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what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world ws." >> foreign ministers gather for talks on corruption, security, development, and governance. the british prime minister arrives in washington ahead of his meeting with president obama. a breakthrough in the fight against hiv. a gel is shown to reduce the risk of infection. welcome to "bbc news".

foreign ministers are gathering for a major conference on afghanistan which is due to start in kabul. they are discussing governance, security, and corruption. hamid karzai will be asking for greater control of his budget in return for taking on more responsibility. hillary clinton has been talking to you the bbc. -- talking to the bbc. >> kabul prepares with a historic conference. never has a city hosted so many foreign leaders. its development match the promises. , this country would be paradise. the situation is barely improving. the report says the counterinsurgency strategy is in

trouble. attacks are up 51% in june compared to last year. attacks against international organizations are increasing. the number of civilians killed is rising. this sunday, there was another attack against a market. the conference will call for continued aid for afghanistan to support its government as it takes charge. this should pave the way for foreign troops to withdraw. the u.k. has pledged more a but it has made clear it wants its soldiers out sooner rather than later. hillary clinton insisted this was a fight worth waging. she told for patience. >> there are significant indicators of progress free they are not fast enough -- there are significant indicators of progress. they're not fast enough. we need patience. we know what happens when we abruptly imprimatur the lead.

part of what this conference is about is stocktaking. bringing people to pathe table d having an open exchange of what our questions and criticism might be. >> she was in islamabad. it is a crucial ally. she called on authorities to do more on insurgents along the border. the world is watching. >> the afghan president hamid karzai has been meeting nato foreign ministers ahead of the summit. among them is the french foreign minister. mr. kushner was asked what is at stake. >> this conference is being held in kabul.

this is very important. is it a turning point? i do not know. i hope so. why? because since the london conference and since the paris conference we have been talking about afghan as asian -- afghanization. we must support the idea of the peace process. >> does the talk of talking to the taliban would you an easy? >> i have a long experience with civil war. you have to talk to your enemies if you want peace. there are several preconditions. i insist [unintelligible] i do not know. it i

it is up to the afghan. there is sovereignty of state and decision. this is not for tomorrow. as you were asking about the kabul conference, i believe that this is the beginning of something. >> it is the beginning of a pullout, do you come here to tell the afghans you want to bring the troops home soon? >> honestly, i do not want to be politically correct but this is under question. nicolas sarkozy said in the name of the french republic, we will stay as long as necessary. >> baliffs have moved in to a peace protest parade

demonstrators -- baliffs have moved into a peace protests. more on this critical year facing afghanistan and our website. a british soldier's searing account of his deployment. -- primeise's minister's visit comes among controversy. >> for days gone and the cap stays on and the oil stays in. rabat said engineers are checking for leaks.

they're keeping an eye on the pressure. the higher the readings, the better. >> the pressure 6 at 6811. if continues to rise. several pounds or pound or so every hour. that is a positive trend. >> since the explosion in a broker , 3 million to 5 million have spilled into the ocean. damaging huge parts of the gulf. it appears simple. this is caused by a british company. david cameron is flying to washington for talks at the white house with president obama. the men will talk about bp and the oil spill. the white house says it is likely it will discuss another difficult subject. the release and continuing health of the lockerbie bomber. of jill al-megrahi was released last year -- obut he

is alive. this afternoon, the white house repeated its anger that al- megrahi is free. >> we opposed his release. we've made that opinion known. i do not know the role that bp played. we were not aware of any role they played in rendering an opinion. >> bp has enough to do under water. the temporary cap under the gulf still holds. the company has stopped the will but not the debate. -- oil but not the debate. theince james's report, prime minister has arrived. he is staying at the mini

stry.\ researchers say a medical gel has almost halved the risk of women being infected by hiv. it might be able to protect women from the virus. the world health organization and the un aid agency have called the results groundbreaking. researchers have been trying for years to make a protective jill or tablet or cream that could be inserted before sex and which will prevent the spread of hiv. past efforts have been disappointing. now, researchers in south africa say that a gel they have tested cut the rest isk of hiv infecti. confirmation comes from another

study. this breakthrough opens up new frontiers in hiv prevention. >> it is a very encouraging results. it is the first time we have seen a significant reduction in risk. the search has been on for about 20 years looking for product such as this. this is the first signal products like this might work. >> the importance of the gel is it could be a defense for women whose partners refuse to wear condoms. they are badly needed. 60% of those infected with the virus are women. many are forced to take part in unsafe sex and are biologically more vulnerable to hiv infection than men, making a gel they apply attractive. the effectiveness appears to decline after 18 months. it is still at an experimental

stage. it will have to undergo several years of extensive testing until the decision is made on whether it can be used widely. >> the u.s. appeals court has granted leave to apply to fail to conrad black pending an appeal against his fourth conviction. the british man and other executives were convicted in 2007 for swindling shareholders at a $6.10 million. black has served more than two years of a 6.5 year sentence. our correspondent described the latest developments. >> the appeals court has said that conrad black will be allowed to apply for bail while they decide whether or not his case should be retried. the originalp is t judge will ask to be set a date for hearing. that will happen and we do not

know when. conrad black will appear and both sides will give their argument. he mayor may not be granted bail. his lawyers are pleased that this move -- at this move. it is part of the process of the appeal system which they are able to start enacting thanks to the supreme court ruling that came through in the last few hours saying that the appeals court should reexamine his fraud conviction. >> we can presume if and when his release does come about, there will be some strong conditions put in place. >> there could be. he could be told he has to stay at home. we do not know how much bail could be. there could be any prussicondits said. they argued against him getting

bail. there is another conviction that is not affected by the appeal. that is obstructing the course of justice. that stance although there are a lot of arguments against him being granted bail. >> what is going to happen to the executives? >> this applies to conrad black. when the trail -- trial took place, a deal was struck with his right hand man for giving evidence against the other conspirators. at the moment, this applies solely to conrad black. >> still ahead. old school grooves or vintage vinyl. age has no limit. britain's prime minister has been giving more plans in his power to give power to local

communities. greeting the the big society. >> the big society. is it a dramatic transfer of power from one hole to the people or is about saving money? idea haseron's supporters. he denied it was driven by saving money. saying instead it was a huge shift in thinking. >> we've got the biggest budget deficit in the g-20. many of our most pressing social problems have gone worse. it is time for something that does not pour money down the throat of wasteful schemes. the big society is something different and bold. >> how will it work? money to fundit will come from dormant bank and building society accounts.

the project will be run by unpaid community organizers. liverpool has seen major regeneration in recent years. what will people think of taking community projects into their own hands? >> it is not other people to decide. >> the big society is a load of bull and tears doing things for free. i see is cutting costs by getting communities to volunteer. >> some were impressed. other projects may fail. it will give people a sense of power over their lives. >> a reminder of the headlines.

the british are minister has britishrrived in washington -- prime minister has arrived in washington. a gel has halved the risk of women being infected with hiv. a greek journalist has been gunned down at his home. the sect go to target police and the media after widespread riots in greece. >> he had a substantial pedigree for exposing wrongdoing. he was about to publish the results of an inquiry into major league corruption. the journalists' union said someone wanted to silence a good

investigative reporter who had stepped on a lot of toes with this story. -- storiehis stories. can thecondemned the murder. >> he wapolice are looking for r three gunmen who called at his apartment and summoned him downstairs playing someone stole his car. when the -- he opened the door, hthey opened fire. >> there was a series of shots. we came to the balcony. the shooting stopped and it continued. >> according to police, the indications are this was a terrorist attack.

they say tests showed the bullet came from a gun used in a previous murder by a group called the sect of revolutionaries which had tried threatened to kill journalists. >> a man who is almost totally paralyzed as taking legal action to clarify what would happen to his wife if she helped him to end his life. he has locked in syndrome. he can only move his head and dies and swallow after suffering a stroke. -- eyes and swallow after suffering a stroke. >> he communicates with his wife through nodding or blinking. paralyzed following a stroke, he

wants jane to allow -- be allowed to help him to die. >> i need help in almost every aspect of my life. i cannot scratch or pick my nose if it is blocked. i can only eat when fed like a baby. i will not grow of it. >> he wants to be able to take his own life at a time that he chooses. he wants the same rights as anyone else. we can go out and commit suicide. he cannot. that right was taken away from him. >> a was a legal -- it was a legal victory. setting out in getting circumstances where prosecution would be against the public interest. such as when the victim was

determined to die. the new guidance does not extend to so-called mercy killings. actively taking someone's life would lead to charges of murder or manslaughter in england or whales and homicide in scotland. such cases in the before juries. the group is likely to want that system unchanged. >> we would oppose any change in the law on the ground that it sends a signal that some lives are less worthy of protection than others. what would be an option for a vocal minority to choose for anght in time become of obligation for a new vulnerable minority. >> his case pushes the boundaries on assisted dying and might establish whether there is a legal right to die.

>> swedish prosecutors have charged 10 men with a robbery of a [unintelligible] new pictures of the raid have been released. >> this is the moment the thieves behind the helicopter landed on the roof of a cash depot outside stockholm. this surveillance video shows them jumping out and smashing the windows and accusing -- using a ladder to make their way in. the pictures show how audacious the robbery was. 10 people have been charged, five with aggravated robbery and five with complicity. when the gang made their getaway, the police were grounded. planning involvethe getaway enst

investigation was one of the largest. it is thought $30 million was stolen. only half have been recovered. if found guilty, this behind the helicopter highest face 10 years in prison. >> safe deposit boxes believed to continue manuscripts and drawings by franz kafka were unopened. the latest twist in a battle over who owns the documents. >> franz kafka is considered one of the most important writers in the 20th century. his writing combines realism and

existentialism. it is the centralization of bureaucracy. >> who could they be? what were they talking about? what authority could they represent? >> israel is laying claim to the missing paper on the grounds that since he was jewish, it is part of the state's cultural heritage. two sisters hope to sell the manuscripts. whatever the outcome, they will bring to a writer whose work serves [unintelligible]

dance lure of the floor has inspired an unlikely group to go back to school. they're in their 60s and the are learning to become the jays. >> these seniors have turned their backs on the more traditional pastimes of retirement. one of them is a university professor. trading in his books for? . >> it is super interesting. i have a lot to learn. i intend to make some money some day. >> age seems no barrier for him. new skills do not always come naturally. >> it is not only my ears, my heart hears it. i think i will fall in love with

this. >> he is hooked. he began dji-ing four years. >> this is wonderful because i am doing what i like to do. if you like this, there is no age limit. i recommend everyone to do it. all you have to do is like it and find a good school. advice, it is never too late to learn. >> just a quick update. a conference on afghanistan is due to start shortly and ka inbul. in -- kabul. a medical gel is found to offer

greater protection against hiv. >> 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.

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