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work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> a call for aid. the u.n. asks donors to help pakistan deal with the biggest natural disaster in recent times. the hollywood actress mia fairo contradicts naomi campbell's evidence over the blood diamonds. soaring temperatures and deadly pollution are killing more people every day in moscow. an american fly tend has been arrested after deploying an emergency chute following a row with a passenger. >> hello, there, and welcome to "bbc news." broadcasting to viewers in the u.k. and around the world. there is concern that a major

river barrier in southern pakistan may not be able to hold back the floodwaters that have hit the north of the country. the water is already well above danger levels. if it breaches the dam, it is feared it could overwhelm thousands of homes. the united nations said 40 million people have already been affected. our correspondent sends this report from one of the worst hit areas. >> trying to carry on in the midst of the flood. we found a village slowly drowning, and this picture is repeated across huge areas of pakistan. the government says the country has been set back decades. imagine the future he faces now . like many here, they stay to save their livestock and their crops. but this was the moment to save their lives.

>> well, you can see how high the water has reached here. it is past this woman's waist. this area has been completely inundated. there was quite a large number of families living here, but they do understand now it's time to go. they have been crowding into the boats, as many as possible. women and children are brought on first, and then the elderly. there are too many people here. we won't be able to take them all this time. but the marines will make a return journey for anyone who is left. so they wait for their turn to be rescued. for days the marines have been running mission after mission, even after dark, to reach all those in need. >> i have all my team with me. we are a determined team to work, and we are doing it.

hopefully by tonight we are going to do it. >> so no one left behind? >> yes, that's right. >> the boats were crammed, so passengers had to be moved around to balance the weight and reduce the risk. then they were hurried back through dangerous waters, headed for dry land and safety, but with nothing left. the problem is what happens next? many who have been saved from the floods say the government has left them to go hungry. so coming ashore may not end the suffering. >> she had to be carried from the boat on the verge of clams. all she could say was thank you. "bbc news", pakistan.

>> in championship, more than 330 people have died and over 1,000 are still missing after torrential rains caused mudslides. two villages were flattened by an avalanche of mud and rocks after the river burst its banks in what has been described as the worst flooding in china in decades. michael says 337 people have now been confirmed dead. >> that news broke overnight here, dramatically raising the death toll. there are still more than 1,100 people unaccounted for. it is not clear at the moment whether those people are just out of contact, because these landslides disrupted communication facilities, or indeed if they have been caught up in this disaster. what is clear is that this is a major, major disaster here in china, which has been suffering from particularly heavy rainfall and floods this summer .

i have seen the tv pictures of a river of mud around five kilometers long and several hundred meters wide which just swept down a mountainside, clearing everything in its past. this landslide happened after a torrential rain after a couple of months of drought, which loosened the earth and made it subacceptible to landslides. >> we are seeing pictures of the aftermath of the landslides you have mentioned there. what has been the response of the chinese government to this? >> well, the chinese government is well used to this kind of disaster. they have flooding every year, so there is planning that takes place. after this particular disaster, they moved quickly to get soldiers and medical teams into the area. the country's premier immediately flew to the area. he has built his reputation on turning up at zesters like

this, showing the people that the government cares about them and their fate. the problem is that this is a mountainous and isolated area with few roads. although medical supplies, tents, food, water, that kind of thing have been prepared and send to the area, the difficulty now is getting it exactly to the location where it is needed in the main town. that is going to prove very difficult, particularly over the coming days, because more rain is forecast. >> you mentioned earlier that this is the latest landslide in what has been the worst period of seasonal flooding there. how many people, mike, do you think have been affected by this? >> across china, i think more than 1,100 people have died. several hundred more are missing. homes have been destroyed. farmlands have been inundated. really the scale of the flooding this year, which happens every year, but it has

been heavier this year, has been immense. there has been flooding in the southwest of china right up to the northeast, an area separated by thousands of miles. it is the worst flooding here in china in over a decade. >> michael there speaking to me a little earlier. torrential rains has caused destruction in a region in northern italy, selling 150 people. thousands of terrorists are left stranded after flash floods caused landslides, cutting off communication. many are feared buried in the mud and rock that swept through the area over the weekend. >> in the hague, there has been a dramatic turn in the closing stages of the chile of charles taylor. it has been alleged that mr. taylor smuggled diamonds to

boost the war. in court, the actress mia farrow refuted testimony by naomi campbell. here is our report. >> what really happened at nelson men daily's charity dinner 13 years ago? some say that is proof that charles taylor was trading illegal diamonds for weapons. >> i solemnly swear on the bible, that i will speak the truth. >> mia, farrow said she saw naomi campbell at breakfast the next morning. mrs. cam seemed excited about a gift she had received in the night. >> she said that in the night she had been awakened. some men were knocking at the door, and they had been sent by charles taylor, and they were giving her -- they had given her a huge diamond.

>> the whole truth. >> that flatly contradicts what naomi campbell told this court last thursday. she said two men had woken her and given her some small, dirty-looking stones. she didn't know what they were or who had sent them. >> did you ever learn who they were? >> no, i did not. >> you said they knocked at your door, and told you what some >> a gift for you, and they gave me pouch. >> did they say anything other than that? >> no. >> did you ever subsequently learn who this gift was from? >> no. >> the prosecution is trying to prove that charles taylor at liberian president was using so-called blood diamonds to fund the rebel militia. that militia was notorious for its brutality. the hacking off of limbs was its signature atrocity. tens of thousands were killed in the war.

taylor faces 11 counts and denies them all. today, naomi campbell's testimony was contradicted by this former friend. carol white was for years her agent and was also at the dinner. she said is he saw mrs. campbell and mr. taylor flirting mildly with each other at dinner that night. >> naomi was excited and told me he is going to give me some diamonds. they were leaning forward, laughing and nodding, and he was agreeing that there was a gift coming of diamonds. >> she said two men arrived at their guest house later that night. >> these guys came in, and they sat down in the lounge, and they then took out a quite squishy paper, and they handed it to ms. campbell and said these are the diamonds.

>> it has been a dramatic and bizarre time. hollywood ensnared in an african tragedy. naomi campbell is not on trial here. this is an attempt to find out whether charles taylor is responsible for the atrocity that blighted an entire country for a decade. it is far from clear whether anything that happened under nelson mandela's roof that night amounts to solid proof of charles taylor's culpability. >> with moscow shrouded from in smoke, city officials are saying twice as many people than usual are dying each day. they say an average of 380 people a day die in moscow, but this has risen to more than 700. richard with the report. >> for the fourth day in a row, the russian capital has been shrouded in thick smog. people hoping these masks will filter out some of the toxic

gases which have now become so concentrated in the air here. but today, from the smoke-covered offices of the moscow mayor came the announcement everyone had feared, that the smog and heat were proving to be fatal. >> the average death rate in the city during normal times is between 360 and 380 people a day. today we have around 700. this is no secret. everyone thinks we are trying to keep it a secret. look, it's 40 degrees celsius on the street. >> hundreds of fires continue to burn across central and western regions of russia, including around moscow. this is what is thought to be the most severe heat wave in the country's history. it is estimated these fires are pumping up to a million tons of carbon monoxide i'd into the air every day.

and still they don't have the equipment they need to put them out. >> this forestry director complains their equipment is outdated. he says they are wasting time. and with every day that is lost, more people have to be evacuated as their homes come under threat. while others die from the smog the fires are created. richard, "bbc news," moscow. >> you are watching "bbc news." still ahead, leaving arizona, people are searching for an escaped prisoner and his fiance' who have been on the run for 11 days. >> oil has washed up on the shore of five beaches east of rio de jannero. it is damaging wildlife and tourism in the area.

>> they are some of brazil a's most beautiful beaches. there was a nasty surprise for many of those who came out to see them. these are the bodies of penguins, washed in oil. >> blobs of oil dot the sand and stain the skin. >> this is from some oil platform or something like that. >> my feet were dirty. my daughter's feet were dirty, my belly was dirty, and we hadn't touched anything. >> for many in this area, this beach is not just beautiful. it is a source of livelihood. terrorists are already reported to be leaving. >> this is the best beach. tourism is our future. it can't happen. >> nobody knows where the oil coming from. the state says it is not responsible for the spill.

>> the colombian vice president has had emergency heart surgery just two days after he took office. he said he was recuperating in intensive care after the operation. he was sworn into office by the country's new president, santos, on saturday. a u.s. military judge has ruled the confessions of a canadian detainee can be heard at his trial. they said it could be used as evidence against him in his trial on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges. the lawyers made a statement that they were illegally obtained. you are watching "bbc news." let's bring awe reminder of the headlines this hour. the united nations says pakistan is dealing with the worst natural disaster of recent times. 14 million people have been affected, and food and water is scarce. the hollywood actress, mia

farrow has told a criminal court in the hague that naomi campbell received diamonds from charles taylor. >> and american flight attendant has been arrested after deploying an emergency chute after a discussion wit a passenger. earlier our correspondent, who is in washington described the events that took place. >> well, a rather unusual incident that one secretaries will go down in aviation folklore. this man in these pictures has been charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief following an incident aboard jetblue flight 152. it had arrived in j.f.k. airport. the plane got to the gate, but before it stopped, one of the

passengers stood up and try to get his bag down from the overhead. mr. slater said to sit down, and the man did not. the flight attendant demanded an apology, and the man cursed him. at that point, slater allegedly lost it, launched a foul-mouthed, four-letter tirade over the public address system, and then inflated the emergency evacuation slide, left the plane, got in his car and drove home, was later arrested by the police. >> how have the airlines reacted? >> an unusual case for the office to refer to. there are serious undertones regarding safety, but jetblew say there were no injuries, and all customers deplaned safely

through the jet way. they said at no time was security or safety of our customers or career members at risk. the airline is working closely with the police in new york to establish exactly what happened and whether procedures now need to be changed. >> now a jury in hawaii has convicted a former engineer of selling secrets to china. he helped design the pro pummings system for the b-2 bomber was found guilty on multiple counts, including conspiracy and money laundering. authorities have captured one of two inmates who escaped from prison in arizona but are still searching for a second accomplice and his fiancee. they were searching for them in yellowstone national park. here is the latest. >> he is actually the third inmate. this is a story that has gripped america for the last 11

days. three violent criminals escaped from a prison in arizona. the manhunt has taken them from that prison to a double murder scene in new mexico. now, 1,000 miles north, it has taken them to the popular spot of yellowstone national park, which this time of year is crawling with tourists. among them are hiding potentially two dangerous fugetives. police are serving the yellowstone park area, and now in the wider area of wyoming. this gang is alleged to have carried out a spate of hijack things, killings and robberies around the way. police say there are still two dangerous individuals on the run after one of the men was captured in the early hours. he was spotted going to a church service just outside yellowstone, and he was offered

paid service by a pastor to mow the lawn. someone realized who he was, and they called the police with information. another convict is still on the run along with the woman who is alleged to have helped them escape, cath lynn welch. she is the fiance' and cousin of john. police say they are styling themselves in the manner of bonnie and collide, the original infamous outlaw bandit couple from the 1930's, who staged a string of robberies and murders before being killed by the police. if the couple on the run still think of themselves as that, they are mistaken. they are not living in a movie. they called it a national nightmare. >> you talked about yellowstone national park they were searching, covering some 3,000 square meters. this is a huge operation itself with sprawling wood lavepbds.

are they feeling the task ahead of them is a mighty one. >> police say they are confident now that the couple are no longer within the confines of yellowstone national park, but they believe they are around that area in wyoming. this is a very remote area, and very beautiful. there aren't many big cities around this area. lots of wide open spaces. it is a part of america that many tourists go to, to get away from it all. they were concerned that people may not even be aware these fugetives were on the run. they seem to think that the couple are no longer in the park but still very much on the run. >> in the rwanda president election, the current president is expected to win by a large majority. opposition candidates had been prevented from standing. >> right across this nation of a thousand hills, all the

attention is on the election. wanted came early and in huge numbers. the process is extremely efficient here. a land slide victory was always a certainty. but when the president cast his vote, he merely offered hints of what he was expecting. >> i see no reason why i shouldn't be one of the most likely winners. maybe i should win. it should come out well. >> he is widely credited with keeping this country stable and overseeing a steadily growing economy and where corruption is kept relatively low. in the international community, his halo has slipped with an

symbol rans of any criticism. but the current events in rwanda have to be viewed with one eye on the past. the country is still deeply scarred following the horrific events of 1994, when genocide left hundreds of thousands dead. there are those who argue that for the sake of stability, true democracy needs to be put on hold. the threat of application becoming ethnically divided is still too great. as we await the official outcome of this election, no one is holding their breath. the only question is will the president reach the heights of his last election victory when he won 95% of the votes? "bbc news." >> a former british soldier has become the first person to have walked the entire length of the amazon river. >> they have walked 4,000 miles, but they stilled had the

energy to run the last few yards. >> it is just fantastic. i didn't think it was going to end here and now. i am just overwhelmed. two and a half years of walking through the amazon. >> this monumental journey began in april of 2008 at the source of the amazon in southern peru. six months into the trek, they had liquid concrete thrown at them by villagers who thought they were oil prospect tors. the following year they were thrown in jail. but today they arrived at journey's end, where the amazon meets the sea. >> as you can see, it is just a jungle. >> they filmed as they went, capturing the challenge of cutting their way through denies jungle. and regularly coming across

hostile wildlife. >> a watch. i have swallowed a few. >> their mental and physical endurance tested to the limit. >> i would be lying if i didn't say the most overriding feeling is hunger, young believable. >> back home, his mother followed her son's journey every step of the way. >> i think mentally it is a huge challenge to keep going day after day with this jungle enclosing you, just cutting your way through the jungle. >> will power which has ed stafford already planning another expedition, one he says will be every bit as challenging as this one. "bbc news." >> headlines on the way for you. stay with us. you're watching "bbc news."

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