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>> and now "bbc world news." >> the minute in the family -- the son of north korea's leader becomes an army general. is he being groomed to take power? the u.s. tries to salvage peace talks as israel and its partial freeze in settlement belt -- on settlement building in the occupied territory. president java's claims victory in the the venezuelan election -- chavez claims victory in the venezuelan election. we're coming to you on pbs america and coming up later, coping with the floods. nigeria -- rising water has forced people from millions -- forced millions from their homes. we will have the latest on the plight of the chilean miners.

north korea has announced that the third son of its leader kim jong-il has been appointed as the force -- as a four-star general. many believe that the party is preparing to anoint thee a man named kim jong-un as his father's eventual successor. from the south korean capital of seoul, here is one of our correspondence. >> from the trains pulling into an immaculate pyongyang central station to the choreographed uniformity of the arriving delegates, it is clear that something is going on. these are pictures that north korea is off authoritarian rulers want the world to see, showing a city being prepared for a very significant event indeed. the last time a major party gathering was held was in 1980

-- 30 years ago. that meeting sok kim jong il appointed to the highest ranks of the party, -- saw kim jong-il appointed to the highest ranks of the party, confirming him as his father's successor. after years in charge, he is for real, the elderly, and on well. there is speculation that he is -- is frail, elderly, and unwell. there's speculation that he is about to do the same and appoint his son as his successor. kim jong-un has been given the rank of four-star general. >> there will be cries of joy in public in front of the tv crews. even in private houses. the radio, newspapers, and media will start telling stories about his greatness. >> things may move slow as a matter of course. the newly-bestowed made --

military ranking may be all that is made public with any political promotion keyed -- kept under wraps. it is an imperfect view speculating about what is going on from the outside. a party conference is all about the succession. it seems plausible. it may not be the breakthrough moment that many predict. perhaps kim jong-un will be promoted behind closed doors or not at all. >ordinary north koreans are likely to know even less. he escaped to the prosperity of the south two years ago. >> people do assume that one of kim jong-il's sons will succeed him, just as he succeeded his father. no one would have expected it would be someone so young. that prospect may also worry the north korean neighbors who are

understandably nervous about any signs of change in the country that has serious nuclear ambitions. >> daniel piston is an analyst with the crisis group in seoul and he tells us about the latest developments. >> i was surprised. north korea is always full of surprises. i think it is a case that kim jong-il's health might be worse than we suspect. with the military appointment, we will have to wait and see what happens with the party and whether or not kim jong-un its position in the politburo or the secretariat or some other institution. >> you talk about military appointment -- presumably the backing of the army is crucial here. >> yes, absolutely. over the past 15 or 20 years, north korea has been following this military first policy. kim jong-il has been rolling through his control over the military -- ruling through his control over the military.

as a result, many of the party institutions have atrophied or become dysfunctional. many positions are vacant. today and over the next few days, we will start hearing some announcements about appointments in these party institutions pierre >> he is of a much -- institutions. >> he is of a much younger generation. is he likely to be as autocratic as his father? >> it is very difficult to say what his personality traits are. however, to navigate within such a system, you must be ruthless or you will be pushed aside. we'll see about his capabilities and confidence. in some of these party institutions, if he is given the high-level positions such as the politburo and the secretary at, -- secretariat or the guidance bureau which makes appointments -- if he is placed in any of

those positions or if other people are possible challengers placed in those positions, there might be some in-fighting in the future. >> if you will, just very briefly, is the party leaders zip as isolated and ignorant as the -- leadership as isolated and ignorant as the rest of the population seems to be? >> ida -- i do not think so. most of the leadership get to travel. they are intelligent people with it was a- -- inquisitive minds. if you did not act within the constraints, you can be purged. >> the american middle east envoy george mitchell is returning to the region to try to salvage the peace talks between israel and the palestinians. the u.s. government has expressed disappointment in israel's decision to not extended partial moratorium on building settlements on occupied land. palestinian president says he will consult arabs foreign ministers about whether to abandon the peace talks over

these issues. >> just hours after the end of a partial freeze on building in settlements, as promised, settlers began construction on homes and community buildings. as much as these images will enter palestinians and the american government, -- anger palestinians and the american government, they are largely symbolic. it does not mean that thousands of new homes will be built on occupied palestinian land, nor does it mean that the talks will inevitably collapse. >> we want the process to succeed. that is why prime minister netanyahu called upon president of abbas to continue to -- president abbas to continue with these talks. only with ongoing, direct, in serious negotiations can we hope to build a better future. >> mahmoud abbas, a palestinian president, is on an official visit to paris.

previously said he would pull out of peace talks if settlement-building prisons. he has not walked away yet, even though he says settlements are not compatible with peace. >> the palestinians will return to our leaders first so we can decide. we're not going to make any quick reactions. we will not say yes or no, we want or we do not want without studying the results or consequences with the palestinian leaders and the arab countries. >> palestinians are protesting against israeli occupation in the west bank over the weekend. many ordinary palestinians say their leaders have given too much ground while not publicly getting any concessions from israel. the settlements and the 400,000 people who live in them are the first of several major obstacles that could derail negotiations at any stage. while american negotiators say there is still hope for the talks to be saved, and a

compromise agreed upon, time is running out. the bbc understands that, in the next couple of days, palestinian leaders will meet to discuss the crisis and the executive committee of the plo may order mahmoud abbas to withdraw from the peace talks. >> in the last few hours, reports say that three suspected palestinian militants have been killed by an estimate -- an israeli air strike in the gaza strip. they fired at militants near the border a central gaza as they were about to launch rockets against israel. they belong to the islamic jihad group. says the hugo chávez venezuelas parliamentary election was an important victory for the country's socialist revolution. the opposition is also claiming success because it overturned the 2/3 majority that the president's socialist party held in the nationalist parliament. the governing socialists still

hold the most seats, but the opposition said it won just half of the popular vote. bbc's will grant is in the capital of caracas. is hugo chávez putting on a brave face? >> in a sense. he is also pointing out that his party did make -- did obtain the nationalist -- national assembly that he was looking for, albeit, as you quite rightly pointed out, not without the crucial -- not with the crucial 2/3 of parliament. he did poke fun at the opposition's jubilation, basically saying if they were willing like -- winning like this with in doing so well, they could keep doing it as long as they like. he is still feeling quite confident and quite content, although i think you are right to suggest there is an element of a brave face being put on all of this. there is no doubt that he wanted the 2/3 majority.

>> secret, he must to -- must be disappointed to have lost some of the popular vote. >> is definitely a blow. the popular vote was almost a tie between the m.u.d. and his united socialist party. it was very close. many voters think that would be a good thing in venezuela because venezuelan politics have been so polarized over the last 11 years. voters were looking for more plural parliament and that is what we will be seeing in 2011 when the new session takes place. mr. chavez would have wanted that majority and it is a blow for him personally en route to 2012, which will be the next presidential election. >> he is going to obviously face fierce opposition on the floor. >> that is quite right. there are a number of issues that he is going to want to past that he will now find it increasingly difficult to do so.

things such as education bills, appointments to supreme court justices, things of that nature. normally, he had -- for the past five years, he has almost had a rubber stamp organization on those sorts of issues. the parliament has paid -- as passed almost anything he has put in front of it. it will now be a real battle of wills between hugo chávez and his fiercest critics on the floor the parliament. >> many thanks to you, will grant, live from caracas. a passenger van carrying the children home from a dance competition has collided with a truck, killing 14 people and seriously injuring others. witnesses say that truck was being driven without headlights. the driver has been arrested, pending further investigation. cuba has increased the price of petrol by a 18% as part of the economic reform package.

it is the third time prices have risen since september, 2008. government has announced plans to lay off at least 1 million workers to reduce their budget deficit. you're watching bbc news. still to come -- the mystery of the missing town. why google will not always find everything you are looking for. the new leader of britain's's labour opposition party ed miliband is preparing to give his first major speech on the job following the leadership contest which gave him the first victory over his brother. >> was that your last speech from the platform? will he stay or will he go now? >> let me through. >> david miliband's refusal to say whether he will carry on in the front-line politics is a real headache for his brother, ed, who beat him in the labour

leaders appeared >> are you actually on your way out? -- labour leadership. >> are you actually on your way out? >> out of the building. >> david miliband has just left a meeting with his brother. he is determined to say nothing about his future in labour and in the cabinet. today's private meeting of the brothers happened after this public display of affection from the man who lost. he promised to keep both party and family united. >> no more cleats, no more -- cliques, no more factions, no more soap operas -- when united labour party taking on one united government. >> that sounds and this looks like happy families. what is all the fuss about? it is quite simple. when david miliband arrived at a conference today he made clear he had yet to make up his mind

about his future in politics. on the day the imf endorsed the government's approach to cutting the deficit, the man who was chancellor warned his party not to think it could opposed every public spending cut. tomorrow, we will find out whether his new leader was listening and whether ed miliband can convince people to stop talking about his brother. nick robinson, bbc news, manchester. >> this is bbc news. our reminder of our top stories. official media in north korea say the youngest son of a leader, kim jong il, has been given the army rank of four-star general. u.s. says it is disappointed by israel's decision to not extend a ban on west bank settlement building. they have dispatched an envoy. 2 million people have been displaced in northern nigeria after flooding damaged homes and crops in one of the new areas --

the nation's major food- producing areas. there were fears that it could lead to rising food costs in africa's most populous nation. >> flooded fields in northern nigeria. the water is -- has forced more than 2 million people to flee from their homes. it began when the floodgates of two dams were opened. the authorities there deny this, saying that the heavy rainfall was to blame. the water is released to irrigate normally. this year, they drowned them. this woman has eight children purified had left the school when the flood waters struck. -- this woman has eight children. five of her children had left the school when the floodwaters struck. >> the water came suddenly when i was fixing breakfast in the morning. iran and took the kids from the house -- i ran and took the kids

from the house. >> the waters cover 55 square kilometers of farmland. people are using whatever methods they can to move across the flooded land. some managed to limit the damage by using sandbags. >> it was a little area. it is sad. all of these houses -- it really contributed aloft. -- a lot. >> this is one of the breadbaskets of the country, providing food to the whole country and its neighbors. now food prices could rise in a country where many are suffering from shortages. stephanie holmes, bbc news. >> amnesty international has urged western european countries to halt the forcible return of roma people to kosovo. thousands who fled close of zero -- fled kosovo have been sent

back since it declared its independence from serbia in 2008. many roma were going abroad and if you speak albanian -- few speak albanian. a british man who owned the company making the segway has died after apparently driving them one of a -- driving one of them off a cliff. jimi heselden bought the company earlier in 2007. it is a battery-powered scooter. it can travel up to 12 miles per hour. they have been trapped underground for nearly two months. their plight has attracted worldwide attention. the 33 chilean miners are said to be coping with their ordeal well. they're waiting for the rescue that could happen within the next month. they are being helped by a military adviser specializing in

battlefield psychology. we report from the scene. >> day and night, the drilling continues. it is day 53. the men who have spent longer trapped underground than any other miners in history appeared rusty attempts at such depths are another world's first -- in history. rusty at times -- rescue attempts at such depths are another world's first. how do they keep hope alive? andres ilarena speaks to them everyday. >> i believe one of the keys to surviving is that they have been able to build a society today are working as a society. they are coping with the confinement and not being able to get out of there as a society. the youngsters -- the older are doing-- ones

a great job of conversing with the younger. they are holding on. >> it is been the longest of shifts for these men, still working and sleeping underground. life down here is curiously normal with daily complaints about the food being sent down and constant requests for cigarettes. tim wilcox, chile. >> his sumptuous, colorful images of the women of tahiti and his landscapes of brittany are some of the most famous in modern art. paintings and sculptures by rodin are going on show in london. >> he is best known for these. his paintings of tahitian

natives. and for being an egotistical, ruthless self-publicist who took young lovers and sired a legitimate -- illegitimate children. this is all true, but it is really about him as a broker. he rejected others ideas of painting everyday life and ushered in a new age would work like this. -- with work like this. a painting of two parts/the trunk of a -- divided by the trunk of a tree. one side represents truth, the other fantasy. he uses color as a metaphor. the red here represents the supernatural.

it inspired some of the surrealist works from 30 years later. it is all very good, but why put on the exhibition at this moment? is it simply a case of his turn? maybe there is a need for a blockbuster. is there more to that decision? >> he is very relevant to us today because of the way he explored, through his life and art, and alternatives in terms of what he rejects in terms of civilization and capitalism. he is drawn away from that and knowing that his art depends on it. he is fully aware of the contradiction that we are conscious of today. >> his concerns resonate with our modern world. to his pictures have any relevance to today's -- do his pictures have any relevance to today? >> it is exciting to see this in the flesh. the colors are so peculiar. the combinations are so unexpected.

the greens, the glowing sea behind the trees, the horse, the bridle. it is a vision. >> for all of his many personal shortcomings, he was a brilliant colorist -- something that is difficult to appreciate until roomful of evidence has been placed before your eyes. >> for finding out more about political candidates to discovering the best place for pizza -- it is called a mouse click away. google and other search engines are a lifeline to small businesses which depend on the traffic. what would happen if those customers suddenly vanished? one town in florida at painfully found out. >> imagine you are the newly- elected mayor of a city that suddenly disappears. >> we are from sunrise.

we do not -- you do not know where we are, but we thought we would bring you a map. >> google's computers managed to replace -- misplaced the city for one month. there were redirected to sarasota, 200 miles away and on the wrong coast. >> i figured i must have tight in wrong. i tried a few other things, plumber, florist, mayor. none of us came up. we all went to sarasota. >> it may seem comical, but it is the third time it has happened. >> when women -- we can be found, we are busy. new customers can not find us. you have a lot of -- a loss of revenue and tax dollars. this town cannot afford this. >> nobody says, oh, i found you on the internet. they say i googled you.

google is now a word. >> the city with its 90,000 residents and huge outdoor shopping mall is now painfully back on the map would you will's -- thankfully back on the map with google's apology. it is a demonstration of how important our online lives have become and it teaches us about our dependency on internet search engines for everything. these are free services that were not around years ago. when they go wrong and an entire city is removed from the map, the consequences are very real. there are some old-fashioned ways of finding local businesses or even cities. and the gallagher, definitely in sunrise, fla.. >> kim jong-il has promoted one

of his sons before the rare national convention. i'm deborah commit -- i am never mackenzie and this is abc news. -- bbc news. >> 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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