more on that and all the international news anytime you want it on line, on bbc.com. you can get in touch with most of the team on twitter and see what we are working on using our facebook page.

>> 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 global expertise to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was

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