>> 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." >> hamas and fight said strike a deal for an interim government. -- fatah strike a deal for an interim government. members of the syrian governing party resigned over treatment of protesters. barack obama produces his birth certificate after skeptics question his right to be president. welcome to "bbc," world news. the governor of the condo hard jail is arrested after the escape both 500 prisoners. -- the governor of a jail in afghanistan is arrested after the escape of 500 prisoners.

after years of fighting each other, hamas and fatah seem to put their differences aside. they have an agreement which paves the way for an interim government. israel has dismissed the agreement saying that the palestinian president must choose between peace with hamas and peace with israel. >> in gaza, cause for celebration. palestinians who have been crying out for political unity finally get a breakthrough. the deal between fatah and hamas was announced in cairo mediated by egypt. >> today, we are celebrating this historic moment to tell the people everywhere the good news.

those in the occupied territories and those abroad. we have and did a painful decade of division between the palestinian people. -- we have ended a painful decade. >> now we have our national unity, our strongest weapon against occupation. >> the palestinians will be cautious. will this deal work? the split between hamas and fatah has been bitter and sometimes violent. it started after hamas one palestinian elections in 2006. a year later, foot tall was forced from gaza and was left to run the west bank. -- fatah was forced from gaza. they have agreed to an interim government made up of independent politicians.

hamas will continue to operate in gaza with up fatah forces operating in the west bank. then there is israel, who does not want this to happen. >> the palestinian authority must choose between peace with israel and peace with hamas. peace with both is impossible because of the goal of hamas which is to destroy israel. >> where this leaves an already stalled peace process is not clear. the united states and european union also regard hamas as a terrorist organization. will they continue to give millions of dollars of aid to the palestinian authority if that hamas has a say in how it is spent? this is a breakthrough. there remains many obstacles to overcome. >> our correspondent in jerusalem said the agreement might be a significant moment for the peace process.

>> this is a surprising and significant development because for the past four years these factions have been at each other's throats. this has been a violent and poisonous relationship. hamas is in charge of largely gaza. they have been at each other's throats. that is why the goal of a palestinian state has been far away. if there is unity among palestinians, that would be welcomed by most palestinians in the west bank and in gaza. it is a different question for the israeli government. they have responded by saying that they cannot sit down and talk to the palestinian organization. they consider hamas a terrorist organization. this could be a very significant moment. >> a spokesperson for the

israeli government has been speaking to the bbc. does it israel prefer the palestinians to be weakened so that they can impose their own solution on the peace process? >> not at all. we would prefer to see a peace process moving in. we would like to start negotiations on all of the core issues. we want a peace deal. we want a partner that we can work with. today's decision by the palestinian government to choose hamas, a party that is supposed to peace and reconciliation raises very serious questions about what they want. ultimately, peace requires both sides to make tough choices. ps requires both sides to confront historic narrative's. -- ps requires both sides - - peace requires both sides to

confront a historical narratives. >> the israeli spokesperson. more than 200 members of the governing party have resigned over the crackdown on demonstrators in syria. the u.n. security council in new york has failed to produce a statement condemning the violence of the government. the u.s. ambassador told the meeting that is the syrian president must and the repression -- the u.s. ambassador told the meeting that the syrian president must stop the repression. >> they must of the violence against their own people. my government calls on president assad to change course now and heed the calls of his own people. we also call upon the international community to respond to this brutal

crackdown and to hold accountable those who are perpetrating these human rights violations. the united states is expressing its position to the syrian government and we are considering a range of options including targeted sanctions to respond to the outrageous and ongoing use of violence against peaceful protesters. >> the syrian ambassador criticized the security council meeting. he said outside interference in this country was unwelcome. >> out of this mess they wanted to create on syria, they did not get anything. this is thanks to the understanding expressed by the majority of the wise people in the council. my government is interested in continuing the process of reforms according to the wish of our own people. this process of reforms emanates

from domestic national necessities. this is not and it will not be dictated to us from outside. >> our correspondent is at the u.n. headquarters and she has been following the response of the security council to the unrest and syria. >> we knew there was quite a lot of hesitation already. the security council has not responded very much at all to the revolt in the arab world. libya was quite an exception. we knew there was council members opposed. there was a call from the arab world for some kind of intervention. there has been growing uneasiness about the intervention from some council members, especially russia who says that the nato forces are overstepping their u.n. mandate.

they did not want the security council to get involved at all. the russian ambassador spells set out quite clearly. this is not considered to be a threat to international peace and security. outside force would cause regional instability and perhaps encourage more violence and perhaps a civil war. he was very strong. we know that other council members were hesitant including china and lebanon. the security council has shown that they are not willing or able to act on syria as it did on libya. >> let's talk about libya. how much do you think the disagreement in the council today was due to what has happened in libya and what has happened in libya? >> i think that's that colored it, especially for the russian. they said several times that they felt that nato was overstepping the u.n. mandate to

protect civilians and they were going beyond that in terms of attacking targets associated with colonel gaddafi. the feelings of the russian and chinese are that the ultimate outcome will be some kind of regime change. i think it made them more reluctant to support any kind of council intervention or even statement on the other arab revolts. >> in libya, the u.n. investigators say they have uncovered evidence of human rights violations. they have no conclusions about who was responsible. they're looking into allegations against government troops. they visited the east of the country, then they arrived at the capital of tripoli. our correspondent was taken to the town of -- by officials of colonel gaddafi's government. >> this is the second place we

have been brought to. we are about 30 kilometers outside of the capital. people are training to use kalashnikov weapons. many of the many here have been shown how to use it. of course, we have been put here to see a public display. you have people with flags and weapons. they have been chanting. we have seen people in traditional garments as well. what they are chanting is "al;l -- allah, libya, gaddafi." this is propaganda from the government. if you talk to people here away from the guns and the flax, there is a sense about people

being afraid of the nato bombing. there was an air strike about four kilometers away from here. they are afraid of the rebels. they will tell you that it is al qaeda. they are afraid of the islamic extremism. that does not matter if it is true or not. that is what they are told and that is what they believe. what you did is a heartfelt sense that people are afraid of what is happening in the country. >> in yemen, reports suggest that these five anti-government protesters and others wounded in the capital after security forces opened fire on demonstrators. the protesters have been calling for the president to step down at the more than 30 years in office. clock's running for their lives, protestors -- >> running for their lives, protesters taking cover after security forces open fire.

some were rushed to the hospital. some are still defiant. they have been calling for the president's departure for more than two months. >> we were marching peacefully and they fired at us with bullets. five or six of our friends fell beside me. >> the protests have spread to many parts of yemen. this is in the south of the country. the violence shows no signs of stopping. the president has agreed to an international proposal to step down in one month and return it -- in return for immunity from prosecution. more bloody days lie ahead unless the stalemate is resolved soon. >> this is "bbc news," still to come, all of the queen's horses and men have been put through their paces before the royal wedding on friday.

official figures show that the u.k.'s economy grew in the first three months of the year bouncing back from an unexpected fall at the end of last year. >> the gray days of winter saw the economy falling back. since then, because a spring have arrived. growth has returned again with 8.5% increase between january and march. what does that mean in the real world? -- growth has returned again with .5% increase. the economy was bouncing back strongly but in the final three months of last year it took a strong dip because of the whether. it has picked back up again. roughly speaking, this is only back to word was six months ago. >> this is clearly a success. >> the prime minister and labor leader came up with different

interpretations of what was going on. >> the figures show the economy growing in the first quarter of the year. they show manufacturing outcome exports up, we have 400,000 more people in work then we had a year ago. >> what a terrible complaint from the prime minister. what did he tell us? we were out of the danger zone. since then, there has been no increase at all in the british economy. >> some are doing well. >> other areas held back the rest of the economy, construction output fell by 4.7%. what about the crucial service center? this group by 0.9%. plenty of uncertainty over the future or the economy was moving forward earlier this year, this was not anywhere near top speed.

>> this is "bbc news," hamas and fatah paved the way for a deal in the palestinian territories. members of the ruling party in syria have resigned over the crackdown on protesters. the japanese government says that the government's factory output has plunged by more than 50% in march. the result is much worse than previously forecast. the disasters have crippled production in factories as well as the supply chain to major manufacturers. production would recover gradually and forecast improvements. the chairman of the united states federal reserve has called on the country's politicians to take action to cut the deficit in the government's finances.

he described the deficit as most important long-term economic problems faced by the u.s. president obama has attempted to lay to rest claims he was not born there. the president says the release of his full birth certificate and he told a news conference that he was amused by suggestions that he was not eligible to be the president's. to be the president. >> you could not doubt his cuteness, but some people doubt whether he was born in the u.s.. his supporters have pressed this off as a natty muttering from the and french. -- from the fringe. >> we have had every official in hawaii, a democrat and

republican, every news outlet that has investigated this confirmed that yes in fact i was born in hawaii, august 4th, 1961. >> one man has pushed this from the edge of politics to the mainstream. >> if he has a per certificate, he could release it. >> donald trump, previously best known for his wives and where, is not only the star of "the apprentice," but also a candidate for president. now, 40% of americans questioned whether obama was born in america. they mate this public during the campaign, a certificate of live births. -- they made this public during the campaign. donald trump says that it is his triumph. >> today, i'm very proud of myself because i've accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish.

>> president obama was not doing this for the republicans, donald trump, or the political establishment, but for main street america. >> many thanks this is overdue. >> this should have been done prior to him being elected. i hope that he was born in the u.s. >> i'm glad he let everyone know what was going on. i don't think that it should have even been brought out. we are adding new that he was from hawaii. >> some argue that the claim he was not born here his thinly disguised racism. he just wants to have people hear his message. >> we don't have time for this kind of silliness. we have better stuff to do. i have better stuff to do. >> the president is fund raising for the election still more than

a year away. this is about clearing the decks before the campaign begins in earnest. >> powerful storms have killed at least 25 people over the past 24 hours in alabama. this brings the total number of those killed 244. this has brought days of heavy rain and tornadoes, knocking out roads, washing out power lines. the defense minister in ivory coast said that a military leader that helped the president has been killed. he died during fighting with his former allies. we have learned that the jail from which nearly 500 taliban prisoners escaped might be largely under taliban control. the governor and five senior

staff have been arrested including the head of security have been arrested. >> and they may have had to dig their way inside but this was a prison already under taliban control. insurgents were given keys to the cells. the prison staff sold phones to the men that they were guarding. this made a state easier. the government officials see this as a total breakdown in security both inside and outside the prison. the home from which the tunnel was dog was searched before the escape was made. -- was dug was searched before the escape was made. the insurgents might have used a map to pinpoint where to dig. this was an inside job, says the government. >> it appears that there was

collaboration and people inside the prison because this is not imaginable to think that 488 people within four hours can escape. "the warden who once ran this prison, and his senior staff, have been arrested. the search goes on for the men who broke out. so far, only 70 have been caught. hundreds more are still on the loose, ready to fight again for the taliban. >> and prince william and his bride to be, kate middleton, have been to westminster abbey for a final ceremony -- for a final rehearsal before the ceremony.

>> almost there but it is t. not to be seen. they arrived at the abbey behind it blacked out windows. and william and kate lead the party into the add before a brief run through. the final episode both before the wedding. the household cavalry and the rest of the military were completing their run through. when they return, they will be in their full ceremonial uniforms and the streets will be packed. soldiers, sailors, and airmen paraded before dawn. this was a chance for the sergeant major is to do things

as only they can. to check their measurements along the route and to inspect the soldiers who will be lining it to ensure that everything is just as they wanted. on friday, the world will be watching london and it has to be right. one man who understands the pressures is malcolm ross who managed the states of the queen for 15 years. >> this is very akin to something on a stage or a circus and putting it all together so that it looks good and feels good. on this occasion, we're looking for a wow factor and i think we will get one. >> the main >> -- the main moment will be when this carriage moves past the abbey. this morning, the carriage was closed and there was very few spectators. by tonight, the numbers are

starting to grow. a taste of the many thousands who will be here by friday morning. >> two more nights to go and already the best place is on the pavement opposite the abbey are taken. final where brussels tomorrow and then the real thing. the couple left as they arrived , and guiding -- regarding their privacy. -- final rehearsals are tomorrow and then the real thing. >> if you can get complete coverage of their royal wedding at the bbc website, you'll get the latest news, features, clips as well. bbc.com. there is also the chance to look at the past that they will be taking on the big day. -- the route they will be taking on the big day. hamas and fatah have reached a

deal paving the way for a unity government. >> 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.

what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.