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>> and now "bbc world news." >> almost 350 people die at a stampede at a festival in cambodia. the prime minister announces a day of mourning. the youngest son of suu kyi has been reunited with his mother for the first time in 10 years. hopes fade for 29 men trapped in a new zealand-as the rescue effort continues -- in a new zealand mine as the rescue effort continues. the prime minister agrees to a multi-billion euro the bailout, but rejects an immediate election. the battery powered car that has journeyed along the world's

longest road. welcome. almost 350 people have been killed in a stampede in cambodia during a festival of the capital of phnom penh. they gathered for one of the most important celebrations of the year, and something caused the crowd to panic and that became a campaign. as people tried to flee across the bridge, hundreds of people were trampled on or fell across the water. biggest party's has become the sacity's greatest tragedy. at the end of this water festival, the crowd panicked.

hundreds of people were crushed on the bridge linking the island to the city appeare. the limited rescue crews did what they could. many of the victims had been crushed by the weight of numbers on the bridge, but others have fallen or jump off in an attempt to escape. hundreds of thousands of people from all over cambodia have come to berdych fphnom penh for the r festival. they enjoyed letting off steam in the capital. this year, there will be little joy on their journey home. >> the youngest son of the burmese democrat suu kyi has been reunited with his mother for the first time in 10 years.

he last saw his mother 2001.eriin december, times during the last few weeks when he thought it would not happen at all. he was waiting in bangkok since the beginning of the month, hoping he would be granted a visa. he was denied permission to travel to burma in the past. he came here in advance of suu kyi's release. he missed it, because permission did not come through in time. finally, he has been greeted by his mother at the airport. >> during the house arrest, what contact with the outside world did she have? did she have access to phones to speak to her son? >> no, she didn't. no access to the internet or two phones. the first time she used a mobile phone was on the evening of her

release on november 13, when she spoke to her son in bangkok. she said by the time, the crowds were listening, but it felt very strange. she has been taken with mobile phones ever since. it is a useful tool, particularly for trying to get her message across in burma. she is embracing new technology, and if there is any way she can use it to keep in touch with family, she well. >> alexander is a little older than kim. any word on whether he will meet her or not? >> it may well be that he does is some stage, but he is in north america. we have not heard through suu kyi's people that there were plans for anyone else from the family to travel. there are grandchildren she has never met. it depends on how this visit goes, on how long the

authorities in burma tolerate that new freedom, how she uses that. when she has been released in the past, she has at some stage when sherrested becomes a challenge to them. but they are being very lenient. she has been allowed to go back in public. they granted this via. sa. it is being described as a very private visit, but there is almost nothing? isat suu kyi does that private. one of the high things on the agenda with the plans is for the two to go to the famous pagoda and pray together. >> in new zealand, were 29 miners are trapped underground, and emergency teams have reported a setback.

remote-controlled robot has failed to work. experts are warning that some of the 29 miners may have already died. a combination of rockfall and dangerous gas trapped the men on south island on friday. i am joined on the line by our correspondent who is in the town. in press conferences that the rescue mission has been holding, they are consistently optimistic that these men may still be alive. is there a sense that hopes are fading out? >> it is a four days after the gas explosion and the mood has become distinctly more downcast. setbacks in the rescue operation are another cause of great frustration for not only family members of the missing 29 at minors but those hundreds of people involved in the rescue mission itself.

the new zealand defense force or about that you mentioned was equipped with video cameras. it is broken it down inside the access tunnel. this is a drift mine, so it is carved into the sides of the mountain. the job of the robot was to go into an access tunnell to see what was there. but before, rescue teams could get in and start looking for the missing miners and work to drill an expected hole in the mine. a distinct sense that people are feeling quite downbeat. >> it is late afternoon in new zealand. we have not heard from the rescuers today in a press conference as yet, but what do know about what happens next in the rescue attempt? hole all hinigeges on this ewers are drilling.

this is 162 meters. within the last couple of hours, there were inching their way towards their goal. as they were getting 10 meters on that particular chains they had to change to a diamond tripped drill. what they do not want to do is a real straight through the chamber and cause sparks that would ignite the toxic gases. it stopped rescue teams from going earlier than today. it depends on the air samples and the quality of the air underground. >> thanks very much. in brief, the knesset has passed a bill setting conditions for any withdrawal from occupied territories.

it requires 2/3 majority in the knesset for any land in the golan heights or east jerusalem to be ceded it to the palestinians. the latest attack in the war on drugs and mexico has claimed the life of a former governor of the western state of. he was ambushed outside his home. police are still investigating the motive for his death. the european union's envoy to haiti says that elections must go ahead as planned despite the cholera epidemic. but the eu envoy said postponing the election could jeopardize political stability in haiti. now, the irish prime minister cowen has rejected demands from two main opposition parties for

an immediate general election following his government's request for a multi-billion euro bailout. the greens earlier called for an election in january. cowen said he would go to the country but only after next month's budget is approved. >> the irish crisis today reached breaking point. at the gates of ireland's parliament, public anger spilled over. this may have been a political stump, but there is genuine anger across the country as ireland has gone from boom to bust in just three years. ireland's need for a multi- billion euro rescue it has become more than the economic

crisis. the irish government is on the verge of collapse. the two-party coalition announced this afternoon that it is pulling out. >> we have reached a point where the irish people need political certainty to take them beyond the coming two months. so we believe it is time to fix a date for the general election in the second half of january 2011. >> rumors swept dublin that the prime minister would resign. tonight, he said he would not call an election until he was allowed to pass a new budget. he made it clear that he was still in charge. >> nobody has put me into anything. what i am simply saying is that we are focused on an issue of great national importance. i am saying that the biggest basis of confidence that the kit -- that can be given that at this time is to pass this budget. it is the context in which we

are having discussions to ensure we have funding. >> the irish government is still negotiating how much money it will need from the imf and the european union. ireland is set to receive a direct loan from the u.k., but in return, ireland has to produce a series of cost cutting budgets -- 15 billion euros must be saved by 2014. 20,000 public sector jobs are expected to be cut, taxes are suspected to rise, welfare payments will be reduced, and even the minimum wage is likely to go down. a general election is now inevitable. and according to the opinion polls, opinion of government -- a change of government is almost certain. whatever happens, the political crisis is likely to be resolved before its economic crisis.

that will take years rather than a monthmonths. >> your "bbc world news" watchin -- you are watching "bbc world news". the electric car that has completed a marathon. the battle for the ashes starts in present on thursday -- in brisbane. selection at rows have unsettled the team. >> in britain, they built the beach on the banks of river and what else to do their but play cricket, uniting two great australian obsessions? but it is something new about the way australia views the ashes. pessism. >> england would have to be a little bit ahead. if they are not, there is

something wrong. in australia, we are losing. >> right now australia is ranked fifth in cricket, almost unthinkable. there captain is a man that has learned to wear pressure like a glove. >> i have enjoyed every single moment of it, whether we have been winning games are not having success. being a captain of australia is a great job to have. it is what keeps you going and what keeps you motivated. >> well, australian cricket's problems run deeper than recent defeats. new research revealed statistic -- the television audience and australia has fallen by 24% in the last decade. young people are just not being engaged by the sport here anymore. >> there is too much cricket. it does not mean anything to the public. the corruption issue has had an

impact on the game. the game has been called into question. >> that is why the first test is so important. australia and cricket needs the ashes for the interest that can only be generated by a genuine contest. >> hello. this is "bbc world news". our headlines. almost 350 people had been killed and a stamp ede in cambodia. the homecoming. the youngest son of suu kyi has been reunited with his mother for the first time in 10 years. the international criminal court has been presented with its most -- a former vice president of

the democratic republic of congo has pleaded not guilty to war crimes. she faces charges for what the militia did in this central african republic. >> from the outset of this trial, the prosecutors are trying to show that his command responsibility was paramount and that he used rape as a weapon. the chief prosecutor told the court that unspeakable crimes had been committed by his forces when they entered the central african republic's eight years ago. >> troops stole from the poor people of one of the poorest countries in the world. the massive rapes were not just sexually motivated. they were crimes of domination

and humiliation directed against women but also directed against men with of sorting. >> he has been pleaded not guilty, but the prosecutor said a commander that allowed his troops to act this way, is more dangerous than a single rapist. soon after these events allegedly occurred, he became vice-president in his own country of congo. he later stood unsuccessfully for the presidency, but by 2008, he was in exile in brussels where he was arrested and handed over to the international criminal court. more than 700 victims are being allowed to take part in the trial.

and several hundred more have asked to do so. a legal representative for the victims said they were still traumatized, and this trial as a way to break the silence and give them a voice. >> the british government has failed in its illegal attempt -- its legal attempt to protect mi-5. earlier this month, it was ruled that the evidence should not be heard in secret. the family say it is a milestone for open just as. >> the first phase of the inquest is dealing with the day that london came under attack. in the future, the focus will switch to events in the month before. crucially, what the police and mi-5 iknew. knew. for the second time, their lawyers have tried and failed to

have intelligence evidence heard behind closed doors. some of the families were in court for the ruling pri . >> mi-5 says the law does not apply to them, so three of the judges of the country say they have to comply with the law. > the stress it's causing companies to come to a close. you've seen people crying and breaking down in court. there has to be in end to that. >> one of the big questions for these inquest is cooked 7/7/ attacks been prevented? of the four bombers, two were on mi-5's radar in 2004. at that time, he is secretly filmed targeting another man, a terrorist suspects. mi-5 -- or around this time, a

surveillance team to follow the unidentified pare back to west yorkshire. they established their car is registered to him and has an address. in march, 2004, mi-5 decide the two are not essential targets and not to pursue them. in july, 2005 khan please the first suicide bomb attacks in the u.k. -- leads the first suicide bomb attacks in the u.k. five years on, the intelligence community is questioned about the run-up to 7/7. mi-5 lawyers argued that national security could be compromised if the evidence was not heard in secret. in the coming days, the home office will have to decide whether to mount another legal challenge and appeal. >> let's get more now on that stampede in cambodia.

an australian was visiting friends and family it was around 30 meters from the bridge when the chaos star. he joins us on the line from phnom penh. when did you first noticed something was wrong? >> when we had the screaming -- we heard the screaming. >> and what was it in your view that cause people to panic? >> what we thought -- the crowd was pushing towards -- you get people from one end of the bridge to the other end of the bridge. the next thing you knew, they were collapsing. and they pushed towards the bridge. >> we were hearing reports that

perhaps some of the victims were electrocuted. what do know about that? >> yes. i believe the or regional paddock was started by one person electrocuted a -- the original panic was started by one person electrocuted. and that cost the panic all the way through -- caused the panic all the way through. >> how has the emergency reservists this response been? with a quick to get to the scene? >> a very quick. police and military services, the response was three minutes. they were very quick. an ambulance within it three to four minutes turned up to give assistance. >> this must've been a hugely dramatic to witness. >> it was.

we did not realize what was happening. then you saw people jumping off the bridge and the bridge collapsing. to i see it's quite a shock the system. >> shawn from cambodia. thank you for your time. let's move on now. qantas says it will return two o in380's to s a service within two weeks. they grounded the plane after an engine disintegrated on a super jumbo carrying 466 passengers over indonesia. taiwanese tai kwan do athlete

was greeted by hundreds of fans after she was disqualified. she was banned after using a special shoes. it has been driven along the world's longest road through 14 countries. an electric car developed by a london university has gone on display in buenos aires. >> completing the final leg of its journey, this tiny sports car has traveled 26,000 kilometers across the americas, and he has not used a drop of petrol. the car started its journey in fairbanks, alaska. from there, a group of university students took turns

to drive it down the pan american highway. four months on, the electric car has now arrived in argentina. >> one of the toughest moments was driving in the rain in central guatemala, laete at night. it's an open top car. lots of water was coming in. it was an electric car. you do not think it is the most sensible thing to do. but the car madae it through eight hours in rain. >> it can reach 200 kilometers per hour. it has been attracting a lot of attention. the aim is to produce awareness for alternative energy. >> electric cars can be part of a more sustainable future. secondly, education. we want to show the young people that we need engineering and

science of the future. >> 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 offers unique insight and expertise in a

range of industries. 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. >> check, one, two.