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what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> agreement on almost everything and pledged to look again at how the lockerbie bomber was released. a rare show of solidarity. hillary clinton visiting south korea. a test for the dam as it is flooding areas of the country. hello and welcome to "bbc news".

president obama and the british prime minister david cameron have had talks at the white house saying they see eye to eye on every major challenge before them. accusations of the british oil company bp lobbying for the release of the lockerbie airliner bomber. both mr. obama and mr. cameron said the decision to release him was wrong. i asked our correspondent if the meeting was deemed a success. >> i think everyone would say it was a success. there is a warm relationship between the men. they spent three hours at the white house discussing a range of issues including the middle east, and the bp oil spill. the conference was dominated by the release of the only man convicted for the 1988 lockerbie

bombing. there have been calls to reopen investigations into what bp's role was in his release on compassionate grounds next year. when this is discussed in the post meeting, the prime minister reiterated he thought the decision to release him was wrong. >> in the interest of both their countries as we agree remains a strong and stable company with the future. that is something we discussed today. with us not confuse the oil spill with the bomber. i have been clear about this from the start. we had week-old a violent agreement. releasing the lockerbie bomber, the largest act of terrorism ever committed in the united kingdom was completely wrong. he showed his victims no compassion.

they were allowed to die in their -- were not allowed to die in their beds. neither should that callous killer have been given that luxury. that was not the decision taken by bp. it was a decision taken by the scottish government. we are -- where power is in scotland, that is the decision they took. i know that the committee is looking into these missions -- issues. my foreign secretary has said the government's position. >> president obama laid out his opinion on the release of abdel al-megrahi. >> we should have all the facts. they should be laid out there. i have confidence the prime minister's government will be cooperative in making sure the facts are there. that will not negate the fact that as the prime minister indicated, it was a poor decision. and one that not only ran

contrary to how we should be treating terrorists, but also it did not reflect the incredible pain that the families were affected still suffer to this day. my administration is in contact with these families. this was a heartbreaking decision for them that reopened a host of new ones. my expectation is the facts will be out there. and as david indicated, with all the facts out, we will be back to where we are right now which it was -- it was a decision that should not have been made. one that we should learn from going forward. >> surely after that meeting, prime minister cameron went to another meeting with senators who believe an oil deal with libya was central to the

decision to release of bill al- megrahi. >> after the meeting, the senators from new jersey and new york came out and made a statement. we got this from senator robert menendez. he said we are in agreement that the convicted terrorist should never have been allowed to taste freedom. our agreement does not mean case closed. it is not explained. he added he hoped to the prime minister would reflect on the continued called to open up a full inquiry in the circumstances surrounding the release. throughout the day, he does not feel there is a need for a fresh inquiry. >> bp has agreed to sell $7 billion of assets to meet the

costs of dealing with the oil spill. the deal with the american oil co. apache will raise cash for the special $20 billion fund the bp agreed to set up after pressure from the american government. hillary clinton has begun the latest stage of her asian tour with a visit to south korea for what she called this show of solidarity. her arrival coincides with the preparations for joining will exercises. it follows the thinking of the south korean -- sinking of the warship.eean >> this visit is in large part about symbolism.

america's standing with its south korean ally against the threat from north korea. one of the main fatah opportunities will show that. at the moment, the u.s. secretary of state is being taken to the dmz, the border between the twok koreas. she will be given her a glimpse of the authoritarian, isolated stayed on the other side. >> north korea signaled it wants to return to talks with some of the regional powers in asia on its nuclear weapons program. what to washington and seoul think of that? >> there has been a cautious welcome as there would be for any statement from north korea that it is ready to come back to the negotiating table. i think the priority for

washington and its ally is to prepare for a joint naval exercise which will begin this weekend. the visit of hillary clinton coincides with those preparations. this is a large-scale exercise involving 20 ships, 200 aircraft, 8000 personnel. the message is clear. sending a message of deterrence career.h towe further acts of aggression will not be tolerated. while any sort of a conciliatory statement will be welcomed, at the moment, the real focus is on sending a message of deterrence. >> a senior auditor at the united nations was -- launched a strong attack on ban ki-moon, accusing him of undermining efforts to combat corruption. the outgoing head of the internal oversight organization

said under his leadership, the u.n. has entered a period of decay. there has been a dramatic rise in malnutrition. it is trying to increase food supplies to young children. the spokeswoman said the wfp aimed to feed eight million in niger. china has overcome the u.s. to become the largest consumer. chinese and energy demand has doubled in a decade. china unchallenged the report's finding saying its calculations were unreliable. staying in china. officials in the country say three gorges dam has withstood its levels.

weeks of flooding in senate -- southern china have left many dead or missing. this was the fastest ever recorded. the water rose dramatically. >> this is the fourth of china's flood season. -- the force of china's flood season. rivers turned to torrents and this is the result. people stranded. this year's flood is the worst they have seen since 1847. the old town submerged and sunday. half a million people affected. at no. 24, we found mr. and mrs. lo. it is a hopeless task.

the water reached up to the ceiling, he tells me. he says it will take five years for his business to recover from this disaster. these floods have been devastating but they pose a challenge to china as a whole. the rain has been falling for days. all this water flows down into the yangtze river. it is under more stress than in any time since it was constructed four years ago. it was controversial and costly. its operators say it is preventing catastrophic floods. catching in storing up to half the flood water. the reservoir is 600 kilometers long. water levels have risen four meters in the past day. tame thefforts to destructive power of the river

has not stopped the flood happening. more rain has been following -- falling below the dam. 13 million people have been forced from their homes. theyuntless other cities, cannot escape the summer flood. >>you are watching "bbc news". new hopes for the inhabitants of the largest waste site in central america. goldman sachs has reported a sharp fall in second quarter profits. it is reporting a 82% drop in net income to $613 million. their profits were hit by a

record fine in the u.s. over fraud charges and the u.k. tax on bank bonuses. our correspondent reports from new york. >> around the world, investors were spooked by the debt crisis. revenue at goldman fell further than at some of its rivals. another reason the magic faded for these, the bank had to pay over $1 billion in special charges. the british government's decision to tax banker bonuses cost goldman $600 million. it had to pay $550 million to settle fraud charges with america's main financial regulator. the cost of putting its troubles behind it is no small sum of money. it takes the bank to make -- two weeks to make that amount of money.

the damages to interpretation. >> very little was admitted in the settlement. they admitted to a disclosure labs. it was not so much a fraud charge. the fact that it is in the past means you can focus on how is the business doing? there has been reputation risk and i do not think that has been recovered. >> the management faces many tough questions. the firm could be among the hardest-hit by the new financial rules. >> plenty more on that story and many more on our website. video analysis and content. you are watching "bbc news". our headlines. the leaders of britain and the united states have held lengthy talks in washington. including the sensitive subject of the release of the lockerbie

bomber. the american secretary of state hillary clinton has begun the latest stage of her asian tour in south korea for what she called a show of solidarity. the man in charge of china's three gorges dam said it prevented the flood from turning into a major disaster. an afghan army recruit has turned on foreigners. this time, two american civilians were shot. an afghan soldier and the gunman were killed. it is the second such incident in as many weeks and comes as representatives of 70 countries descended to discuss the country's future. president karzai told the conference he wants afghan troops to take total responsibility to the country's security by the end of 2014. our correspondent reports. >> he is the president of a

nation at war. he has been accused of presiding incompetency and corruption. he is courted now is the man who could turn things around. in return, he promised to take charge of security in four years. repeating a pledge that his troops will took over -- takeover in 2014. welcome news for many. >> if the aim of the international community here, the afghan security forces should be able to take care of their security by 2014. what he said and i said is within five years, british combat troops will not be involved in combat operations in afghanistan. >> american britain what the president to do more to stamp out corruption. the theme was putting afghans in charge. in the middle of this scrum,

president hamid karzai and hillary clinton. one of the announcements, this is as much about style and substance. showing the world that support president karzai and have a plan to bring the troops home. i asked him what makes this time a different. >> the difference is this time the conference is in kabul. the maturity we have achieved and the abilities to convince the rest of the world. >> any pullout depends on the man coming into land. with four stars across his hat, general petraeus is the new commander. with the new challenge, getting these forces ready. news that another afghan soldier turned his gun on his trainers. to americans died, raising fears

that the taliban maybe infill trading. bringing british troops home depends on stopping the taliban. this was the scene for forces last summer. this year, the fighting is just as hard, the casualties are also great. the time line may prove to be unrealistic. two french international footballers have been put under formal criminal investigation under accusations that they paid for sex with an underage women. both have denied any wrongdoing. >> this has not been the most successful summer for french football. after the abject performance at the world cup in south africa, there comes another scandal.

this time the biggest star of that team in handcuffs. the allegation is in 2009 he paid for sex with an underage prostitutes he met at a paris nightclub. the woman in question, now 18. in april, she sold a story to a tabloid magazine in which she claims she slept with hithem whe a minor. the footballers were brought in by the vice squad. his lawyer who spoke to reporters confirms their client did have sex but she denies he knew he was 17. paying for sex with an underage prostitutes carries a maximum sentence of three years in

prison and a $60,000 fine. the question is whether the footballers could or should have known how young she was. so far, the french football association have kept their distance. after a summer of such miserable headlines, it might test the patience of the new french manager. >> cuba says it is ready to release more jailed dissidents. in addition to the 52 whose release was announced this month. the news follows the release of dissidents in spain. if they left for exile in spain, they would not be automatically lead into the u.s.. >> when the release appeared to be pressing smoothly, their families have been warned that freedom mean not mean automatic entry to the united states. relatives of the 52 prisoners who have yet to leave for spain

or invited to attend sessions. my son is in the united states. i want to see what my options are to stay with him, this woman said hopefully. her husband serving a 13-year prison sentence for treason. once they're in spain, they are no longer eligible for asylum in the u.s. it would have to apply for regular immigrant status, a process that can take years. at the moment i do not think it is to anybody's advantage. i would be separated from my 18- year-old daughter. we would have to apply separately. the sister of another jailed dissidents said. 11 of the political prisoners who arrived in spain with their families under a deal brokered between the cuban government, the roman catholic church, and

the spanish government. news the obama administration does not appear willing to be flexible over immigration and it comes at a time in the process that could delay further releases. some have relatives already in the u.s. and are keen to end up there. others said they do not want to leave cuba. they can stay if they want to according to the head of the cuban parliament. he indicated the government is ready to release almost all the political prisoners currently in cuban jails. now would be welcome news for the family of a jailed dissident who was serving a 20-year prison term. he is one of 100 political prisoners not included in the original deal. >> the venezuelan president hugo chavez says his government

obtained a minority share in the pro opposition television station. he says he will put a government representative on that board after a bank which partly owns the station was taken over. the television station takes a consistent anti-government stand. a cold front moving has cause temperatures to plunge across parts of south america. dozens of deaths have been reported in paraguay, argentina, and bolivia. emergency services have moved some into temporary housing in an effort to stop more deaths from hypothermia. a huge dump in nicaragua has provided a home and livelihood and a source of food for thousands of desperate people. they are the homeless children and families. the biggest open-air garbage dump in central america. now, there is new hope to

rehabilitate the site. >> life is incomprehensible here. some call that the nearest thing to help. -- to hell. the schools and familes -- for some, scavenging is the only way to survive. >> otherwise i would die of hunger. sometimes to get a stomachache. you are eating garbage. >> it is a pitiful existence which authorities hope to change. the spanish government have teamed up with local officials to clean up the dump. the $40 million project will be shut down. rew homes will be built fop

250 families and recycling plant installed. >> we have built chimneys for methanol gases produced over the last 30 years. >> for the residents, alternative housing and new jobs will be found. some hope and dignity. for generations of people who until now could only dream of leaving this squalid place. >> a reminder of thathat land. the leaders of britain and the u.s. have held talks in washington. the american secretary of state hillary clinton has arrived in south korea to join the u.s. defense secretary robert gates in what she calls it a real show of solidarity. the man in charge of china's three gorges dam said it

prevented floods from turning into a disaster. >> 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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