>> "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." >> had a million public sector jobs are going. the biggest cuts in peacetime britain. the chancellor says it is a hard road to the future. >> today is the day when britain stepped back from the brink. [jeering] >> in france, pension reform sparks more riots are in the streets, prompting the police to reopen blockaded fuel depots. afghans parliamentary elections is declared invalid. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, also around the globe. my name is mike embley. coming up later for you -- the woman found guilty of murdering her rival by the -- by

a sabotaging her parachute. and the problems of pregnancy are growing and growing. hello to you. the world's sixth largest economy has announced the deepest cuts in government spending since the second world war. george osborn says they are essential to bring britain back from the economic brink. from the opposition labor party, it was cold a reckless gamble with people's livelihoods. mr. osborn announced planned savings of 83 billion pounds, about $130 billion, over the next four years. they announced a 9% cut in the

budget, although public health is protected. the pension age will increase to 66 by 2020. >> the chancellor left the at treasury and having promised not to cut overseas aid or the national health service, but with plenty of other budgets in his sights. he arrived with plans to reduce britain's massive budget deficit. >> we have the largest structural budget deficit in europe. this at a time when the whole world is concerned about high deficits and our economic stability depends on allaying those concerns. to back down now and abandon our plans would be the road to economic and ruin. we will stick to the course. we will secure our country's stability. we will bring britain bought from the brink of bankruptcy.

>> in total, he announced $137 billion worth of spending cuts. just under half a billion jobs will be cut. the pension age will rise to 66 by 2020. the full -- the welfare budget will be cuts. >> summit members -- some members say this is their ideological objective. not all of them. but for many of them, this is what they came into politics to do. >> britain is not alone in needing to cut its budget deficit. the unrest in increase earlier this year underlined the need for action across western economies. but britain's budget deficit is just over a 11% economic output. that compares with seven.

-- 7% in the united states. germany has a deficit of just 9.4%. hence the need for drastic measures in britain. >> these cuts are very large. they are twice the ones in denmark and greece in the 1980's. >> the question is whether these measures will deliver the savings required. there are economic uncertainties, too. while growth be damaged? will the private sector be able to absorb the public workers seem to be out of a job? the verdict may not be cleared before 2015. bbc news. >> you will find full details of the spending review on our website, bbc.com. the french president has ordered the riot police to reopen fuel depots blockaded by

strikes. nicolas sarkozy says he is determined to in the strikes that have partially paralyzed the country. he will also press on with plans to raise the french retirement age to 62. here is christian fraser. >> days of rioting in a paris suburb. confrontation in the streets. there were similar scenes in leon, where police fought with protesters. it has become a touchdown for general grievances are bound the country. the major focus for the government is the fuel shortages. riot police bloat -- broke up three blockades in the west of the country. the panicked buying has led to a 500% jump in fuel consumption.

tonight, over 3000 petrol stations are closed with many others running low. which is what the interior minister is promising a robust response. he has authorized the use of the special intervention force to break a blockade, the equivalent of a swat team. but it is not just the pickets at the refineries. beer is chaos around the country. -- there is chaos around the country. with the fuel shortages and major disruptions around the country, some families have revised their plans for the break. the pension bill will be approved by the senate, perhaps by thursday evening. >> some unions argue the protests should continue after the bill is approved by the senate. there are other legislative steps before it becomes all law.

in 2006, as did the protests forced the government of the day to retreat on a controversial labor reform bill. there is no sign that president sarkozy is going to reelect. christian fraser, bbc news, paris. >> it is a sad day for football. the world governing body has provisionally suspended two executive committee members. the two men denied offering to sell their boats in a contest to host the 2018 world cup. three american hikers accused of espionage in iran will face trial. the hikers were arrested when they strayed across the border from iraq. a british contractor taken hostage and somalia has been released by his captors, six

days after he was kidnapped. his children denied paying a ransom for his release. a saudi prince has been jailed for life for murdering his lover in a hotel. he was convicted of killing him after a long period of violent abuse. >> a woman was accused of murdering her rival in love bite sabotaging her -- in love bite sabotaging her parachute. we have this report from brussels. >> they spent almost every weekend skydiving, but she felt you were death. her name and reserve parachute had been sabotaged. els clottemans was charged with

her murder. but when and where the levers of the same man. the prosecution told the jury that els clottemans had the motive, opportunity, and expert knowledge to murder her rival. this case has been gripped with pension. els clottemans is still protesting her innocence, but she will be sentenced later this week. >> the supreme court in turkey has warned the country's politicians that relaxing standards violates the constitution. this cuts to the heart of national identity in the overwhelmingly muslim country. a report in new zealand has warned that the maori language of the indigenous new zealanders is in a crisis with fewer and fewer young people

learning at. in afghanistan, and in this critical year before american troops are expected to begin withdrawing, the democracy has suffered another blow. a quarter of the votes cast in last year's parliamentary election have been care -- have been declared invalid. our correspondent has this from kabul. >> over 1 million fake votes found ways into afghan ballot boxes in last year's election. hundreds of boats illegally cast. across the country, fraud was rampant. nearly a quarter of the ballots may be disqualified. the independent election commission says 2500 were

involved in the fraud. even so, they say the results were legitimate. >> i do consider them a success. in a situation like afghanistan -- i think in such an environment, conducting an election is difficult. conducting a better election and the previous election is a great achievement. >> president karzai warned irregularities were to be expected. these elections appear not to be much better or worse than the presidential elections. in those, up 1.5 million in fake votes forecast. it is a sign the country is moving closer to standing on its own two feet. these are only preliminary results. these are subject to appeal. the final results in its

parliamentary elections could be weeks away. bbc news, kabul. >> stay with us, if you can, and "bbc world news." silda come -- britain's supreme court has -- still to come -- britain supreme court has made a ruling that could affect thousands of divorces. first though, to a marriage of the modern and mystical. for centuries, faith healing played a part in medicine in malaysia. now those controversial treatments are under question. officials are afraid that some patients are being cheated by road practitioners. we have this report. >> malaysia. faith healers have been practicing their arts for many years. here, just outside kuala lumpur, up to 200 people come for treatment each day but chanting and the occasional

laying on of hands. he hopes divine intervention will heal his patients. >> we are asking god, it created an can cure the illness, not for the power to heal. it is god who endows healing. >> but it is partly this continued use of faith healers and exorcists that has prompted a new law to mid alternative medicine. the government says anyone defining in the new legislation will face charges. >> if they do anything outside the guidelines, we can take disciplinary action as the practitioner. >> for any moment, this only applies to faith healers, but in the future, they make extended to include chinese spirit mediums, something people here at the chinese temple regard where early. they say they offer an important service. >> the spirit medium knows

everything, even before you ask. if you have any problems, the david eades will help you overcome them. -- the dieties will help you overcome them. bbc news. >> the latest headlines this hour on "bbc world news." the british government has laid out the biggest reduction in public spending since the second world war. president sarkozy of france has ordered police to reopen all fuel depots being blockaded by protesters as the government's plans to change the pension system. divorce courts in england and wales will have to give more weight to prenuptial contracts, thanks to a landmark ruling and the supreme court. a german eris has won a legal battle with her husband over her fortune.

until now premarital agreements on how to divide their assets if they split up have not been finding here. we have this. >> the german air as -- hieress to emerge victorious. judges ruled the prenuptial agreement but signed was fair. >> they promised each other that if anything went wrong between them they would not make financial claims against each other. it was meant to be a marriage for love, not for money. >> she was worth an estimated 100 million pounds. she was married in 1998. the couple lived in london. when they separated, her husband worked at the university on a fraction of his former salary. today, the supreme court held up the ruling reducing his divorce settlement to under 5 billion pounds.

the landmark ruling said prenuptial agreements can have compelling wait. this is not just about a change in the law. prenuptial agreements are still not legally binding and will be decided case by case. but it is the clearest indication yet that the supreme court has said given the right circumstances prenuptial agreements will be upheld. bbc news. >> pope been adept has named 24 new cardinals, putting his mark on the body that will -- pope benedict has named 24 new cardinals, putting his mark on the body that will choose his successor. from rahm, duncan kennedy reports. calls hisnedict's cardinal's "princes of the church." and now he has named 24 new

ones. senior clergy who run the catholic church helped craft policy. the pope used his weekly audience at the vatican to make his announcement. >> now with joy i would like to announce that on november 20, i will nominate new cardinals for the college of cardinals. >> there was applause and the light when these worshipers found out the news that there archbishop from washington, d.c. is to be one of the new cardinals. >> we recognize that -- that no one is worthy of this type of honor. we are grateful to god for this opportunity. >> the other new cardinals come from places like egypt, ecuador, zambia.

this will strengthen the european influence in choosing the pope's successor. >> it means that pope benedict xvi, europe is still the most important place for christianity, and if any pope will come from the third world, it will be the european cardinals who decided can use it. >> it will be the south americans he will be most disappointed as they have only two new cardinals, as opposed to three from africa. the most important place in christianity, when it comes to cardinals, remains in europe. and kennedy, bbc news, at the vatican. >> hundreds of jobless couples had been traveling to india to have children by surrogate

mothers. this is a rapidly growing industry and around the country, but concerns have forced the government to impose new regulations. our correspondent went to find out more. >> they have little in common. but they share a special bond. she is pregnant with krystle's twins. it is the second time the indian woman has lent her womb to the american. >> i had a positive experience, and that is what i am using her for the second time. i ended up starting a business because of that, to help facilitate other couples said they can have a smooth transition. >> surrogacy in india is a multimillion-dollar business. they earned $500,000 for the

first birth. it is hard work. >> one tends to get attached. but i know i have given my word to her, and also in getting paid for it. >> it is all happening here. this is the unofficial capital of surrogacy. this little town in western india is mainly known for the dairy community. however in the past few years it has been transformed by the surrogacy industry, led by women from surrounding villages. however, it does involve social alienation. it is largely inaccessible in this deeply conservative society. many women are forced to hide their pregnancies. very few in their communities would believe a baby can be

conceived without having sex. but cultural concerns may be the least of it. >> making sure the health of the surrogate mother is concerned, that is the bigger issue. there may be something going on between the surrogate and the commission. >> legislation has been drafted to govern this unregulated market. after the infamous legal tangle involving a japanese couple who divorced before their child's birth, the new legislation would prevent the doctors from taking care of the circuits, cap the number of pregnancies, and make sure that the parents can

legally entered the country. she currently houses surrogate mothers in all hostile. -- a hostel. >> the whole purpose of making the law should not be overlooked. and do not need to be creating hurdles for the organization. [unintelligible] >> dr. patel fends off allegations saying the surrogate mothers are being exploited, saying they are well taken care of. in the meanwhile, more babies will be born to surrogate like these. the new laws will come into force in six months and change

the face of this booming industry in india. bbc news. >> you know the answer to this if you have small children. do you have time for an afternoon nap? in spain, it has long been part of everyday life. in an increasingly hectic world, it is under threat. >> in the middle of a shopping mall, something odd is going on. it is a contest to find the best siesta sleeper. despite the din, the aim is to get the best now that you can. there are two clear favorites, but the winner is no. 5.

and number four went out late last night to give him an advantage. for some, promoting daytime napping is madness. but this, this man argues, is the healthy choice. >> you can do your work much better. no, i do not say that. every doctor, every people can no doubt. >> even in the center of spain's capital, many shoppers agreed. look what happened to at 2:00 p.m. but do people sleep anymore? >> no, there is no time. i take the kids to school. then i am back at work. >> the shoppers are really losing the tradition of the siesta.

so, this is an attempt to lure them perhaps too bad, with extra points for the most peculiar pose and the loudest snorer. bbc news, madrid. >> you love an organization calling yourself open " friends of the siesta." lady thatcher is still receiving treatment in hospital. the former prime minister has been suffering from a condition affecting her muscles brought on by about of the flu. this is david cameron, the prime minister. she is not expected to be discharged for several days. just quickly -- the british government has announced the biggest spending cuts since the second world war. the chancellor of the exchequer

said that the cuts were essential to bring britain back from the brink. thank you 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.

>> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> there is one stage that is the met and carnegie hall. >> o, that this too, too solid flesh -- >> it is the kennedy center. >> check, one, two. >> and a club in austin. >> it is closer than any seat in the house, no matter where you call home. >> the top of the world, and i'm there, i'm home. >> pbs -- the great american stage that fits in every living room. your support of pbs brings the arts home. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.