>> this is "bbc world news." 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 financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news."

>> the u.s. investigation into the gulf of mexico oil spill says a series of risky decisions caused the disaster. power shift in washington as republicans take control of the house of representatives. they promise to cut government spending. heightened tensions in lahore. dozens attempthousands attend te funeral of the assassinated governor. later, remaining defiant. the disputed election. a remarkable escape for workers at a chemical factory in the netherlands as they battled a massive blaze.

the commission set up by president obama to examine the oil spill in the gulf of mexico last year has blamed the disaster on systemic failures of management and warned a similar accident could happen in the future. bp and its business partners made a series of decisions that reduced costs and increased the risk of an explosion. our washington correspondent told me how bp has reacted to the report. >> bp says it worked all along with the commission and cooperated with the inquiry throughout. it said the findings of the inquiry supports bp's internal investigation and the conclusion they were not the only ones to blame. there were a number of other companies involved in this and failures were made on parts of

all those companies. >> what is the main thrust of this report's findings? >> it has been critical of all the companies involved. i have a copy here. most of the mistakes and oversights at a ricondo can be traced back to single overarching failure, a failure of management. -- at makondo can be traced back to simple overarching failure, failure of management. decisions were not made between the various companies operating on the rig. the report found on a number of occasions, more riskier techniques were employed in drilling the well, techniques it was deemed would save time or money rather than safer alternatives which might cost more and take longer. >> can we expect thfurther legal

challenges following this report? >> this report stands on its own as a historical account of what happened. the change in the legal consequences are underway. we have seen as civil action taken by the attorney general in the u.s. against a number of the company's, attempting to sue them for billions of dollars. there is the potential of criminal charges. a number of the political changes have been put in place. the minerals management service has been rebranded, there have been a number of tough regulations for deepwater drilling. this report is a backup document which indicates a number of decisions which have been taken. >> as far as reports and inquiries are concerned, will this put a line under this

episode? >> what many are waiting for, no doubt a number of senior executives in the companies concerned are waiting exact -- the grisly to see of their criminal charges against them. -- waiting to see if there are criminal charges against them. 11 people died when the deepwater horizon rig exploded. you have the potential for severe criminal penalties. it remains to be seen if that will happen. looking at the airport that we have, it suggests that thougeres blamed and a number of parties were involved in the mistakes. >> a new congress has been convened in washington with the house of representatives under control of the republican party. the democrats lost power in the

lower house in midterm elections and saw their majority reduced in the upper house, the senate. the new speaker is republican, john boehner. this report from our north american editor. >> the republicans are the masters now. of one part of congress at any rate. president obama will find it almost impossible to turn his plans into laws. the hard politics were softened by a day of ceremony and children who witnessed and their parents triumph -- their parents' triumph. he is known for the ease of which he weeps. he did not disappoint. >> the gavel of choices for -- choice is for speaker bannoehne.

>> no longer can we kick the can down the road. the people voted to end business as usual. we began to carry on their instructions. >> those instructions include repealing obama's major achievement, health care. that will be blocked by the senate. introducing spending cuts and holding hearings into the conduct of what they branded a corrupt administration. >> ehud tea party supporters are as fumble and as this protester outside but many will echo his message, we're watching you as he reminds politicians of the size of the national debt. political spin is something the new members will have to learn.

this man owns a pizza restaurant but is propelled by the tea party. members want to change america's direction. austerity is coming. >> my mission is to ensure that congress lives like every family in america, on a budget. >> spokesman robert gibbs is leaving. there will be pious talk about working together for the sake of the american people but the president and they are poles apart. the stage is set for a battle royal and game that will be important for the presidential election. >> one person has been injured in an attack on the french embassy in the malaysian capital. a man threw an explosive device and shot at the embassy, causing structural damage. security guards said one man has

been detained. the motive for the attack is not clear. water levels in the australian state of queensland appeared to have peaked. lower levels than feared. they say it is too early to say the worst is over. the task force has been meeting recovery efforts. the bill could be $5 billion australian. his army fought u.s. troops and his followers have seven ministers in the iraqi camp -- cabinet. a turkish man tried to force his way into the cup cockpit -- into

the cockpit saying he had a bomb. huge crowds have turned out in pakistan for the stiffener funeral of the governor -- for the funeral of the governor of punjab province. the murder piles uncertainty on the instability in pakistan. days since the government lost its majority. >> thousands came to bid farewell to the liberal governor who dared to challenge extremists and paid with the life -- his life. there were full military honors for salman taseer but some called for a boycott of the burial and praised his killer. the self confessed assassin was greeted with cheers outside court today. malik mumtaz hussein qadri, an

elite bodyguard supposed to protect the governor shot him 27 times. his supporters chanting, you did the right thing. salman taseer became a target when he called for the release of a christian woman sentenced to death under pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws. on the streets of the capitol today, we found some who said the governor deserve to die. -- deserved to die. this man says he would have killed him himself if he had the chance. the assassination has left liberals in pakistan feeling more isolated. the fear is that moderates will be silenced. >> everybody who was in the public space in pakistan is going to speak with a little more hesitation in the

aftermath of the assassination. people are fearing for their lives and afraid for their families, people are afraid for this country. most of all, people are afraid for the future. >> somewhere raising their voices today. -- some were raising their voices today. they gathered at the spot where the governor was killed, honoring his memory and courage. the mood here is defiant. people are vowing to fight on. liberals in pakistan have been reminded just how vulnerable they are. some say the assassination as proof of a growing extremism. they're worried not just for pakistan but for the west. there is a battle here, a fight for the future of the nation in crisis. the brutal killing of salman taseer has exposed deep divisions and heightened fears about where pakistan is heading.

>> the royal wedding. more details released abouto the abbey and the party at the palace. police in the english city of bristol have been investigating the murder of joan yates. the detective said he is keeping an open mind about whether she was strangled with the sock that is missing. police say they have received more than 200 calls since they made a fresh appeal for help on monday. the british prime minister david cameron said u.k. controllers are not perfect and he has given an indication it will be replaced. he made the comments earlier.

>> we need to have a system that keeps the country safe but respects our freedoms. nick clegg and i are working to bring this about. the controller system is not perfect. everyone knows that. there have been people who absconded and it has not been a success. we need a proper replacement. i do not look at this as a victory. this coalition is about to parties coming together and try to do the right thing for the country. trying to do the right thing for the security of our country and the civil liberties of our country. i am sure the agreement we will reach will cover those issues. >> an award winning person the credit for -- decorated for bravery has been jailed. he was convicted in one of britain's biggest police operations. they were since -- sentenced to

200 years in jail all together. the action is the subject of litigation brought four years ago. one of a number of people who are taking legal action. this is "bbc news." here are the headlines. the u.s. presidential commission that investigated the massive oil spill said it was caused by risky decisions in that saving time and money. the first session of the u.s. congress is open. the republican party says it will seek to deemphasized the government and its spending. the un's top food economist is sounding the alarm as global prices set new records.

some prices are higher than in 2008 when there were riots. spiraling costs of cotton and oil are pushing up costs from the world. we report on the global crisis in the making. >> food supply and demand is a truly global issue. in queensland, crop damage affect prices on world markets. pakistan's floods have caused a huge losses of crops according to the government. all that as russia continues an export ban after he waived damaged harvests. food prices are a problem again. in official circles, alarm bells are ringing. >> we have left ourselves with little to offer. we need to expect more volatile situation in the future. we do not have enough reserves,

some fear. any bad news will have more than normal impact. >> the index rose rapidly for two years, after 2008, provoking food riots in many parts of the developing world. during the recession, the index fell back and pick up a bit before stabilizing in the middle of last year. since last august, it surged back end is where it was in 2008, at a record high. over five months, wheat was up in sugar prices have risen by more than 6%. another commodity, cotton, is up by 15%. there is oil. prices are in a danger zone after steady rises according to one industry expert. it adds up to a big squeeze on consumers in leading economies. >> higher prices will sap world consumer and come everywhere.

and i think that could certainly have a significant effect, particularly in the rich world where growth is fragile. >> the price of rice is more stable. one reason why food protests have not been repeated. with demand as strong as ever, the stakes are high for economies rich and poor. >> the un peacekeeping chief has said he plans to ask the security council to authorize up to 2000 more troops for every coast. he said these were needed to protect the headquarters of the internationally recognized winner of the country's presidential election, alassane ouattara, who remains in a hotel. his rival, laurent gbagbo, is refusing to step down. andrew harding reports. >> an empty road as we head

towards the besieged hotel. we're hoping to reach the man the world says is the rightful president of ivory coast. we have to get through that stage. where stopped by forces loyal to laurent gbagbo, the man refusing to give up the presidency. we are ordered out and they say, we will finish you. you'll never leave. that was an unpleasant scene. we were taken from the car and threatened with execution by laurent gbagbo's troops. we have made it by road to the besieged hotel. acer real calm -- a surreal calm in the middle of the storm. we're not allowed to film the troops guarding the hotel.

a lobby and a cabinet and president in waiting. they want this standoff resolved. >> i think laurent gbagbo has never been -- he has never been up to his commitments. he wants to gain time to bring in arms, munitions, and mercenaries. he wants to continue to stay in office. >> this will end in a war. >> it will not. it will be one -- this does not mean civil war. laurent gbagbo has mercenaries, militias, and a few young people he has organized. if they take him away kamal this will cease. but will it? across town, a rally for supporters of laurent gbagbo

and a show of force. if foreigners invade, he says, they will see how strong we are. and a subtle threat from this man. if they attack this from abroad, we will deal with the foreigners living here. not a hint of compromise in a country drifting toward a violent showdown. >> bodyguards had to step in to protect the rise -- israeli prime minister. heckling forced him to stop the speech honoring those killed in a fire. angry relatives of more than 40 people killed shouted he should be held responsible for the with the disaster was handled. then as well as national assembly has convened a correct this -- at caracas.

chavez is allowed to pass some laws without the backing of lawmakers. dozens of birds have fallen in sweden. the causes and clear -- cause is unclear. more details have been announced about the wedding of prince william and kate middleton. there will be married by the archbishop of canterbury. kate middleton will arrive by car. this report contains some flash photography. they are determined to keep control of the arrangements of their marriage. william in particular is anxious it should not be seen as a rerun of the wedding of his mother and father. while lady diana spencer went to her wedding in 1981 in a coach

which traverse central london to st. paul's cathedral, kate middleton will travel to her wedding by car, almost certainly from clarence house, a comparatively short distance to westminster abbey. william knows the abbey well. in the uniform that he was expected to wear to his wedding for service commemorating the battle of britain. one to get to the high altar, it is a surprisingly small and intimate area. it was here more than 63 years ago that williams grandparents, princess elizabeth and the duke of edinburgh were married. the wedding took place at a time when people were suffering economic hardship soon after the second world war. william and kate are said to be mindful of current economic difficulties but aware that millions around the world are expecting a show.

>> it is a television occasion. we're presenting to this -- this to the world. he is the heir to the throne and i am sure it will be celebrated in do style. >> after the service, they will board a horse-drawn carriage at westminster abbey for the procession back to buckingham palace. the rich will take them across parliament square come up whitehall, and along the mall. then, a wedding buffet and history will repeat itself. just as his grandparents did in 1947, and as his parents did in summer of 1981, the wedding will be sealed with this, an appearance on the palace balcony. for all the memories, this will couple are determined to make their day and to do it their way. -- royal couple are determined to make their day and with their

way. >> fire at a chemical plant sent out a thick plume of smoke. people in the southern district have been warned to keep their windows and doors shut for fears of the smoke -- that the smoke may be toxic. >> on a crisp winter's day in the southern netherlands, the blue sky and even the sun were choked by thick smoke. the cloud came from a blaze that started here in a chemical factory. with fire raging from a site stocked with thousands of liters of carcinogenic material, firefighters feared the worst. >> it is possible that toxic substances are being released into the air. concentrations are not yet known. >> as night fell, the explosive fury of the flames became clear. there are reports it led to -- the flames leapt to as high as

40 meters. all the staff escaped unharmed. as the flames were bought in -- brought in to control, the emphasis was the smoke which was blown into a nearby city. residents were warned to stay inside and shut their doors and windows. local authorities say the smoke is not toxic. such a serious fire at a sensitive industrial site will pose awkward questions. the dutch safety board has begun to investigate how it started. >> our main point again. the u.s. presidential commission that investigated last year's oil spill in the gulf of mexico says the disaster was caused by a risky decision -- by risky decisions. bp said it was working with regulators to ensure lessons were learned from this bill -- the spill and will lead to improvements. thanks for being with us. i am alastair yates.

>> 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 expertise to work for a

wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.