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>> and now bbc world news. >> hello and welcome to news day on the bbc. >> the headlines this hour. rupert murdoch orders full cooperation with the police as pressure increases over the british phone hacking scandal. the worst drought in 60 years has affected 12 million people. we have a special report from east africa. >> the new head of the international monetary fund tells the bbc the organization must be more open to developing countries. and the philippines' foreign minister heads to beijing for some tough talk over who owns some of the islands in the south china sea. in singapore, 8:00 a.m. here in singapore. >> 2:00 a.m. in london. broadcasting to viewers in the u.k. and around the world, this is newsday.

>> hello and welcome. here in the u.k., lawyers for the relatives of british soldiers killed in iraq and afghanistan say police have warned their clients that their phones may have been hacked into by the news of the world. the tabloid newspaper at the center of a phone hacking scandal. the parent company, news corporation, said it would be absolutely appalled and horrified if the allegations proved true. and the owner, rupert murdoch, has ordered full cooperation with police investigations. our political editor nick robinson reports. >> yes, there was even worse to come. the relatives of soldiers kill in iraq and afghanistan have been warned that their phones may have been hacked. according to tomorrow's daily telegraph. they joined the families of those whose loved ones were blown apart on 7-7. >> my mind went back to 2005.

and the real emotional turmoil and state that we were in. and that somebody was listening to them. it's a violation, isn't it? >> also on the list of possible targets, the parents of holly and jessica who died. and of course mini dowler whose parents were given false hope that she was alive when her voice messages were deleted after her phone was allegedly hacked by a private investigator. last night, the prime minister returned from afghanistan to learn of the brewing storm. >> let me be very clear. yes, we do need to have an inquiry, possibly inquiries into what has happened. let us be clear. we're no longer talking here about politicians and celebrities. we're talking about murder victims, potentially terrorist victims, have been their fopes hacked into. -- their phones having been hacked into.

>> what's happened is being investigated by 50 police officers. now there are to be inquiries into why the police took so long to take this seriously. and the much wider question of what is wrong with the british media? this all began with imprisonment four years ago of the news of the world's royal editor, clive goodman, imprisoned to this man, the private investigator glen mulkare. >> yesterday, due to constraints, unfortunately, at this stage, i can make no more at the moment. >> it is reams of notes of private phone numbers that have fueled this saga. that and the mounting anger of m.p.'s who allege that the police simply did not want to investigate what he'd done. tonight, runert murdoch issued a statement describing what had happened as deplorable and unacceptable. stating that our company must fully and proactively cooperate with the police. and adding that that would happen under rebecca brooks' leadership. that is clear backing for news

international's chief executive. even though she was editor of the news of the world at the time of the alleged hacking of mini dowler and the families. today, company executives say they knew who sanctioned that. she apparently was away at the time. murdoch's enemies have long claimed that whoever's in power, he is the real puppet master. tonight, he, they, no one knows how this extraordinary drama will end. nick robinson, bbc news, westminster. >> aid agencies have issued an urgent appeal for help for millions of people who have been affected by drought in east africa. the crisis has been particularly detch stating in -- stave stating in somalia, kenya, uganda and ethiopia. millions of people have walked nor days to get to a refugee camp in kenya. ben brown has this report. >> among the refugees of this camp, there are hundreds of

lost children and orphans. some got separated from their families on the long walk from somalia. others, like abdi salam and his sister, isha, no longer have parents. their father died in somalia's civil war and last month their mother was killed as well. >> it's better here because back in somalia, there was war. we have no relatives there. so we fled here. we now have a foster mother to look after us. >> and the camp's hospital, these children have parents but precious little else. drought and war mean that their bodies have been horribly weakened by malnutrition. and by the time they reached this clinic, it can be too late. the doctors in this kline rick working frantically -- in this clinic are working frantically as they can but they have to register the names in this clinic death book and inside

the names of the children who've died recently are registered by date. and on some days, two or even three children here have lost their fight for life. and the cause of their death is a variety of illnesses and diseases. but the root cause is always the same thing. chronic malnutrition. matine is 1-year-old and so frail like many of the children he is causing doctors serious concern. >> we need food, water, medicine, shelter, and everything else that human beings need. we are never going back to somalia. >> hospital staff told me they're underresourced and overstretched. and they need the world to help. a donkey-drawn cart is the makeshift ambulance to bring in fresh casualties to this clinic. it's not only children but the

elderly who are vulnerable to malnutrition. this drought, the worst here for 60 years, is killing young and old alike. it may sound strange but aid workers here in this camp say the people who are here are comparatively well off. at least they have basic supplies of food and water and medicine. whereas beyond this camp, there is something like nine or 10 million people affected by this drought. and many of them haven't had any help at all. >> ben brown from the refugee camp in kenya. and an announcement by the somali islamist group al shabad will allow relief organizations in areas it controls has been welcomed by the u.n. but the office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs has told the bbc it will need security guarantees before its staff can help people affected by the region's worst drought for 60 years. they forced aid agencies out in 2009, accusing them of being

anti-muslim. and there's been another development in the case against dominique strauss-kahn. >> yes, indeed. the new york district attorney leading the prosecution of the former i.m.f. chief, dominique strauss-kahn, on sexual assault charges, has rejected a request to step down. lawyers for the hotel maid accusing mr. strauss-kahn of assaulting her the district attorney cyrus vance had undermined their case by leaking damaging information about her client. mr. vance's team had described the request as wholly without merit. and now dominique strauss-kahn's successor at the international monetary fund christine lagarde has started her new job. she will have to tackle the problems in the euro zone. we spoke to christine lagarde in washington. this is the report. >> christine lagarde is the first synchronized swimmer to

become head of the i.m.f. she's also the first woman. but in other respects, she's not a novelty at all. after all, she is a european like every other managing director before her. >> i don't see myself, nor do i feel specifically french or european. i feel very much a member of the entire community. and having to serve the entire community. >> there are 187 members of the i.m.f. there have been 11 managing directors. five of them have been french. how can you justify -- is it something in the wine that makes french people particularly good at running the i.m.f.? >> it gives us a better longevity. that's for sure. and talking of longevity, my time is to be here for the next five years. >> lagarde spent part of her school days at this girl's private school just outside washington. she also made her name as a lawyer working for a u.s. legal firm. and it all goes down very well with the americans. but they're not the only ones she's going to have to win over. most i.m.f. officials are

economists. she is not. she was the first woman to chair the u.s. law firm baker mackenzie. that makes her more than ready to manage the fund, even the economist. but she also has to help the fund forget the arrest of her predecessor, dominique strauss-kahn, on sexual assault charges which might now be dropped. >> suffered a shock, obvious. you don't lose a managing director overnight without suffering as a result. >> and then there's the biggest item in her entree, the euro zone crisis, which she admits could have been managed better. >> the solution that we will have to reach will concern everybody. >> including investors? >> private sector, international institutions. if they're asked to contribute and participate. and it will have to be comprehensive, cohesive, and not -- and sometimes has been the case in the past. >> experts say you can view her

experience as french finance minister two ways. >> she knows very well all the players and she knows that -- the landscape and therefore can operate in that environment quite effectively. and the other, that she's part of the problem and was part of the problem and therefore is that impares her ability to interact -- that impairs her ability to interact. seating at the helm of the i.m.f. will shape her views and we will see a different christine lagarde. >> governments often need the i.m.f. to be the outcider forcing them what they lack the do to do on their own. christine lagarde has to prove she can take that approach in europe, even though just a few days ago, she was negotiating on the other side. stephanie flanders, bbc news in washington. >> in other news, a u.s. appeals court has ruled that openly gay men and women must be allowed to serve in the armed forces. a ban on openly gay servicemen and women has already been ruled as unconstitutional. but it remained in effect while the government appealed.

the policy known as don't ask, don't tell, can no longer be applied unless the government challenges the decision in the supreme court. the australian agriculture ministers announced that the month-long ban on exports of live cattle to indianapolis noosh a is to be -- to indonesia is to be lifted. it emerged after showing cattle being beaten, whipped and maimed before being slaughtered in some indonesian areas but australian cattle ranchers protested against the ban saying it was costing jobs. liberal rebels have reportedly taken control -- libyan rebels have reportedly taken control of an area south of tripoli and a smaller step toward guryan which controls the main road toward the capital. the rebels said they have captured several pro-government soldiers. mark doyle who's in western libya cautioned that a capture of the village may not in itself represent a significant

military victory. >> the village is important to the rebels. because it's in the direction that they want to go toward the much more important target, which is the main north-south road through libya which leads to tripoli. now, that north-south road is still very firmly controlled by colonel gaddafi's forces. he has a large gare son town there called -- garrison town there called haryan but they believe they have moved in the right direction perhaps of trying to control that road. though the rebels claim this as a major victory i would say it is a potentially significant development in terms of the ultimate aim of trying to control that road. across the country it's been really a similar picture with the rebels trying to make small advances but doing -- resisted strongly by colonel gaddafi's forces despite the fact that nato has destroyed some of his heavy weapons. this attack on the village about 60 miles, 90 kilometers from tripoli, followed nato

attacks in certain parts of this area. near the western mountains. and that's what allowed the rebels to go forward. >> the bbc's mark doyle in western libya. and you're watching newsday on the bbc live from singapore and london. still to come on the program, with public doubts growing about japan's nuclear industry, could thermal energy solve the country's energy problems? >> and as nasa prepares for its last-ever shuttle mission we meet one of the space age's longest serving veterans. allegations that the news of the world newspaper hacked into the phone messages of murder victims, or their relatives, has caused widespread public anger. now, several big companies including the halifax virgin holidays and -- have decided not to place advertisements in the news of the world this weekend. >> news corporation nor decades, a towering edifice of

the global media, created and led by runnest murdoch, confronts a -- by rupert murdoch, confronts a grave threat. ford, mitsubishi, other big companies with big brands say they don't want to advertise in the news of the world this weekend because they don't want to be associated with the shocking revelations about how the newspaper obtained stories. for news corporation, owner of skr news of the world" whose share price fell almost 4% today a reputational crisis looks like it could become a financial problem. rupert murdoch's news corporation wants to buy the 61% of british sky broadcasting it doesn't already own. now, my sources tell me that bieb's scored had taken the view that news corporation would have to pay around 9.6 billion pounds for the b sky b shares. the media regulator, it has a duty to be satisfied that the holder of a broadcasting license is fit and proper,

there's a risk that the takeover could be blocked or unscrambled. so b sky b's directors may insist that newscorp may even more, to compensate for the risk that the deal may never happen. >> so there may be an incentive for news corporation to delay the takeover. pending greater clarity on whether they will be seen by the regulator as suitable owners of sky in the light of whatever further shocking discloshese are made about how the news of the world obtained stories. robert peston, bbc news. >> this is newsday on the bbc. in singapore. >> in london, our main headlines this hour, the news of the world's newspaper faces new allegations of phone hacking, rupert murdoch has ordered full cooperation with the police. >> international aid agencies have issued an urgent appeal on

behalf of millions of people who have been affected by what's being called the worst drought in east africa for 60 years. the philippine foreign minister albert del rosario will visit his counterpart to discuss the ongoing row over the south china sea. the philippines has accused china of repeatedly encroaching on what it considers to be philippine waters. but china shows no sign of backing down. our correspondent in manila, kate mcgowan, has more on what the philippines will hope to get out of the talks. >> the main thing they will want to achieve out of this is to calm the tensions down. andness a row which has been going on -- and this is a row which has been going on for a month and doesn't show any sign of stopping. the philippines keep saying to china, you're encroaching on our waters. and on china, just keeps on doing it. there's been more than 10 encroachments according to the philippines at least into what

it sees as its territorial waters. and china hasn't made any comment really definitely one way or the other about it. and this obviously isn't an issue which just affects the philippines and china. six countries actually lay claim to territory in the south china sea. and i was speaking to president penino and says it's an issue that affects the whole region. >> it's just not a philippine concern. perhaps -- indonesia, that's why we think that the block should be the central point in dealing with china as far as resolving this amicably. >> the philippines say they want to resolve this with the other competing countries for those tiny islands. they are indeed small. just pieces of rock. so why are so many countries staking their claim? >> i think it's fair to say

that not any of these countries really particularly want the tiny little pieces of rock. it's what's under the seas. because knob really knows -- because nobody really knows and very little exploration in the area but some analysts say there could be $20 billion of oil and gas reserves under the waters. and really it's a very -- people don't know anything about it. but those rocks, it means that the same person owns the area around it. and that's what people are really focusing on. that's why circumstances countries all lay claim -- why six countries all lay claim to that area. >> philippine correspondent kate mcgowan in manila. japan has talked about renewable energy but what was a luxury has become an urgent necessity. two thirds of the country's nuclear reactors are offline amid safety fears following the disaster at fukushima. some scientists are urging the government to consider an overlooked resource, the hot

springs generated by the fault lines under the country. as part of our power overseas, asia, we visited a power station in hamowka. >> everything has a cartoon mascot in japan. even what campaigners have called the most dangerous nuclear power station in the world. the explanation of now nuclear reactors work. but has less to say about what's right underneath the plant. >> fault lines. where experts say a major earthquake could strike any day. manaro ito has lived all his life nearby and was pleased when the government called for the power station to be shut down until its defenses are strengthened but dreads the day it's switched back on. >> after what happened at the fukushima, i don't think people

here feel safe about having a nuclear plant around. i hope they will close it permanently. and bury it in concrete. it should become a monument to human stupidity to build something like that. >> but japan, the disaster has triggered -- before the plan was to keep on building more and more reactors. but after explosions and meltdowns, the japanese have lost faith in nuclear energy. the hot springs all over japan, it could provide at least part of the answer. they're created by the very thing that makes the country so vulnerable to earthquakes. the pacific ring of fire. just under the ground sh there's boiling hot water -- ground, there's boiling hot water and steam. this resort hotel, they have set up an electricity generator. it's a tiny experiment that

scientists say the potential of geothermal energy is huge. >> we can supply 10% of the electricity consumption in japan. >> 10%. >> yeah, yeah. >> and how much is geothermal supplying now? >> now, it is only 0.3%. very low. >> the best geothermal resources are in the country's most beautiful places. its national parks. that's one reason nuclear power has been a preferred option until now. but the disaster at fukushima may be what makes japan begin to exploit the clean energy under the ground. roland burke, bbc news in southern japan. >> all eyes on the skies in florida for the final launch of the space shuttle. >> that's absolutely right. fingers crossed as this chapter of nasa's history draws to a

close. for many who work at the kennedy space center, it's a bittersweet moment. in this first person report we hear from one veteran of the space program who reveled in his decades of duty. >> my name is paul sharp. i just retired after 45 years from working at the kennedy space center. >> and the shuttle has cleared the tower. >> all the launches that i've seen have just been always exciting. and it's a magnificent flying machine. you sit there in awe even though you've worked on them and seen them for so many years. it's still an amazing machine. when i first went out there, i worked in the environmental control system that supplied the controled air for the apollo spacecraft. >> three, two, one -- >> it was very exciting. and everybody worked there was excited to be out there. just pioneering everything we did. >> drift into the right a

little. >> i was lucky enough to be chose ton work on the lunar rover. the first vehicle that came down here didn't have any american flags on the fenders so they sent a package of five flags down. i carefully put four on the fenders. i asked -- asked that office if they would autograph the spare we had. so they did. both them and the backup crew and i still have that flag and very proud of that. these are some of the pictures that i have that i'm -- i cherish. they were signed by the crews. and because we supported them. and if -- you have these things and cherish them very much. the space shuttle program is a sad time. it's been 30 years. and it's just been part of so many people's lives. and been such a stellar program for this nation. and i like everybody out there, you just hate to see it come to an end.

because it's given this nation, the united states, such an honor to have such a successful program. part of my career, kennedy space center. i feel very lucky that i've been able to have such a magnificent career. i feel very lucky to be in that line of work. i could have retired at an earlier age but i just dent want to. and just been such a part of me out there for so many years. it's like family. >> now, let's bring you some breaking news because we're getting reports from india that at least 32 people have been killed when an express train collided with a bus on an unmanned level crossing. now, the accident happened in a small town in western usapradesh around 300 kilometers east of the capital dehli. the bus had a wedding party on board. reports still coming in. you've been watching newsday from the bbc with rico in singapore and me, kasha madeira

in london. >> 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.