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financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> b.p. starts its static kill procedure in the gulf of mexico, hoping to seal the leaking oil will permanently. and someone says that the war is being lost, and he arrives in britain to talk to prime minister david kendra. -- david cameron. a former head is sentenced to prison for corruption. hello, and welcome to bbc news, broadcast to our viewers in the

u.k. and around the world. the oil giant e.p.s. started the long awaited operation, known as "static kill;" -- the oil giant b.p.. this is 1 mile beneath the surface. they will pump cement into it. almost 5 million barrels of oil were spewed into the sea. we were told more about how this procedure should work. >> huge amounts of mud and cement in the well in an effort to push it back under water. it is really a simple physics, as one leader of mud weighs more than 1 liter of oil. they will not know until thursday whether they can stop actually from carrying out this procedure, and it will be about one week before they know it works. but they will then capped it

with cement and then go in underground using these relief well as to seal the bottom, as well. >> there are now new figures, official figures, showing that this bp oil spill is the worst of its kind in history. the u.s. public still presumably very angry. this is part of the problem. >> part of the numbers keep coming out. these latest figures show that the early estimates really could not have been more wrong. the oil has been gushing 12 times faster than b.p. and officials said in the early weeks. this is at the top end of the worst case scenario. so people are extremely angry about that and very frustrated

with what they see is a lack of information. on top of that, there is a mystery about where the oil has gone. only about one-quarter has been accounted for, and is believed that the rest could be hidden under the surface in these huge, cloud-like plumes of oil. >> the pakistan president zarari believes very losing the war in afghanistan -- zardari. he will be meeting with british prime minister david cameron later this week. relations have been strained recently by the remarks of david cameron about pakistan promoting an exporting terrorism. >> moving steadily under cover of darkness, british and afghan troops making their way towards the town. by daylight, they had walked into the taliban stronghold,

almost unopposed. new footage released tonight by the military defense shows the initial goal of this helmand operation has been achieved, but now comes the critical part. >> hopefully, we will be able to remove that. >> winning the trust of locals and holding the ground. today, the president of pakistan declared that is a war he thinks we are losing. he flew into london this evening ahead of talks with the prime minister with a stark assessment that could not be gloomier. speaking in paris earlier, he said they are losing the war against the taliban, adding, "we have lost the battle for hearts and minds," and he suggested of about pakistan could weaken efforts to fight terror, saying, "i will look david cameron in the face and say that the war on terror should bring us again other rather than oppose us."

in birmingham, the prime minister, speaking during a radio phoin-in, was having none of it. >> a grain distribution center quite recently. life is actually able to go on. i do not accept the we are losing the battle for hearts and minds. >> his message for the president is that it had not changed. he still wants pakistan to crack down more on homegrown terrorists. >> there has been and still are terror groups in pakistan that threaten other countries and also threaten our troops in afghanistan, threaten india, and threaten us here in the u.k., and they need to be dealt with. >> it is that pakistan must play a key role. so british troops, risking their lives on the frontline, like in

the current operation in helmand province, can come home. bridget kendall, bbc news. >> flooding has heard large parts of that country. to make matters worse, monsoon rains are falling once again. they were ground in rescue helicopters and setting back the relief operation. the worst affected area is the north west frontier along punjab, but they are moving along the river, and there are serious concerns about the spread of disease across the region, especially where our correspondent was. >> tens of thousands of people now find themselves dependent on aid. in one town, sheltering anywhere they can, the school has been

turned into a makeshift camp. >> the government has not made arrangements. we do not have food, and we are bundled up. there is hardly any space. >> the town itself has been devastated. water reached 11 feet high with the powerful torrence came. we're told that many lost their lives right here. now, there are serious concerns about the spread of disease. this is rising, especially with all of the remains of drowned livestock around. >> there are animals that have been lying dead for three or four days. the snow is terrible korea we are trying to keep our children away. >> they are moving them to

safety. they admit there are still massive difficulties. much work has to be done by boat and especially by air. the biggest threat though remains the weather. the army says it was starting to make headway with its relief operations, but more rain has come. people are worried. there are the suspension of the crucial helicopter flights that were bringing aid to the people who were stranded. even when the showers stop, there is a fear of what can happen when they return. none of these people feel the crisis is evening. -- is easing. bbc news, northwest pakistan. >> united nations security council has held an emergency

meeting to urge israel and lebanon to restrain from further clashes across their shared border. a senior israeli officer, two lebanese soldiers, and a lebanese journalist was killed in an exchange of fire on tuesday. their fears this could trigger a wider conflict. our correspondent was there. >> thousands of people flaunting the streets tonight. this marked the anniversary of the war with israel against hezbollah. speaking. satellite and condemning the israelis, he warned the militants about getting involved, after today's situation. this may be remembered as a fight over a tree. israel was clearing scrub on its own side of the border when it was ambushed by lebanese soldiers. lebanon says they fired warning shots after israeli troops

crossed the border and remained trees from surfaces. what is not in doubt is that israel responded with considerable firepower. automatic weapons and helicopters all used to hit the lebanese army. at least two lebanese soldiers and a local journalist were killed. others were injured. but there were israeli casualties, too. an army captain was seriously injured. >> we all the lebanese government responsible for this event, and we warned them of the consequences. >> the fighting has stopped, wrote and lebanon is accusing israel of violating u.n. agreements, saying it will defend its territory. >> >> this has prompted the

lebanese army to violation. bbc news, lebanon. >> a former chief was handed a 15-year jail sentence after being found guilty of corruption. the judge says he was an embarrassment to the country. we have this report from john honus bird. >> the only question left is whether the judge could find any reason for the police chief to be out of jail. they have failed to impress.

>> you are an embarrassment to the opposite occupied. it is inconceivable that the person who occupies this office would be such a stranger. >> he was sentenced to 15 years in jail. his time. they were giving money and prisons. in return, it was alleged that he turned a blind eye to his friends' criminal ways. for prosecutors, this was a day to celebrate. he is the highest official so far convicted. >> engaging in a corrupt activities. it is also an issue vote about

corruption. >> he has now been released on bail pending an appeal. the question now is whether this one case will have broader significance, and many now believe that the south african struggle is against corruption. bbc news, johannesburg high court. >> this is bbc news. still a hit, the price of the pristine rainforest. keeping oil companies the way. here in britain, northern rock had to be rescued for taxpayers, and they have no return to profit. they still owe the taxpayers more than $22 billion pounds. -- 22 billion pounds. we have this report. >> the story of northern rock.

turn back the clock three years, and there was the credit crunch and the worst crisis and almost 80 years. what followed in february 2000 was about nationalization, and they have had difficulty keeping up payments on mortgages. there was a colossal losses. 1.4 billion pounds. more losses in 2009. job cuts and a break above businesses, there are two parts of them together returning to profit. earlier this year, northern rock divided itself into two, a good bank and the supposedly bade baked in the public sector. the good bank made a loss of 143

million pounds. this is the part of northern rock that is going to be privatized. why is it making losses? it was taking in more deposits than it paid out. it is not earning enough interest to cover its costs, and if the government gets its way, it will be sold, a symbol of the failures of the baking system and a fierce competitor for the giant banks. bbc news. >> you are watching bbc news. a reminder of our headlines. the oil giant b.p. is getting ready to start a long-awaited operation known as static kill to stop the leak in the underwater well in the gulf of mexico. the pakistan president says we

are losing the war. he has a meeting with prime minister david cameron. united nations security council -- there is the worst problem for years between israel and lebanon. firefighters in russia are struggling to contain hundreds of wildfires that have now claimed at least 40 people around the country. the fires of taken hold, triggering a global rise in we prices. there are some of the villages affected. >> deep in the forests east of moscow, another desperate battle begins. by yourself suddenly erupted very close. the handful of firemen who are available are using whatever

means to douse them. there is not even a minute to lose. >> they have managed to do this, but it is highly likely that this fire has continued to spread, " and this is just a little bit away. >> already, great swaths of this forest have been destroyed. the fires of moved relentlessly towards the village over the past three weeks. the villagers also came out today to help fight the flames and save their homes. >> although they have been lucky this time, she told me she was still very afraid. she said the local fire brigade does not have a lot. so one method they have is

cutting down trees. and in these desperate times, there have been extraordinary acts of courage. in this car, a group of volunteers drive into a burning village to help. suddenly, they panic. they realize they of been engulfed in flames. they have a lucky escape. but, the village destroyed so far, many people were not so lucky. the fires sweeping through so quickly, particularly the elderly and children were trapped. 40 have died. they are also destroying the fertile fields of russia, one- fifth of the wheat crop already lost, raising food prices around the world. there is fear there will be much

more destruction before it ends. bbc news, russia. >> at least eight people were killed at a warehouse. the man later turned the gun on himself. he had been asked to resign following a dispute. a referendum on a new constitution may help to day and sparked the defining moment in the country's history. they called on those of kenya to vote and to refrain from violence. the constitution would limit the powers of the president, and saudi arabia has suspended blackberry mobile phone services.

they say the suspension will last until the telephone manufacturer met licensing conditions. this includes giving saudi authorities access to encrypted data. the united arab emirates has already said it will expand the services later this year. authorities in new york have given their approval for a mosque to be built near the site of the september 11 attacks. some say this is not good for the memory of those who died in that tragedy. >> this is the building which is so controversial. the plan to build a muslim the community center containing a mosque here, just a few blocks from ground zero, where nearly some 3000 people died on september 11, 2001. some residents say it is " not

good to damaso close by. some say the building was historic and could not be demolished, but they did not. >> all in favor? opposed? they say the building should be preserved. but supporters of the mosque disagree. >> i think it has the opportunity to bring several religions together. >> there will be a memorial for those who died on september 11. even so compaq this issue is emerging as a political force. republican politicians are saying is disrespectful to build a mosque so close to where so many people died. bbc news, new york. >> officials of been prevented

from removing a wooden cross outside the presidential palace, et it killed the president in april. they say plans to remove it insult the memory of the late president. >> quite extraordinary, the scene outside the prison into a palace in warsaw. there are protesters chanting in defense. scouts and priests arrived to remove it to a nearby church. some protesters tried to break through the barriers. they decided to call off the transfer. scamming groups were there. this became part of a political

battle, and plans were announced to remove it. politicians from the late president's camp say across should state and that the people should defend it. some with their allegiance to the late president take part in an around-the-clock watch to guard the cross. >> we will be having a vigil every night. a proper situation. then, we will go home. >> political and religious leaders are now working on a new plan to try to defuse the standoff. bbc news, warsaw. >> ecuador has agreed to refrain from drilling in a pristine amazon area if rich countries provide billions in

return. they will receive about half what the country would have earned. but we have more. >> the ecuador national park. plant and animal life. but it is beneath this lush jungle but 20% of the oil lies. they will agree to pay ecuador not to remove the oil. >> this is a revolutionary proposal, because besides preserving this, it will also deal with global climate change and aims to help inequality. >> countries, including germany and italy, are expected to pay

money to the trust to keep this area pristine. managed by the u.n. development fund. it will not be drilled for one decade. it may help other oat countries to follow suit. bbc news. >> a letter a rare white tiger cubs. -- a litter of rare white tiger cubs, and they look healthy and in good condition. they rarely lived to maturity. they are vulnerable to predators, and according to the zoo, fewer than 150 are worldwide. most of them are in captivity.

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