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>> and now, "bbc world news." x hello and welcome. >> increases that -- protests in the streets of athens as the prime minister fights for support for austerity measures. president obama defends actions in libya. >> awaiting the verdict of indonesias terror trial. al bashir is accused of funding terrorists. several continents enjoyed a total lunar eclipse. it is 11:00 a.m. in singapore. >> it is 4:00 a.m. in london.

>> hello and welcome. greece is facing a political and economic crisis, with the socialist prime minister announcing he is to form a new government. the development came after tension between police and protesters. they are worried that papandreou is pushing through new austerity measures demanded by the eu and imf. >> tens of thousands of protesters descended on the greek parliament. minorities soon turned the square outside into a battlefield. they attacked riot police with petrol bombs and other missiles. the police retaliated with teargas. some protestors tried to force their way to parliament to stop mps debating the new austerity

measures, but the police held the line. tonight, the prime minister offered to stand down. but he failed to convince opposition conservatives to join the government in unity. >> today and made new proposals to the leaders of all parties to achieve the necessary national consensus. i clarified that my responsibility has no dependents on my political post. >> mr. papandreou has been trying to push through spending cuts and tax rises. protesters say the measures are too harsh. >> it is not about me anymore. it is about our children. i do not see a bright future. >> degrees currently has the worst credit rating in the world. its debt currently stands at 300 billion pounds. the country is receiving 95 billion pounds as part of a bailout package agreed last may. now the eu is debating whether to offer a further 39 billion pound loan. greece's political turmoil is

jeopardize and pewter bailout money. analysts believe the international monetary fund and the european union want to seek consensus so the austerity measures can be forced through. but pat and drew up -- but papandreou has failed to achieve that. >> protesters may have succeeded in crippling one government, but it is doubtful whether they are closer to towing of the pains of austerity. bbc news, athens. >> president obama has rejected claims by the u.s. congress that he needs their approval to continue military involvement in libya. white house officials said the limited supporting role played by the united states meant no authorization was necessary. our washington correspondent has more. >> what we are seeing our institutional tensions between the u.s. congress, which has exclusive rights to declare war, and a u.s. president who is commander in chief and who has

deployed military forces where he sees fit, as have generations of u.s. presidents before barack obama. specifically on libya, they are arguing over the war powers resolution, which sets a total time clock of 90 days for the president to seek authorization from congress for military action. 90 days will be up on sunday. but barack obama is essentially arguing the resolution does not apply in this case because he says what america is doing in libya does not amount to hostilities and warfare in the classic sense. he argues no american boots are on the ground. american soldiers are not exchanging fire with libyans. the u.s. is simply providing logistical support at this stage. the republican leadership is calling that pre-emptive. there are lawyers attempting to take barack obama to court over this issue. my instinct is he will push ahead.

nothing will change on sunday. america will stay involved with libya. but the president will have an uncomfortable i on the pulse. more americans are opposed to this conflict now than in favor of it. what barack obama is deeply hoping is that sooner or later colonel gaddafi disappears from the scene to short circuit these arguments. >> steve kingston in washington. the estate in washington. mr. bartlett is one of the congressman who is filing the lawsuit against president obama. he argues that this is not a war and does not need approval by congress. >> we are calling it a war. he is using our planes and missiles to kill people. those who are being affected by our plans and our missiles would believe this is a war. there is a lot of misunderstanding of the war powers act. what it requires is that there

are only three conditions under which the president can commit our troops. one of those is we have declared war. the second is if we have given him legislative approval. the third is if we are under attack or attack is imminent. none of those three things occurred. the minute he started the war in libya, he was in violation of the war powers act. under any of those three conditions, he can commit our troops. if he has not had our permission, which is the third one, he has 60 days to get our permission. if he does not get our permission, he has to pull out within the next 30 days. but he has been in violation of the war powers act and our constitution from the minute he committed troops to libya. >> congressman bartlett speaking to me from washington. nato has denied reports its bombardment in libya has led to civilian casualties. libyan state casualties

reported an air street killed 12 people in a city southwest of tripoli. nato officials say the alliance has not carried out air strikes there. arizona congressman gabrielle giffords has been released from hospital five months after being shot in tucson in a rampage when six people were killed. gabrielle giffords has been undergoing rehabilitation to help her speak and walk. she will move back into her home near johnson space center, where her husband works as an astronaut. investigators in france have met families of passengers killed when an air france jet crashed into the atlantic two years ago. they have finished retrieving bodies and refuse from the plane. they will let investigators use dna testing to identify the victims. in jakarta, a court is deciding the fate of a radical muslim cleric. this clerk maintains that he is innocent. >> yes indeed.

prosecutors have asked for a life sentence for the share on charges of helping to organize and fund and islamic military training camp. mr. bashir says he is innocent and the charges are part of a conspiracy against islam in indonesia. we are joined by our indonesian correspondent. what is the latest from the courthouse? >> the proceedings started about an hour ago. that is when the verdict started to be delivered. but we do not have a sentence yet. in indonesia, when verdicts are delivered, it takes a very long time. the route to all the arguments and evidence. -- they read through all the arguments and evidence. we are not expecting any decision yet. in the hours we have been here, we have had busloads of bashir

supporters arrived. they are sitting in the main frontal area of the court room. they have been chanting support for him, loud cries of "alahu akbar," and prayers. over the last few days in djakarta, there have been some anonymous threats and twitter messages. police are taking these threats seriously. they have deployed 3000 police officers around the courthouse. i have seen snipers on the roof next to me and over there. there is a great deal of concern about what kind of verdict will be delivered later today because many of the followers of bashir have said that if it is a severe sentence they about to take revenge. -- they have vowed to take revenge. >> what will this mean for indonesias fight against terror?

-- indonesia's's fight against terror? >> it depends what that verdict is. most of the consensus here is that mr. bush year -- bashir will get a guilty sentence but not the life in prison prosecutors are looking for. i have been told that whenever his verdict is, whether he is inside or outside jail, he will remain a spiritual influence for radical islamic groups in the country he has denied -- in the country. he has denied radical activity and says he is simply incorrect. his followers look up for him -- up to him. they are a majority among indonesian's. the majority are moderates to practice islam in a distinctly indonesian way.

flooding in central and southern china has left at least 11 people dead. it has stranded people in cars and submerged houses and farmland. the rain is expected to last until friday. flooding has already left 170 people dead or missing. tunisia, the rain has fallen for at least four days, leaving many roads impassable. parts of new south wales have been declared national disaster zones. the u.s. geological survey said a 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the island of new britain at a depth of 22 kilometers. there are no reports of major damage or injury. the quake was felt 250 miles away. the united nations now says about 60,000 sudanese people have been displaced by the fighting near the border between the north and south.

president says the violence amounts to ethnic cleansing. the fighting was a total violation of a peace deal between north and the south. he says the u.n. should send in peacekeepers. >> the troops should leave. u.n. forces should be deployed in their place. forces should be deployed in the area. that is dependent on the u.n. similarly, in southern cordoba on, we want to see a cease-fire. the presence of the u.n. forces is also felt by the people. this is the beginning of a genocide. it is a cleansing. >> you are watching "newsday." still to come, breaking into a

fortress europe. we track afghan migrants desperate for a better life. >> up for auction. the gun used by america's famous gangster, al capone. bids are expected to top $100,000. first, the internet radio service pandora has made its debut on the new york stock exchange. the company priced shares at $16, putting its value at more than $2.50 billion. not bad for a company that has yet to make a profit. from new york, this report. >> rachel cooper is the classic pandora media user. she listens to her personalized music playlist on her desktop computer in her office in downtown manhattan. >> i love that it is a community of artists. it is like this digital ebay i do not have to think about. >> in this music store, fans are

shopping for things they have not heard before but will probably like. pandora media has managed to tap into that phenomenon on the internet. more than 90 million people use the service, but the business model of offering free music streams with limited ads comes at a cost. pandora pays about half its revenue in royalty fees, and the company has yet to make money. but the founder says investors should not change the station yet. >> we are not thinking six months. we are looking long term. right now, pandora is only 3% of all radio in the u.s. there is an enormous opportunity to grow and become a big part of radio. >> in addition to elusive earnings, pandora also faces a paucity of competition. spotify plans to launch in the u.s., not to mention apple and amazon.

some experts say that in the long term pandora might need to carry more adds to offset its present costs. but for loyal fans that might be a price they are willing to pay. julian martin, bbc news, new york. >> this is "newsday." i am in singapore. >> i am in london. our main headlines. rioters have taken to the streets of athens as the greek prime minister struggles to win support for new austerity measures. >> president obama has defended america's involvement in libya, rejecting demands by congress that he needs their approval. migrants seeking a better life in europe take incredible risks. many never make it and those who do can end up in a detention camp along the way. the bbc and an afghan journalists have been following

migrants as they travel along one of the most popular paths into europe, starting from the streets of kabul. >> a country devastated by over 30 years of war. life is hard in afghanistan. the average annual raged wages but -- the annual wage is just under $5. life expectancy is 45. many are trying to get to europe illegally. this man is selling -- is sending his son to the u.k. the 18-year-old knows the road ahead will not be easy. he cannot get a visa. he and others like him will have

to travel an illegal trail. one option is to find a smuggler's but the -- and at the local market it does not take time to track one down. 24 hours a day, buses poured out of kabul, taking migrants on the first leg of their journey. many would-be migrants are caught at the border between afghanistan and iraq. the ones that do manage to slip through travel thousands of miles over hostile terrain to reach turkey, and then west to the river border with greece, the gateway to europe. the border is incredibly puris and a huge headache for the greeks. infrared cameras watch as

migrants try to cross the river land borders illegally. no one knows how many people died trying to break into fortress europe. migrants are desperate people. the goal is to get there no matter what. >> taiwan's opposition party is trying to avoid confrontation with china as it prepares to launch its campaign for the next election. the democratic progressive party infuriated beijing with its calls for independence for taiwan. the party's presidential candidate said the party now wants to resolve its disagreements through dialogue. she has been speaking to the bbc as part of our power of asia series. quickly want china to understand we do have oppositions and differences. they have to learn to respect the differences. they also have to understand that changes in the government

in taiwan, and different political parties in charge of the government, has become something that is normal that involves democracy. >> this approach is a big change, isn't it, from your previous approach to china, when you were more confrontational, when there wasn't over drive for independence? is that an acknowledgement the policies of the past are counterproductive. >> china has to look ahead. with new leadership and more sophisticated political parties, china will have to look at the matter from a fresh perspective, a new perspective. >> china is currently building up its naval forces. there are plans to launch its first aircraft carrier. tensions are building with other

neighboring countries in the south china sea. how concerned are you about china's growing assertiveness? >> you cannot rule out the possibility that it has become more ambitious politically than before. therefore it would create problems in terms of its friendship or relation with its neighboring countries. all of the possible conflicts in that area have to be dealt with in a peaceful matter, -- manner, including the problems we have with china. >> is this crackdown on critics in china -- if china takes a return to a totalitarian approach, that is going to make it more difficult for your party to deal with china. >> i am the leader of a party who struggled for decades in order to enrich this stage of democracy in taiwan.

we understand fully the importance of a democracy. and we hope china can have democracy as well. if there is a way for us to assist the development in china, we would be happy to do that. >> taiwan presidential candidate dr. wen. our series continues all month. on our website, you will find unique content and a look at the in the face of indonesia. its economy is one of the best performing in the region. that is on the bbc news website. now more on an out of this world experience that we cannot see in singapore because of bad weather. >> don't worry. you can look at some of the amazing pictures that sky watchers in parts of africa, central europe, and australia have been observing. it is the first lunar eclipses in nearly 11 years. it occurs when the earth passes

a shadow over the moon. indirect light can still turn the surface a dramatic shade of red. >> high above the earth, a rare and be the full site, a lunar eclipse, the moon turned orange by the earth's shadow. this was the view in moscow. around the world, moon gazers were out in force, here watching in lebanon as the eclipsed began. >> this is something that does not happen every day. i am glad we had the chance to watch it tonight. >> cairo's career square -- tahrir square was hundred demonstrators and is now home to amateur astronomers. >> being here is great because of the resolution and the clips. -- the revolution and the eclipsed. it is beautiful. >> others were excited by what

they saw. >> it is beautiful. you can see the moon is turned red. every day when you go out of the house, you look at the sky. today, the moon is red. >> perhaps the most spectacular view came much further to the east, in australia. >> we think of the moon as white and being very holy and white. but now it was red with black on it. it seemed very devilish to me. >> this was the longest lunar eclipse in more than a decade. for those lucky enough to see it, a moment they will not forget. daniel griffith, bbc news. >> the gun used by america's most famous gangster is up for auction. al capone ruled chicago in the in the 18 20's.

>> public enemy number one? they do not come any bigger than al capone. >> of capone was suspected of carrying out or ordering numerous murders in the roaring 20's, including the street valentine's day massacre in 1929. this was of capone's gun, a colt 38 which was only used by him. the auction of this piece of history is likely to cause a frenzy among collectors. >> anybody interested in the most notorious gangster that ever lived, to own his personal sidearm -- is a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity. >> the gun is being sold by a private collector and comes with a sworn affidavit from al capone path brother's widow. >> we have a letter from his sister in law categorically stating this gun was owned and used solely by al capone while he was alive. on his death, it passed to his

brother, ralph. >> there is no telling how many people looked down the barrel of this gun, but the fact that it was owned and used by al capone, scarred face, as he was known, will make it popular art at auction. the guide price is between $81,000.100 $14,000. al capone was jailed for tax evasion in 1931. he served seven -- he served and then retired to florida. he died in florida in 1957. >> you have been watching "new staples." i am in singapore. >> and i am in london. a quick reminder. in the midst of the most severe violence and the streets of athens in more than a year, prime minister papandreou has said he will form a new government and seek a vote of confidence on thursday. that is it from london and

singapore. we will see you soon. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news america" was presented by kcet los angeles.