>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is 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. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide

range of companies. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> cyber attacks and terrorism. britain identifies threats in its security strategy. pension reforms bring fuel shortages and violence to the street. president sarkozy calls for crisis talks. is a the end of hope for obama supporters? we have a special report on america's midterm elections. welcome to "bbc news". coming later,t he philippine scouts the cost of storm damage as china and vietnam brace for the arrival. the greatest extension of animal and plant species since the dinosaurs. the u.s. urges the world to wake up.

the british government has declared its national security strategy must meet new unconventional security threats such as cyber attacks. britain's intelligence gathering center has already warned that cyber warfare poses a serious danger to the uk's critical infrastructure. the strategy is the first part of a defense review that will see some big spending reductions. >> the biggest casualty of the defense review. its current flagship to be retired almost immediately. countries face their largest and most painful of people in decades. the government says it is remodeling the military to face new threats. britain's force of combat jet is

also in the line of fire. washington has expressed concerns a bed wider worries about defense cutbacks across europe. the budget pressures could encourage ministers to seek more cooperation in europe. focusinghey're interestingly is bilateral cooperation. particularly france but potentially others like neverland center -- germany that have serious capabilities but are finding it difficult to maintain those capabilities because of the cost pressures. >> with a budget now of around $60 billion, britain is and will probably remain the biggest defense spender in europe. around the world, japan is another big spender of more than $50 billion. china's budget is around $70 billion. the real total is significantly higher. dwarfing everyone of course is the u.s. at around $700 billion.

bid new's plans to aircraft carriers will go ahead. they prove that britain will continue to punch above its weight on the world stage or the giant symbols the government has got the balance wrong and the defense and security needs. ministers insist britain will remain a global player with the broad range of military capabilities. swearing that ambition with a squeeze the budget represents a huge challenge. >> the british prime minister david cameron telephone the u.s. president to explain his government's strategy and assure him britain will remain a first- rate military power and airbus salih. earlier, our correspondent asked what else he told barack obama. >> this came in the context of somewhat unusually public

concern from the u.s. about the proposed cuts in british defense. what we understand from the white house statement, what went on in the phone call was mr. cameron told president obama britain would remain this first great military power and president obama said he would appreciated the uk's commitment to its nato commitment. he also said that he spoke about the special relationship between the u.s. and u.k. and said he appreciated what he called the cameron government's commitment to maintain a full military spectrum that would allow the forces of the u.s. and u.k. to keep working together in an effective way. >> will the president and secretary of state clinton be reassured by what david cameron has said? >> it certainly seems to be the tone that we're getting from the

statement from the white house. the u.s. has been concerned the prospect of these cuts are openly express. they are worried about [unintelligible] if britain and other european allies have cutbacks in defense, the u.s. will have to pay more. they're concerned -- there are concerns in america wrote where britain has had more experience like counter-terrorism. that was also one of the things they spoke about this evening. the u.s. and some analysts said the u.s. has its own baggage when it comes to certain military interventions and where britain can be more effective. this is something that is of concern to the u.s. >> the french government is preparing emergency measures to deal with fuel shortages.

as the wave of strikes gathers momentum. they have began running out of fuel in some areas. our your editor has the latest. >> the protests have sprouted. that is -- students tried to blockade their schools. the riot police intervened. these protesters against the plan to raise the retirement age from 16 -- 60 to 62. ominously for the government, the protest movement appears to be feeding off other resentments like unemployment. we found under groups being drawn into this crisis attracted by the chance to talattack authorities. in the capital and the strand, petrol lines have formed as

workers continue to block lines. some pumps are running dry. there is little diesel left. >> it is a nightmare. when tutan stations but i could not find any diesel. >> this was the southern city of marseille, piled high with russia's refuse collectors went on strike for six a day. -- sixth day. >> it is terrible. i hope it will stop soon. >> i think it is a great success today, said the structure. there is significant support for the protests. president sarkozy who was to the meeting with the german chancellor insisted that pension reform would become law. >> this reform is essential. france is committed to it, france will carry it out.

>> on wednesday, the senate is expected to give its final vote on the pension bill. after that, the government hopes the process will subside. it is banking on the french people rejecting chaos. >> a powerful typhoon has hit the philippines. it slammed into the northern heavy rain. with the strongest typhoon to hit for four years cut off power and communications, forced flight cancellations, and rinse to trigger floods or landslides. our correspondent who is in the capital gave me this update. >> the areas that were worst hit in the northeast, communication is still down across most of those provinces. three people have died. we know that large areas of rice

crop have been destroyed. there are landslides as well. there little definite information. that should be trickling in now. i spoke to an aid agency and they got many members of their team up in the area that they cannot communicate. baseball -- they sent people out and they have been driving up that area seeing this devastation. the rice is wiped out. the farmers are just about to harvest for the year. this is potentially serious. people taken precautions? are they prepared for a typhoon of this magnitude? >> bin has an average of 20 typhoons a year. in that sense, people know what to expect. they have prepared. the government tries to move people from low-lying areas.

many people north of central -- [unintelligible] a typhoon of this kind has not had for years. -- has not been seen for years. >> there are concerns that the typhoon could add to the damage caused by severe floods which had claimed a dozen lives. officials say many more are missing after being swept away by torrential waters. >> in parts of vietnam, it is not clear where the flood and and the land begins. after days of heavy rain, floodwaters have consumed huge areas of the remote interior. in the face of such destructive force. some are struggling to hang on. some villages were surrounded so quickly, there was not time to escape. for those still trapped in their

homes, there is only one way out. through the roof. rescuers are doing their best to distribute emergency supplies, but there is desperation here. with safety can come the time to reflect on what has been lost. >> the water rose quickly through the night. i escaped but had to leave my belongings behind. i have got a blanket. there is nothing left. how can i live now? >> elsewhere, the relentless water showed no mercy. hear, a bus carrying at least 20 people swept away. only the strongest survive. the driver just told us to jump, he said. he remembers a group of children with -- who were too terrified to go and were swept away. vietnam is used to heavy rain at this time of year. last week, 66 people died and 10,000 homes were flooded.

these storms have been particularly intense. there is a fear the worst could be to come as the typhoon tracks west from the philippines. these are anxious times for a country once again at the mercy of extreme tropical weather. >> fresh from the rescue, the chilean president arrives bearing gifts. one of the survivors of the terror attacks in london said some victims died in agony. while crews held back because of safety rules. >> up to 52 people were murdered that morning, seven died in this carriage. five years on, the response of the emergency services on july 7

is coming under scrutiny. michael was in the carriage next to where the bomb went off. he describes how firefighters were stopped from going into the carriage because of rules about secondary devices. they looked embarrassed when he shouted, there were people dying. >> people died in agony. there were maybe some who survived. i am not angry at emergency services, i am angry at the system. >> one who died was carrie taylor, 24. here, leaving court with carrie's parents, he relived what he called the longest days of his life. i held a young lady in my arms, cradling her head on my chest. he reckoned it took around 20 minutes for firefighters and paramedics to arrive. we could have had more people

down there, he said. >> if there has been decisions that have wrongly been made, then hopefully, we can learn from that. if there is any other situation like this again we're able to back a lot quicker and a lot sooner. >> these inquests last five months. this is the start of the second week. there were many questions about the response of the emergency services. tomorrow, more evidence about what happened here on july 7. >> this is "bbc news". our top story. britain has identified the biggest emerging threat in its new national security strategy. cyber attacks, terrorism, conflict between states and natural disasters as the main concern. president sarkozy had called for crisis talks as strikes over pension reform bring fuel shortages and violence to the

streets. the u.n. says the world is experiencing the greatest extinction of animal and plant species since the dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago. our environment correspondent reports. >> it starts with a few precious drops. the rain beats down and the trees act as a sponge, trapping the moisture. this is the forest in kenya. like all rainforest, it provides an incredibly valuable service. it is not just a home to wildlife. it is also a national -- natural reservoir for millions. this forest generates 12 different rivers. they float in all directions. new research has shown what this means financially. keeping the forest upstream is not just about conservation for its own save -- sake. downstream, the animals that are

one of kenya's most valuable attractions. tourists are drawn to the dazzling sites like this. while life has lured millions to the kenyan economy. everything hinges on having enough water. exports relies on water. this plantation depends on the forest and the rain that comes. >> the forest is -- without the trees, you do not get rainfall. you do not have tea. during the dry spells, the t dries out -- tea dries out. >> half of the power is generated by hydroelectric stations like this one. without the trees upstream, the power supply would be at risk.

so this one forest stretching over the hills is reckoned to be worth nearly 1 billion pounds a year to kenya. nearly half of that has been cleared. that carries a serious cost. >> if you destroy the forest, you compromise major's ability to provide as with regular water supplies. it is simple but very powerful services nature provides. we cannot survive without the more we have to spend a lot of money in funding alternatives. >> what about the thousands of people living inside the forest? the kenyan government has plans to move them. this is highly controversial. where trees once stood, this family is planting tea. they see the understand the value of the forest but they need money right now and cannot afford to leave. >> there is nothing i can do.

how to feed my children. >> which should come first, the natural world or the needs of people? usually it is nature that yolos. putting a value on it may start to change that. >> it is weeks until the u.s. boats in crucial midterm electionso. north america has been taking the temperature. >> some feel political dreams come to die here. wondering what happened to that inspiration. he is out campaigning with d.c. students. even though his name is not on the ballot, these elections will be a verdict on how he has done.

>> that was the beginning of the journey. that is not the end. >> some feel he has failed to inspire. >> he led people to believe he was going to transform this nation. he would be inaugurated and he would walk on water across the potomac and there would be peace in the world and economic prosperity. part of that is his fault. >> i am a volunteer. >> tea party volunteers are opposed to his economic policy and feel his style has helped their cause. >> how does he come across? >> he seems aloof and somewhat disconnected with the plight of the american people. >> i might use another word. in oregon. when the leader seems disconnected, it is disconcerting for all voters. >> leaving the washington of pundits and pressure groups behind my traveled to the other

part of the city. a couple of miles from the proud monuments. a largely black and poor area. obama has said the message [unintelligible] he dismisses the idea that obama is too laid back. >> he is a man of action but not too quick to jump into things. he wants to find out what is going on and deal with it objectively. it cannot just rush into things too quick. him being a little laid-back, that is fine. >> she voted for, but four months ago she lost her job as a beautician. she is in the middle of moving out of the place she called home for 16 years. she tells me it is tough but she

does not when obama. >> he is the last -- when he came in i knew it was not the magic word that could be spoken and everything would be changing overnight. >> without hope we cannot move forward. >> i reflected there are still plenty of people with faith in the president but they expect more progress in the next two years. this is where the journey comes to an end. not just for me but for the candidates who want to come here. if the republicans take control of the house, it becomes even more difficult for the president to live up to the dreams of hope he has created. be the positive publicity chile has had.

the president has benefitted. >> presidents are really welcomed like this. the chilean president is enjoying almost celebrity-like approval ratings.in he could be one of the winners after the rescue of of 33 miners underground. it means on this visit he has a gift for the queen. a rock from the san jose mine and one for the prime minister. he received bottles of english beer. one for each of the miners. some cards from london school children studying spanish. in an interview, he said the incredible rescue had changed his country forever. >> they are not the same.

they are different people. there have been reborn. the chilean people are the -- not the same. we are united. we can do and achieve great goals. >> over the weekend, some miners returned. their lives have been transformed by the intense media interest. some are reported to have sold their story for thousands of dollars. in tv terms, the drama that unfolded below and above was priceless. the ultimate tale of survival against the odds. 33 back stories with cameras covering every angle. most importantly, a happy ending. understandably, tv producers are keen to cash in. >> amanda knox who was convicted in italy said she does not want to be famous in a new book.

she said she is in limbo. bleier say the book is inappropriate. duncan kennedy reports. >> convicted murderer, a tabloid curiosity, and now author subject. she has gone into print to talk about everything from bike riding to life in outer space. she was convicted of killing her roommate whose home is near london. the women shared this didn't house. she was found guilty along with two other men of carrying out the murder in 2007. her story has already been turned into a number of books, and two films are in development. non-with your cooperation. until now, this man's new book tries to tell the person's

story, not the crime. >> i was and how intimidated by her -- somehow intimidated by her. i met a girl who was profound and loves to read. in crudshe constantly goes overe themes of life through reading and studying. >> he does not discuss the case. she denies she is famous like angelina jolie. she said she wants to get married and adopt children. the lawyer for meredith kercher said the box was inappropriate. it was an attempt to portray her as a smart and profound woman who could not have committed murder. >> details on the stories on the bbc website. this is "bbc news".

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