>> "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." >> health united states turned a blind -- how the united states turned a blind eye to torture in iraq. and the biggest leaking of secret military records. one says lives would be put at risk. >> the most clear terms with the disclosure of any classified information by any individual or organization that puts the lives of the united states and partner service members and civilians at risk. >> and people are struggling to

contain the first caller -- cholera outbreak in haiti in several years. in a battle of wills as the french senate approves a plan to raise the retirement age to 62. america's a desperate democrats. we take look down a lane in each of the women who may have a threat at the midterm elections. it is the biggest leak of military records in years. 400,000 top-secret files have been made public. the files reveal that u.s. military commanders ignored

alleged torture carried out by forces. hillary clinton condemned the disclosure of any classified information that threatens national security. here is the report. >> as the first bomb fell in iraq in 2003, the coalition set up its position on human rights. >> many have been murdered, tortured. we deserve better. we deserve to live as free people. >> under the secret military order revealed in the league documents, -- leaked documents, only certain people were to be investigated. the sources revealed many reported witnessing severe torture and even killing killed by iraqi government forces. the secret intelligence said it was tortured with electric

drills, whipping with hoses in chains. security forces discovered a case. some of the details had execution. in june 2004, a new military order was issued. it said an initial report would be made. no further investigation would be required. >> the reality is pretty ugly, pretty brutal. and some say it is along the lines of war crimes. >> outside observers believe many civilians were killed. up until now, some estimates

came from a certain group. it put the figure at 100,000. but now it is suggested that the number be much higher. they did not do body count until later. some deny it, because the death toll is so huge. we now see it would be another 15,000. >> hillary clinton reacted to the leak. >> we show convention in los clear terms that disclosure of any classified information by individuals or an organization that could provide united states and its partner service members and the civilians at risk. >> critics say disclosures like this put lives at risks.

but references to official orders and rulings makes it [unintelligible] >> earlier we spoke with our correspondent in washington. he says it is justified bearing in mind that the leak occurred earlier in the year. >> in both cases, this was a crime by publishing stolen documents. the pentagon says which he leaks is a deplorable and shameful -- is a deplorable and shameful act. it said the website was down for maintenance. they wonder what may have been a

role in exploring their website. they said the pentagon would confirm the information that the wiki leaks has. >> they have warned of some iraqi may be in danger. >> this is the same position after a july meeting regarding afghanistan. they have published a lot of information and then it became clear that some documents were published. and the pentagon jump on that. there is nothing yet to suggest

people in a in a san have been objects of retribution. but these people are made more vulnerable than people in afghanistan and now iraq. >> thanks. earlier i spoke with one person from the "new york times." he explained the role of iraq. >> it is not a surprise to people part of the iraq war that iran has been providing certain things to the shiite militants in trading them in iran. what is funky about the document is the scale of the effort and that it continued during the first year of the obama administration. that is the first time the american administration is reaching out to tehran. >> what about the and the filing for the tension once u.s. troops

leave? >> we vetted the documents and worked through them as carefully as we could. we posted about 20 documents not for hundred thousand. we extracted names from anything that could pose a security risk to american forces were put iraqi lives in danger. they did not ask us to make any additional cuts. what i took from the document is a highlighted a number of issues that will be important the next three years to 20 arabs and kurds. it is regarding prisoner abuse. >> for more on the story, you can go to our bbc website. law on and take a look.

og on and take a look at bbc.com. >> aid agencies are on high alert to prevent cholera in haiti. thousands of people are still living in tents. >> first there was the earthquake. now haiti is facing another deadly crisis. people are pouring into hospitals with diarrhea and dehydration. it is gripping areas north of the capital. thousands of people are in hospitals. they now have to try to stop it from spreading. there are signs that they could be doing just that. this town southwest of the worst affected area has started to report cases. one person has died from the disease here.

>> she got sick last night. she got a diarrhea and was vomiting. we took her to the hospital. but she died before she could make it. >> most people are showing systems. >> we have seen 11 cases. while being interviewed, two more came in. one has already died. >> the earthquake left 1.5 million people homeless. thousands are still living in tents around the capital. there is poor sanitation and little access to clean drinking water. if the caller reaches here, the gulf -- death toll could be higher. >> it could be much larger given our experience with cholera epidemics in the past. that is particularly in a

population that has no protective immunity, not having been exposed recently to cholera. >> the hope now is that the outbreak can be controlled before it claims any more lives. bbc news. >> by a comfortable majority, the french senate has approved to raise the retirement age to 62. a procedure put hundreds of of positions in the amendment to one single vote. a union blockade was broken earlier. >> in the gilded french senate, a controversial law to make people work two more years for their pensions was approved by the senate.

it is a reform that has brought hundreds of thousands to the streets in protest. some say it was a victory for president sarkozy. >> please consider this for the people. we cannot act the way we used to act several years ago. >> the french people will receive their benefits later. the basic retirement age will go from 60 to 62. and the age to receive pension benefits also rose. there was a plot got outside of the main oil refinery. scuffles broke out. later in the day, some tankers started leaking fuel.

>> it is old communities in france that are unhappy. that is what this man says. they need to listen to the people. the protesters claim that the likely to strike died today. they tried to put up new barricades. many are without fuel. and a small number of areas where they are limiting the amount of oil going forth. riot police waited earlier today. but france is about to begin a holiday. the union crowd may want to get people back on the streets. >> they have to open the negotiations. >> next week, this legislation will become law. the unions believe it is worth continuing the fight against

pension reform. bbc news, paris. >> you are watching bbc news. still to come, a nuclear-powered submarine runs aground during a trial. david kenney died from wounds of a self-inflicted injury. many have had questions as to whether he committed suicide. >> it is more than several years since his body was found. how he died is still being questioned. just a few days before his death, he was named the source of a bbc story. there were claims about iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

some concluded that the scientist had killed himself by cutting his wrists. this summer, doctors questioned because eye witnesses had not observed much blood at the scene. ministers released the medical report today. during his post mortem examination, they sought a heavier patch of blood stain near the knee area. there was blood -- a pool of blood beneath the knife. there were wounds near the left wrist which is similar to suicide. they still want more evidence tested in court. >> we want all of these issues addressed.

>> and an inquiry could still take place if ordered by the attorney general. his family remained silent today. bbc news. >> you are watching bbc news. here are the headlines. around 400,000 top-secret files from the iraq war released by the wiki leaks website. haiti is experiencing the first cholera epidemic to get the country since the turn of the century. more on that of break in haiti. we have an environmental health coordinator. she spoke to make a short while ago. she explained the conditions in

the camp. >> there is the situation on the ground. we are in the rainy season. a lot of the camps are situated in an area where they are prone to flooding. many of the conditions are muddy. we have many people living in these camps and it is very crowded. there is great potential for the spread of the disease should it entered the camp. >> what needs to be done to prevent the spread of this disease? >> probably the most important things that can be done or to make sure people are practicing good hygiene and live in a safe, clean water area. those are probably key issues. >> and how do they have access to that clean water? >> in many of the town, what we

are doing with the international community is making sure that all of the water supply in the camps is well flore rated. and they have buckets that are clean so they have an opportunity to treat their water at a household level with chlorine. >> more than 150 people have died from cholera. how confident are you that the situation can be contained and we will not see a rise in the people of dying here? >> it is difficult to confirm what we will see. we have seen an increase in the number of cases in the last 45 hours. -- 48 hours. we are trying to take every

preventive measure possible. there is strong impetus on good hygiene. these efforts are focused on preventing further spread. >> it may be impossible to former [unintelligible] it is dealing with israel and the gaza strip. >> the situation continues to remain very serious from a

humanitarian perspective. the blockade has bennie eased in some respects but has been maintained in other respects. it continues to put the population under great psychological and physical stress. >> a british submarine ran aground off scotland. it is the most sophisticated nuclear submarine for the u.k. here is the report from our correspondent. >> tonight after spending 10 hours stuck off an island, these people are finally set free. they are in safer waters after a rescue operation.

moste end, the navy's advanced submarine had to wait for nature. it had become stranded earlier this morning. it did not spot the dangers just offshore. >> the weather conditions were not good for the submarine. >> the navy said no one on board was injured. they said it is no threat to the environment. but the pride has been dented. months ago, we had exclusive access to seek their weapons. now there are plenty of red

faces. this could prove to be a costly mistake. >> they look at the council. [unintelligible] we will address to the investigation. >> they have been testing the summer before it went aground. it is known for its precision. its top speed is classified. but it can get to anywhere in the world within two weeks. it has torpedoes and missiles. has the range of three dozen nautical miles with its advanced sonar. -- 3000 nautical miles with its advanced sonar. there are possibilities of human

error. >> it looks like it is a navigational error. >> the ministry of defense says this is not a major incident. it is a major embarrassment. navy divers will assess the damage to this 1 billion pound boat before she returns to her base. it may be out of trouble now, but that may not be true for that sum on board. bbc news. >> the democratic party in the united states faces its baker electoral campaign -- its first big electoral campaign since barack obama became president.

here is the report from illinois. >> welcome to restore it -- wisteria lane in illinois. this is home to a place where a 10 million more women are set to vote than men. [unintelligible] it might be a wealthy neighborhood, but hard times have hit here. >> of what i spend. -- i watched what i spend. you never know what is going to happen tomorrow. >> the economy is their number- one concern. how many of you voted for barack obama? how many are you going to vote

for the democratic party? opinion polls suggest there are many more will -- women like them. these are the housewives here. women are more likely to turn out than men at the election. the president is doing all he can to reach the women, by hosting a series of backyard chats. >> we are looking at what has happened to women in the economy. >> the majority of women voted for his party in 2008. >> democrats were more appealing to them because of issues of education and with regards to the economy. >> it could be bad news for the democrats if these women turnout the polls in america.

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