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>> 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 america." >> this is "bbc world news america," reporting from washington. france and germany struggle to rescue greece, but the white house says europe has been too slow. fighting floods in pakistan again. a year after monsoon rains swamped the country, there are warnings this time could be even worse. >> in this camp, they have run out of tents. many have to sleep in the open,

and more rain is still coming. >> from the south pacific all the way to salt lake city. we go to utah, where the polynesian population is flourishing. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america. top american officials chastised european leaders for moving too slowly on the debt crisis. treasury said -- the treasury secretary, tim geithner, said europe was behind the curve. leaders of germany, greece, and france held emergency talks amid growing market fears that greece could soon default. could they come up with anything new? >> president sarkozy of france and chancellor merkle of germany

moved to try to fix the crisis of greece and its debt. they are holding a conference call with the greek prime minister, seeking guarantees. in exchange for further aid, greece would slash its deficit. the fear that greece is heading for bankruptcy has savaged the markets and the banking sector. two french banks saw their ratings downgraded today on evidence they were exposed to great debt. there was start evidence at the european parliament that europe could be destroyed by the eurozone crisis. the mood was gloomy. one minister declared europe was in danger. another said the european union itself could not survive a breakup of the eurozone. >> we are confronted with the most serious challenge of a generation. it is a fight for what europe presents to the world, a fight for integration.

>> president barroso said the answer was more integration, but there were doubts expressed that the euro could be saved. there are doubts whether greece can escape bankruptcy in the long term. a german minister said it would not be the end of the world if greece was forced out of the eurozone. the dutch government has begun exploring the cost to its banks increased defaults, runs out of money. who holds greek government that? the greek banks are holding 49 billion euros in greek debt. germany's banks hold 10 billion euros. france is next, with an exposure of 9 billion euros. the risk to british banks is much smaller, 2.2 billion euros. >> if germany does not bill grease out, we need a backup plan for when it goes horribly wrong. i do not get a sense of any backup plan. if a default happens, it will be

messy. >> president sarkozy and chancellor merkle reaffirmed they are determined to save greece, if they can. bbc news, brussels. >> for more on the crisis shaking the eurozone, i spoke to christian fraser from paris. when you look at people taking part in emergency talks, it is france, germany, and greece. isn't that the problem, that the eurozone comes down to these two big economies to solve problems? >> i think you are right. and it is a rerun of a meeting in paris two weeks ago. the criticism from timothy geithner and robert zelig is that europe always seems to be behind the curve. they are reacting to problems, not solving the big issues. there need to be big decisions taken on the future of the eurozone. the painful truth is it will mean either closer integration

or abandoning greece and trying to organize some sort of orderly default. the people i spoke to in paris are adamant that greece has to be saved. it is not just grease that is the problem, of course. italy and spain could follow. they fear a domino effect. they are very keen, even though greece is one of the smaller partners, to ensure it does not fall out of the eurozone. but how will they reassure the markets that it can be done in a proper way? >> and persuade their own population to carry on offering bailouts. in longer-term, what does closer integration do to solve the issue of there being a couple of big, strong economies, and a bunch of weak ones? >> i can speak to the perspective of people in paris. there are six months from an election. the economic problem becomes political. the ruling parties do not want

to be attached to a eurozone crash. that will not do any good when it comes to elections next april. i think they are also aware that the public sees the damage it is now doing to some of the biggest banks. we have spoken to people on the street, and they're starting to question the eurozone project. that is a concern for french politicians. >> thank you very much. a quick update on a story we brought you yesterday. the judiciary in iran has issued a statement denying that to americans held as spies since 2009 are about to be released. shane bauer and joshua fattal were scheduled to eight months in jail. yesterday, president ahmadinejad said there would be released. some confusion in iran. in palestine, a year -- in

pakistan, a year after monsoon flooding, authorities in sindh worn at this year could be worse. over 5 million people have been affected by the worst rains and over a century. >> a full 20 feet below these waters were shops and homes. but villages as far as the eye can see across southern pakistan have totally disappeared. the authorities in this province say these floods are even worse than last year's massive disaster. we find this family stranded on a bit of high ground. their homes gone, most of their livestock drowned. they did manage to save a couple of chickens. everyone was in the village, but suddenly the rains came. the all fled during the night. but they have now been saved by

the army, which has rescued 13,000 people by boat so far, but fears others are still cut off. >> this is huge. because of last year's flood, we were coping with that. we were just coping with that kind of damage, and then this is hitting us all. so the damage is twofold. >> in scenes reminiscent of last year, once people are rescued, they are brought to camps like this. they have lost their belongings, their homes, and in some cases members of the family. at this camp, they have run out of tents. many people have to sleep in the open. more rain is still coming. this is where one family ended up, sheltering anywhere they cannot and fearing for what the future holds. bbc news, sindh province.

>> across the border in afghanistan, we are getting new details about tuesday's brazen attack in the diplomatic corps of trouble, which lasted 20 hours. -- the diplomatic corner of couple -- of kabul. >> soldiers celebrate and the city breathes a sigh of relief, after 20 hours. the last suicide attacker is dead. six made it inside this building, bloodied and under fire for the last 12 hours. just two attackers held off afghan and international forces, while terrorizing the city below. the insurgents made it inside this building and came to the highest floor. when they got there, this is what they could see. there is the american embassy. beside it, nato headquarters. they could not have chosen a better firing position.

but it was here on the streets where most of the damage was done. people ran for cover. explosions and gunfire could be heard all day and all night long. mohammad saw the attack. >> i saw people crying and yelling. i saw women and children. many police officers were also running. they did not have their rifles with them. >> at the international mission, troops removed -- moved to return fire. this was the longest-running attack in kabul since the fall of the taliban. at isaf, they knew the attack was coming, but could not stop it. >> we have been going after these networks systematically throughout the month of ramadan. we knew the enemy intended to attack the population, to attack kabul.

they still manage to get in. they only have to be right once. we have to be right every single time. >> the taliban were able to bring urban warfare to the heart of kabul. as foreign troops began to leave, protecting the people here will become even harder. bbc news, couple. >> libya's interim leader has told the bbc he believes colonel gaddafi is still in the country. he made the comments during an interview with the bbc. we began by asking him if he knew where colonel gaddafi is. >> we cannot say exactly where he is, but we know for a fact that he is in the south of libya. it is very dangerous to have gaddafi on the run, and that much money and gold with him. it is not only dangerous for libya. it is dangerous for all arabs.

he is planning revenge attacks that will harm a lot of people in the area. >> have you made any progress in catching him? >> the troops loyal to gaddafi have moved south. the rebels have not yet been able to cross. there will be first -- there will be fierce fighting. we will need equipment we do not have. we have asked for support for the move south. we want to capture kernel gaddafi and his family. >> to say he is planning to carry out attacks. what kind of tax he is talking -- are you talking about, and where? "is the imposition of a lot of money and gold. -- >> he is in possession of a lot of money and gold. he could attack power plants around libya. >> you have gaddafi's sons on the run and four bang -- and

four towns that are still under the control of gaddafi loyalists. why are they hard to capture? >> the troops we ran out of tripoli have situated in the towns and are trying to regroup. they are trying to overcome the revolution. >> you have not gained control of those towns. everybody was saying they would fall really quickly. >> we have been in action for a long time, and we are tired. the problem is they have a lot of heavy weapons and long-range weapons we have been trying to avoid. we do not want to cause a lot of bloodshed in this neighborhood. we would like to go to these places as peacefully as possible. >> given all of this, how much do you feel in control of the country, particularly given the fact that you have even moved the interim government to the capital, tripoli? >> we have not liberated all of libya yet. we will only move into tripoli

as soon as we declare freedom and liberation for libya. >> you are watching "bbc world news america." from afghanistan to the arab spring. what should america's role around the world be? a rising star in the u.s. senate gives us his take. in thailand, officials say they have seized nearly 3000 rare animals in what is being called the country's biggest wildlife trafficking bust this year. from bangkok, the bbc reports. >> this truck was carrying hundreds of endangered animals when it was stopped by thai customs officials. inside, they found a lute thought to be worth more than $100,000, more than 200 monitor lizards and hundreds of turtles. officials believe the animals were being trafficked through the region. >> we have rescued wild animals

that are protected by law. we received information that the animals were passing through thailand, and the smugglers were arrested. we were able to save nearly 3000 animals. >> thailand is a member of the convention on international trade of endangered species, which should protect animals from being smuggled around the region. but trafficking of endangered animals is thought to be rife here. it is a big business. the illegal wildlife trade is thought to amount to billions of dollars every year globally. many animals and up in traditional asian medicine, or on dinner tables, eaten as delicacies. these animals thankfully have been saved from what was most likely a dismal and. thai officials say they will be sent to a sanctuary three hours away from bangkok, all of them except for the turtles. they will be released back into the ocean.

bbc news, bangkok. >> in the u.s. today, a federal report has blamed last year's oil spill in the gulf of mexico on the failure of a critical cement barrier, which led to an explosion on the deepwater horizon oil rig. 11 people died. poor management by bp and other companies was also to blame. a tracking america's role in the world. in this rapidly changing global, what america should or should not do abroad is more pressing than ever. there are those who want the u.s. to intervene in places like libya, and those who want to save american dollars and lives by pulling the country back from world affairs. one rapidly rising republican with very strong reviews -- very strong views on this subject is senator marco rubio from florida.

you've been giving a series of speeches on america's role in the world as you see it. last night in north carolina, you said if we refuse to play our rightful role and strengthen the world, america and the entire world will pay a price. do americans really want to be engaged in the world right now? >> americans are concerned about what is happening at home. the natural reaction in a tough economic time is to say let's just worry about our issues. the problem is when you are a nation as large as the united states, with broad economic interests, there is little that happens around the world that does not influence us. the turmoil in europe is affecting us, and vice versa. the truth is that issues and events that happen halfway around the world directly impact the daily lives of americans. we have to care about what is happening all over the world. >> caring is one thing. being involved which involved is another.

after iraq and afghanistan, many people in your own party are saying that is enough. we have to bring the troops and the money home. >> we cannot solve every problem. no nation in history could solve every problem. no matter how much we would like to solve things, we can't always. but there are times we can make a difference economically, diplomatically, or as a last resort militarily. that is important. we have to be careful about picking where we get engaged. but on the 10th anniversary of the 911 attacks in america, we are reminded the origin of those plans were in remote regions. there is no reason in the world which should not be concerned. >> you have also criticized cuts to the military budget, the u.s. defense budget. but if america is going to balance its budget in the long run, there will have to be hard decisions made. there will have to be further cuts in the u.s. defense budget.

>> over half of our budget deficit problem is driven by our entitlement programs. those are the drivers of our debt in the united states. what would you want waist or duplication of effort in their military budget? on the other hand, the cuts being talked about would endanger our national security and our ability to defend ourselves and our allies. the have already been $300 billion of cuts discussed. the debt could reach a trillion dollars, which could be devastating. we have to be on the lookout for ways to save money. we never want to waste it. but we have to understand defense spending is not the driver of national debt. significant cuts would be devastating to our national defense. correctly broaden this out. you are clearly a product of the american dream. your parents came here from cuba. your mother was a housekeeper in nevada.

do you think that access for the american dream is as alive today as for your parents, given the suns would show there is less social mobility in america now than in europe? >> there is no doubt it is becoming harder for americans to do better than their parents did. that is what we are fighting about. how can we live in a world where people are better able to have an advanced? every generation of americans has had to confront unique challenges in their time. american impediments, many of them self-inflicted, are standing in the wake of what you're talking about. in the 21st century, it will be difficult to find a job if you do not have advanced education. there are not going to mean many jobs for people who do not have education the on the high-school level. >> think you for joining us -- thank you for joining us.

an american experience plant out in utah. it is home to the most pollinations per capita than any other state. lured by the mormon mob religion, which was brought to reject the mormon religion, which was brought to the islands by a missionary -- lured to the mormon region, which was brought to the islands by missionaries, the have relocated to utah. >> island nations fly their flags at the cemetery. the landscape has barely changed since the first settlers came back in 1889. >> to the early hawaiians, they would look over that and say if you can imagine water between here and that mountain, that would look like home. his grandparents were one of two families that decided to stay. by maintaining the cemetery, he hopes to teach the younger generation about the sacrifices their ancestors made.

>> the history of their forefathers ran very deep. this is where it started. when the second wave of pollinations emigrated in the middle of the 20th-century, they did not return here, finding work in the urban centers of nearby salt lake valley. many americans have grown accustomed to seeing tall, athletic pacific islanders on the football field. at brigham young university, the tribal tattoos have long been replaced by a team logos on the helmet. for the upcoming college football season, the team will rely on 34 pollination players. in some years, they represent 30% of the team. on the practice field, this is not a recent phenomenon. the tradition goes back to the 1950's. players like kurt were going on

the pacific islands, and used brigham young as a stepping stone to play professional football. >> some kids, all they have is football. they have dreams. they want to go to college. they want to play at a college level. >> the stereotypical image reinforced by football glory and the haka dance clashes with the introspective behavior displayed in the classroom. there, a polynesian americans are not performing well. at this high school, only 60% graduate. >> i truly believe the people of my culture, if they do not feel like their response is coin to be received intellectually, they will not say a thing in

class. >> this class is meant to strengthen that bond and the students' cultural identity. more than a century after arriving in america, this community is still finding its way. bbc news, salt lake city. >> enough for a little comic relief, russian style. a television speech by medvedev has made headlines by never making it to air. >> it is russian rock and roll, or strictly come kremlin. the man in blue is dmitry medvedev, on the dance floor at a college reunion. this footage has been viewed by millions on the web. now everybody seems to be copying the president's every move.

i dancing like dmitri, these comedians took the first prize in russian tv's first, the competition. when the pri recorded program was broadcast, how the presidential -- the presidential parody had been edited out. they were not amused. >> i was surprised. >> the kremlin is keen to point out that president medvedev does have a sense of humor. his aides say they do not have any idea why the dancing dmitri sketch was cut. there has been no official explanation from russian television. but media analysts say it is censorship by tv bosses keen to avoid upsetting russia's leaders. >> there are no rules of what you can show and cannot show. what works is self-censorship, on every level, every executive

level where you make decisions. >> judging by some of the things the russian leadership get up to in the line of duty, who needs a comedy shows to make russians chuckle? bbc news, moscow. >> fabulous. from all of us here at "bbc world news america," thanks for watching. tune in tomorrow. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank offers unique insight and expertise in a range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news america" was presented by kcet, los angeles.