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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> international outrage of a threat to burn the korans. allegations of mass rape in the democratic republic of congo. the u.n. is accused of failing to protect hundreds of women and children. a huge bomb in northwestern pakistan kills at least 20. it is the second militant attack in as many days. and more than 1 million take to the streets against planned austerity measures dealing with french pension reform. welcome to bbc news. good to have you with us.

we are broadcasting to our viewers in the united kingdom and around the world with me, james bagwell. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has spoken out against the plan to burn korans. general david petraeus said if it went ahead, images of the event would be used by insurgents to incite violence. coming up, we will hear what hillary clinton had to say with this report from washington. >> this is what worries general david petraeus is. 500 people in kabul, gather to demonstrate. one small church in america plans to bring copies of the koran. protesters threw rocks. >> we are concerned about the possible implications of a koran

burning in the united states. it puts us in jeopardy. we have even seen trouble on just a rumor that this could take place, and i think that the images from such an activity could very well be used by extremists here and around the world in the same way that they use images from abu ghraib and some other incidents, over the years since 9/11. >> at outreach center in florida, they say they still plan to go ahead. the church, which has 50 members, is run by terry jones, and is seen as a fringe movement, but right now, it has everyone's attention. on "nightline," he had this to say. >> if we do not do it, when do we stop backing down? when do we stop getting into

islam? when they burn the flag or kill christians or burn churches? >> church and other religious leaders rejected the spots. >> -- rejected these thoughts. >> these are not by the majority of people. these are very small, extremist people who feel they are doing the right thing, i am sure, but who are taking themselves out from what is the mainstream of what is christianity or what is judaism, or what is islam today. >> the incident about the koran burning note follows on the plans to build an islamic center blocks away from ground zero in new york nine years after the 9/11 attacks. the relationship between the united states and islam is still not resolved. bbc news, washington. >> are washington correspondent steve kingston said how seriously they administration is

taking the issue about the plans to burn the koran. >> there is pressure for him to stop the event, and you have officials linking these to the soldiers abusing the iraqi prisoners at abu ghraib, and that tells you how concerned they are here in washington. we have had attorney general eric holder saying that is burning plan is dangerous. then there were comments from hillary clinton this evening after a dinner with muslim americans. this is what she had to say. >> we sit down together for this meal on a day when the news is carrying reports that a pastor down in gainesville, fla., once to burn the coal the koran on september 11 -- wants to burn the koran. i am heartened by this

disrespectful, a disgraceful act. then it comes from american religious leaders of all faiths, from evangelical christians to jewish rabbis, as well as secular u.s. leaders. >> unequivocal condemnation there from hillary clinton. steve, is there any word on whether this church is going to drop its plans to burn the koran? paston terry says he still plans to go ahead. he knows the risks that his actions carry. he says it is important to send the message to radical is lummox islamists that pose a danger to the united states. from the top of the government down to local law enforcement in florida, and he is under pressure to back down, to cancel this event. he says he is korea, thinking about it, and, perhaps, god will

eventually tell him to cancel it -- he says he is praying. >> calling for a laying down of arms forever. a country's democratic political parties are disappointed about disarmament. julia gillard is the australian prime minister after two weeks. tw wrote in french oat -- two voted for her.'s mozambique's has reversed its decision to raise some food prices. the local bread will now be sold at its previous price. top government ministers were involved.

a senior u.n. official has called for the prosecution after the alleged mass rape of women note in the democratic or condo -- women in the democratic republic of condo. our bbc reporter traveled to the region to interview the victims. >> well, the democratic republic of congo, looking into a specific case of more than 204 women who were raped in several villages, just several kilometers from a u.n. base, and the peacekeeping mission there had responded quite late, in fact, have not even heard about it more than 10 days or so after it took place, so he says that their response had been inadequate, and he basically told the security council that they will take steps to try to prevent anything like this from happening again, so close to the

doorsteps. more patrols, spot checks that night, as well as seven-up different things in this area, because there is no mobile telephone communication in this area. he also urged the security council to consider targeted sanctions against the rebel leaders who carried out these mass rapes, and he said that maybe it was the government's duty to take action to protect civilians, that the u.n. was there to support the government and urged the government to fight them. >> barbara, what are these rapes happening? -- why are they? says thatthe envoys they're organized, and there are many armed gains, in congo,

in particular, who carry on racpes. in 2008 and 2009, more than 15,000 rapes were recorded, so some of that is just about a culture of lawlessness in the eastern congo, but some of this is about terrorizing civilians. why they do this in different cases, it is hard to say. in this particular case, there is an area that is rich in minerals, in which there is a lot of exploiting of the mineral resources with the rebels with this activity, perhaps related in some way to the exercising power in order to continue their attacks -- axed -- acts. there really is no rule of law.

>> barbara reporting there. at least 20 people the been killed by a bomb at police headquarters in northwest pakistan. the fourth attack of its kind in a week, and it is being blamed on the pakistani taliban. it is close to the afghan border. they may be taking a advantage of the flood to vote step of the attacks. >> the target was a police compound, but there are shattered family lives. it hit the living quarters just after dark, a time when many families had gathered for their first meal after the the passe the holy month of ramadan. >> my father went to pray, but suddenly, he came back, saying there was a bomb in the vehicle.

all of us went inside the house, and then the blast happened. i fell down, and i heard myself. >> scores of others were hurt, and despite the efforts of medical doctors, -- they left them alone with anguish and confusion. all of this the work of a single suicide bomber with a very large bomb, around 300 kilos of explosives. it is a scene that is once again becoming commonplace in pakistan after a brief lull while the country struggled with the devastating floods last month. the pakistan caliban warned last week of a fresh spate of attacks. . pakistan taliban. bbc news. >> the authorities in new zealand have extended the state of emergency in the city of

christchurch for another seven days. they suffered another aftershock, five days after the original earthquake. 5.1 was the magnitude. police say underlies the effort for people to stay away from that area. this is bbc news. angelina jolie arrives in pakistan to highlight their plight. and in jail for six months. the sergeant was caught dragging the woman across the floor. speaking after the sentencing, they said the sergeant was a disgrace. she said she did not think the sentence was fair, as she will be living with the effect of the

attack forever. >> i have been trying to forget the last two years. i have not been able to. >> how horrific was it, looking at those images? we can look get them and imagined. how difficult was it to look at it? >> it was so terrific. the fact of being arrested, not having anything being explained to me, and in being treated with such violence -- and then being treated with such violence, at one point, i thought they must think i was a terrorist. i am still having a problem now. >> they will begin a new inquiry

into phone hacking. they expect to talk to a former "news of the world to the editor, who is now the head of communications at downing street. it is said that he knew that his reporters were hacking into messages. he resigned, and a private investigator and others were jailed after privately accessing messages to prince charles, prince william, in prince harry. -- and prince harry. hello, you are watching bbc news. ibm james that well. there are plans to burn at the koran at a church in florida. hillary clinton calls it disgraceful and disrespectful. women and children raped in the department or public of, " --

in the democratic republic of congo. hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of france on tuesday to demonstrate their anger over the government's austerity measures it was also in support of a 24- hour national strike that disrupted flights and trains and made schools to close. french unions oppose plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. here is our reporter from paris. >> the parisian boulevards choked with protesters in the battle over spending. vast crowds have come out against the plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. there was also a major disruption to transport, as workers went on strike. this nurse complained, "we work nights, weekends, public holidays.

we do not get a chance to rest." that was the news, that pension reform was threatening the french way of life. >> people who work a very, very long time will have to work a longer time. >> we cannot work for eternity. i cannot work night shifts until 6465. >> 2.5 million people were on the streets. the government says the number but theser to 1 million, not number is growing, and the unions will claim the majority is with them. all european countries are facing higher retirement ages, but some have had disruption. eventually, it was suspended.

back on the streets, it was noticeable that families had joined the day of protest. one reason this matter is so much is that later this month, the president is expected to announce spending cuts, and if he struggles to get his pension reform through, he may also have to go through with his austerity package. they will have to find up to 35 billion pounds in savings, but the french people are not likely to accept cuts. >> taxes, yes. some little spending cuts, why not? but the real plan for the budget is impossible. >> what happens in france is being watched closely, because europe is facing a season of

strikes, as governments, heavily in debt, pare back benefits and spare costs. bbc news, paris. >> the mexican president felipe says that there has been widespread flooding. the president met with the authorities to survey the damage. our correspondent in mexico city explained to me how big an issue the floods have become. >> this has been one of the most effective. the present said that in some areas, they have double the amount of rain. many rivers in the area have overflowed their banks. there are large amounts of people. it put the number at 658.

. 100,000 people who left either been displaced or affected in one way or another by the heavy rains that have hit mexico in the next few days. >> i mentioned there that the president has been in one area. what help did he offer? >> the areas that are most affected are areas that are regularly affected. it is not the first time this has happened. many are still recovering from that. president calderon says this " -- this will deal with those flooded by the waters. we have to remember that this is one of the poorest areas of mexico. there is a concern of the effect of the floods on the economy. >> experts from nasa have been

talking about the advice given to the chilean authorities to help the 33 miners trapped underground. meanwhile, the miners were able to watch a football game after rescue workers managed for a many television screen to be sent down. we have this report from santiago -- a mini tv. >> as they watched above, those below watched, too. not all of the miners are chilean. one is from bolivia. today, his wife and father-in- law of net the bolivian president. -- and father-in-law met the bolivian president. >> chile is doing all they can

to rescue them. i congratulate the chilean government. >> across the border, engineers are still digging two escape chefs for the trapped men. >> we are moving forward with this plan. they have completed 130 meters in total. the c-130 drill started again last night after yesterday's difficulties were sorted out. >> in the next few days, the rescue team will start work on the third escape shaft, but they know there is still a long way to go. and today, a team of experts from nasa, who visited the mine last week, sounded a warning. just notk they're entering a period of the long just beginninge

to confront some of the issues that they will have as far as being there for a long duration. >> for the relatives, too, this will be a long wait. this camp has become a home. many say they will not leave it until their men are rescued. bbc news, santiago. >> hollywood actress angela initially -- angelina jolie will be in pakistan. her visit coincides with warnings about the a drying up. -- aid drying up. >> hearing the stories, she met victims of the flood. some have lost homes, and some have lost children. the hollywood star came to bear

witness to pakistan's tragedy and to tour the rubble. more than 20,000 people used to live in this village. refugees from afghanistan, now refugees from nature. >> they are people -- people displaced by the floods. the flood water was as high as the ceiling, when you see the market, and all of their homes are washed away. -- when you see the mark. many of them lost their children during the floods. >> the united nations refugee agency hopes her presence will keep the spotlight on places like this camp and remind the world to dig deep. the needs here are enormous, and they are growing. now, angelina jolie has seen

this for herself, seeing families struggling to survive in tents. now, she is appealing for more help. but those we met had lost faith in outside help. they knew someone had come from america, but they did not know who. people come and go, this man told us. they speak with officials, but there is no change for us. we are still living in misery. and five weeks on, the misery is continuing to spread. for some in the sovereign province -- southern province, the nightmare is just beginning. the waters of just arrived. more people in need in a country already unable to cope. bbc news., northwest pakistan. >> the japanese ministry says

suicide has cost the economy money last year. the figures were released. the largest donation from george soros to human 8 watch. in return, the group must match that fund, it can dollars million a year for the next tenures. -- $10 million a year for the next 10 years. a plan to burn copies of the koran at a church in florida. the u.s. secretary of state has condemned this as disgraceful and disrespectful, and as many as 500 people may have been raped in the democratic republic of congo and the last month

alone. u.n. peacekeepers have been criticized for failing to protect the victims. that is bbc news. thanks for being with us. >> 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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