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what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> hundreds dead or missing after a tsunami in indonesia. indonesia's's most active volcano erupts forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands. another protest on the war on drugs in mexico. police and fire on supporters. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcasting to our viewers on pbs. republicans and democrats the battle ahead of the midterm elections. it is too close to call in many areas. thailand's economy increases banks to investment and a booming car industry.

-- thanks to investment and a booming car industry. more than 100 people have been killed in a tsunami in indonesia and hundreds more are missing. the giant wave was triggered by an earthquake which struck off the coast of sumatra. at least 25 people died in central java when the most volatile volcano erupted. >> in a village choked with a volcanic ash, a desperate search for survivors. amid what looks like a moonscape all too often they found bodies. it is thought that as many 5 -- as many as 5000 people lived in the area. on tuesday, the most active volcano in indonesia rained hot ash on the communities here.

experts warned that an eruption was imminent. some were badly burnt. ash covered everything in sight. hospitals were soon flooded with casualties while the more lucky fled to safety. this part of java is used to volcanic eruptions but the huge quantity of cash being released has cut off roads and hampered rescue efforts. it just hours before a separate disaster struck a remote group of islands, an earthquake measuring 7.7 hit on monday night. people here -- the human cost is only just now emerging. this shows the aftermath not just of the quake but the tsunami is created. more than one that people have been killed, and tire the

villages swept away. it is likely to be bad news as more news comes in. >> joining us on the line from sinatra is the founder and medical director of -- aid and international. bring us an update. >> good morning. we have just had news. we had staff in the villages. the big concern that we had was the southernmost villages a closer to the epicenter are the most remote. we are the first people to get votes down there. the situation is very dire.

over 100 dead and hundreds missing. >> what will they be needing first? >> well, this is our first emergency response. what we need is to get the injured out, get food and shelter. we have seen many issues. they are very resilient people. they need to building blocks and hygiene kept. those are the things that we need. >> this comes on top of the fact that the volcano has erupted on chopped up. this whole area of indonesia suffers greatly, doesn't it? -- this comes on top of the fact

that the volcano erupted in jav a. >> this is not the big earthquake that is going to happen. this is five years overdue. we have a big rehabilitation program. we just don't have the funds to help right now. >> many thanks for being with us. our correspondent in jakarta and gave us more details a little earlier. >> this is quite a bit. othis destroyed many places but not where i am now.

this is about one and a half centimeters thick, the ashes. all of the houses, all of the trees. everything looked white. >> thousands of people are still being evacuated from their homes. is that right? >> that is correct. actually, around more than 10,000 people have been evacuated from the villages. they have been evacuated about three days ago and they are in rescue camps. they are away down from where i am now.

some people do not like to go away from their homes and they died at yesterday from the hot ashes. we found 15 dead bodies last night. today, the team went in to look for those people who died. there's probably more than 50 people who have died up theire. >> we can bring in our correspondent in jakarta, she gave me more details. >> we have been speaking with the national disaster agency and they have been telling us that

they are still looking for hundreds of people who are missing from villages after the powerful wave hit the area late monday. seeing thought that at least 10 villages have been washed away by the enormous waste. -- it is thought that at least 10 villages have been wiped away. it is difficult to get a rescue teams to this area. all yesterday, there was heavy rains. we were told by one official that helicopters tried to land in one of the worst affected areas. boats could not get to the area either. we are expecting the vice- president, the health minister, and the military to rise in this region with more details of the rescue efforts. >> where you are on the island of java, the volcano that

erupted. thousands of people have been evacuated. >> yes, thousands are still being moved away but in the last few minutes we have been speaking with the government experts to say that at the moment the volcano activity appears to have subsided somewhat. however, he is basing this on the recordings he is taking from around the volcano. he said there is not as much hot ash as there was on tuesday but he says to expect more hot-soon. the immediate challenge for authorities in the area is to move people less quickly as possible away from the volcano. -- as quickly as possible away from the volcano. they were warned earlier in the week that they should make their way down the mountain.

many people refuse because they did not want to leave their homes and farms unattended. this is proving to be a difficult logistical procedure. >> the entire police force in a town in mexico has resigned after their headquarters came under attack. all 14 officers quit a day after their police station was surrounded by 30 men firing long-range weapons. officers said that they were afraid to fall victims to drug cartels who are more numerous and better armed than them. the mexican president says that the government struggled to stop the drug violence will continue. 30,000 deaths have been blamed on organized crime since calderon came to power. he is determined to bring an end

to the drug wars. >> this will not be easy or fast and it will be painful but we will prevail. we will defeat the criminals. the point is that today we are have a battle between one organization fighting another. the weaker cartels are acting with extreme violence and desperation. we need to prevail and we need to go forward again. >> it makes me wonder even more why there is such an organized crime in your country. in the end, this problem will continue as long as mexicans do not belief in the integrity of the state. as long as they believe that the state is corrupt.

>> the problem will be there as long as the americans are the largest consumer of drugs in the world. the problems have started there. >> american demand is the only reason. >> with the problem is there. mainly the problem of organized crime. we are dealing with the largest consumer of drugs in the world and everyone would like to sell drugs through my window and door. >> sounds like you're trying to blame the americans. >> they have a responsibility. i am not blaming them for everything but of course they have a clear responsibility. they are providing the market for these drugs criminals. they're providing the weapons. they need to do a lot more in

terms of reducing consumption of drugs and to stop the flow of weapons to mexico. >> that was my colleagues speaking to the president of mexico. have been first in california to reject the legalization of marijuana. -- voters have been urging california to reject the legalization of marijuana. the californians are soon to vote on a proposition that would allow recreational drug use. republicans and democrats battle, the vote ahead of next week's midterm elections in the u.s.. the french senate has given its final approval to raise the retirement age in france to 62.

this followed weeks of protests and strikes. >> another day, another protest. students and workers demonstrate outside of the senate in paris. the numbers are weighed down, only a few hundred turned out. other student protests organized around the country were even more sparsely attended. the government is increasingly confident that it has weathered the worst of the opposition over its pension reform. more than one in five filling stations are out of supplies. five out of 12 refineries are not functioning and all fuel deopts cleared of pickets -- depots cleared of pickets.

the strikers are going back to work. the pension bill received its final vote on tuesday and on wednesday it will be in the lower house in the national assembly. on thursday, there is another big day of demonstrations just like the previous ones planned across france. this might drop out large numbers. even if it does, organizers know the battle is now all but lost. their defiance has been bold but ineffective. >> be any -- the head of the general commission has concluded on sunday. this has been delayed repeatedly by a lack of preparation and street clashes between rival political groups in guinea.

bbc news headlines once again for you. at least 100 people were killed in indonesia after violence west of sumatra. tens of thousands have been evacuated from central java after the most active volcano erupted. the mexican president vows to win the war against drug traffickers despite the resignation of an entire police force resigning in one town. the man who was the international face of the saddam hussein's regime has been sentenced to death. he was found guilty of persecuting the country's shia population. tariq aziz described this as a disgrace and an act of revenge by the current leaders. >> the moment tariq aziz thought

might never happen, the sentence, death by hanging for mass murder and crimes against humanity. he said recently that he thought he would die in jail. that is now in question. tariq aziz was associated with the bath party and saddam is saying from the very early days of the 1950's. he rose rapidly to ministerial rank. he was a member of the top leadership including the revolutionary command council. as foreign minister and later as deputy prime minister, he established himself as the face of iraq to the outside world forcefully arguing the case of baghdad. after saddam hussein himself, he was the most recognized iraqi figure to the outside world. it was his voice that tried to

stop the invasion in 2003. his face was on one of the famous deck of cards given out by the americans. they rank him number 43 in the week of power. shortly after the invasion, tariq aziz handed himself over to the americans. he faced a series of trials. the first two brought him only prison sentences but now he could follow his leader by paying the supreme price by his involvement in the regime. in iraq, tariq aziz's image is not unlike that that he gave to the outside world, a sophisticated man rather than a brutal killer. everyone knew he was a politician and had nothing to do with security. whether he should have been condemned, that is a legal issue and i don't know. >> he is part of the machine. he was a key figure in the

saddam hussein regime. he contributed to the policies that resulted in the death of so many iraqis. >> they are divided about his culpability but he did not attract the kind of hatred that saddam hussein and his inner circle did. if he goes to the gallows, not many people will be celebrating in the streets. >> attackers armed with machetes have killed people in nigeria. sectarian violence has killed at least 500 people there. the area is in the middle belt. the u.n. secretary-general has urged the ruling military of burma to release political prisoners ahead of -- the leaders still have time to improve the credibility in the polls on november 7th.

police and bolivia have molested a woman who attempted to send money to france -- arrested a woman who is attentive to send a -- attempted to send a mummy to france. with just one week to go until american voters give their verdict on the barack obama presidency in the u.s. midterm elections, many of the races are too close to call. bill clinton has been campaigning in illinois. he will be joined by president obama to rally democratic voters. >> call 8 capital casino, this is washington's favorite game. anyone who is anyone in politics is playing let's guess how many seats republicans will win in the midterm. it is thought that they could

pick up anywhere from as low as 35 to as many as 60 in the house. anywhere from 7 to 10 seats in the senate. this gives the president a very big job to do. >> if everyone who voted in 2008 votes in 2010, we are confident we will win this election. >> obama is the campaigner in chief this week crisscrossing the country from virginia to connecticut to illinois to pennsylvania and to ohio. it looks strange to like 2008 with obama trying to hit as many races as he can even if he is not always wanted. in rhode island where obama failed to endorse the nominee for governor, he was not welcome in response. >> i said this process is not something i am concerned about. he can take the enforcement and shove it. >> candidates ran jack conway

through personal barbs. >> you sit there and you support his policies. >> this is a disaster. >> outside, a republican supporter stomped on the head of a volunteer. thank god there's only one week left to go. >> thailand is growing at a double-digit pace. >> why asia? why and how? it is better known for their beaches. economically, tourism is well down the list. it is cars that are making

thailand rich. manufacturing is speeding up their growth. this industrial hub is dubbed the detroit of the east. ford is spending five flooded million pounds here creating tens of thousands of jobs to supply a rapidly growing market. >> asia is for the vast majority of the growth is taking place. 70% of our company's growth worldwide will need to take place in asia over the next 8 years. >> the asian economic crisis began here in the late 1990's but this helps them to write the recent recession more smoothly. >> experts -- exports are keeping the global economy afloat. without this, this is not that

much worse. >> they need to get there on consumers' purchasing more as well. >> so far, we have all pursued an expert-oriented strategy. there would be a rebalancing that would take effect as the level of income increases. we will become consumers as well. i think that must be positive. >> there is money here. currencies are strong. thailand has been interested in purchasing british companies. there is a steel plant and other businesses that have been snapped up within six months. british investors are rushing to get a good return. >> within asia, growth is exponentially greater. this is a market that is relatively untouched and very

attractive to the western companies. we see long-term growth in asia. >> so does everyone else. they are powering ever on boards. >> the famous world cup octopus has died. he became an unlikely hero at the tournament in south africa after correctly protecting the winners of all of germany's mattress -- matches. he passed away during the night. his death is not entirely unexpected. they only live for a couple of years. rescue teams in indonesia are looking for survivors. there was a tsunami that last 130 dead. villages on the slopes of a

volcano are still being evacuated. that is our 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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