>> 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. and union bank. ♪ >> union bank has put its global 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." >> i'm kesha madeira in london. here are the headlines. security in the united states has been heightened where officials are investigating credible and specific threats. president obama calls for instant action on his plan to base the u.s. economy. -- boost the u.s. economy. shocking and appalling, the official reaction of the killing of an iraqi official by british officials eight years ago. seven years on, russians remember the start of and at the siege of leningrad. it is 4:00 a.m. in london, broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world. this is newsday.

hal owen welcomed. the mayor of new york michael bloomberg has confirmed there are specific credible terrorist threats just days before the 10th anniversary of the september 11 attacks. mr. bloomberg said the arrests have not been corroborated, but had to be taken as seriously. he called on the public to be vigilant. if >> as we approached the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the nypd, fbi and the entire intelligence community have been on heightened alert because we know that terrorists view of the anniversary as an opportunity to strike again. the threat at this moment has not been corroborated. i want to stress that. it is credible, but has not been corroborated. but we do live in a world where we have to take these threats seriously, and we certainly will. if the nypd is deploying

additional search -- services around the city and is taking steps to keep our city saved, some of which you may notice and some of which you will not notice. but there is no reason for any of the rest of us to change anything in our daily routines. we have the best police department in the world. over the past decade have helped thwart more than a dozen potential attacks. here's what you are going to do, if you see something, say something. that has always been true. over the next few days, we should keep our eyes wide open. the best thing we can do to fight terrorist is to refuse to be intimidated by them. for 10 years we have not allow terrorist too intimidate us. we have continued to live our lives and will continue to do so. go about your business as usual leawood, but just be vigilant. >> and a woman from the fbi gave her information about situation in new york.

>> as we know from the intelligence gathered following the osama bin laden raid, al qaeda has shown an interest in important dates and anniversaries, such as 9/11. in this instance, the instance that we are all here tonight to speak about, is accurate that there are specific, credible, but unconfirmed threat information. as we always do before important dates, like the anniversary of 9/11, we will undoubtedly get more reporting in the coming days. sometimes this reporting is credible. and it warns intense focus. other times, it lacks credibility and is highly unlikely to be reflective of real plots which are under way. regardless, we all -- we take all threats reporting seriously and we have taken and will continue to take all steps necessary to mitigate any threats that arise. we continue to ask the public to remain vigilant as we head into the weekend and report any

suspicious activity to law enforcement. >> the fbi's janice subarctic their. there is a bbc press conference in new york. >> no poured did they give detailed information about the threat they received other than to use the phrase that officials at the federal and local level are using specific, credible, but unconfirmed intelligence that has led to this alert. a specific meaning, they think they have details about the details, perhaps a given location in new york. the source of this information has been reliable in the past is what credible means. but unconfirmed, meaning they have not been able to corroborate that whether this information is real, whether it does relate to an actual plot on the ground.

i think it was quite revealing, and some other things, that mayor michael bloomberg was asking new yorkers to be the eyes and ears of the authorities right now. they have this phrase, "if you see something, say something." he was asking people on the subway to be particularly vigilant if they see bags unattended, that kind of thing. somebody will parking a car no parking zone and walking away. call the police. it adds to the sense that perhaps the authorities do not know quite what is they're looking for and they're looking for the public to help them. >> earlier, we heard a suggestion that perhaps a manhunt was under way. they were not willing to go into that. >> there was one of agency here, abc news, had a report earlier in the evening from an intelligence official that three people might have entered the united states last month. feared that they

could be staging some kind of terror attack coinciding with 9/11, possibly involving a truck or other vehicle bomb. but no level of detail like that has been spoken about publicly. neither here in new york or elsewhere. >> now getting some other news, president barack obama has given a rare speech to a joint session of congress to lay out a jobs package. he said it was an urgent time for the u.s. with an economic crisis that left millions out of work. he said that the american jobs act would help construction workers, teachers, and the long- term unemployed. mr. obama called on congress to pass the legislation immediately, saying that now is when politicians could stop the political circus and do something to help the economy. he also spelled out the action he intended to take. >> i am sending this congress a

plan that you should pass right away. it is called the american jobs act. there should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation. everything in here is the kind of proposal that has been supported by both democrats and republicans. including many who sit here tonight. and everything in this bill will be paid for, everything. [applause] the purpose of the american jobs that is simple, to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. it will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for long-term unemployed. it will provide -- [applause] it will provide a tax break for companies to hire new workers and it will cut thick -- payroll taxes in half for every working

american and every small business. [applause] it will provide a jolt to an economy that is stalled and give companies confidence that if they invest and if they hire, there will be customers for their products and services. you should pass this jobs plan right away. >> the president also said he was willing to work with his republican opponents, but he would not compromise on certain key principles. >> but we cannot do, what i will not do is let this economic crisis be used as an excuse to wipe out the basic protections that americans have counted on for decades. [applause] i reject the idea that we need

to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. i reject the argument that says for the economy to grow, we have to roll back detections that van hidden fees by credit-card companies, or rules that keep our kids exposed to mercury, or shortchanging patients. if i reject the idea that we have to strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy. [applause] we should not be in a race to the bottom. where we try to offer the cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards. america should be in the race to the top and i believe we can rand -- win that race. >> and the president stressed that time is of the essence. >> i know there has been a lot of skepticism about whether the politics of the moment will

allow us to pass this jobs plan or any jobs plan. already we are seeing the same old press release is flying back and forth. already, the media has proclaimed that it is impossible to bridge our differences. and maybe some of you have decided that those differences are so great that we can only resolve them at the ballot box. but notice, the next election is 14 months away. and the people who sent us here, the people who hired us to work for them, they do not have the luxury of waiting 14 months. [applause] some of them are living week to

week, paycheck to paycheck, even day to day. they need help and they need it now. >> president obama there, of course. let's go to my colleague in singapore. juliana, you have details of the outcome of an inquiry into the death of an iraqi man at the hands of british troops. >> that is right. british prime minister david cameron has described the killing of an iraqi civilian in british custody as truly shocking and appalling. an independent inquiry has found that he was beaten to death by british troops following a raid on the hotel where he worked in the southern city of basra. it warning that this report has some distressing images. >> the father of two 26-year- olds was battered to death in british custody. this video was filmed the day before he was killed.

it was an army major that instructed the soldiers guarding the detainee to use goods and stressed positions, which have been banned by the british government in 1972. it shows corporal donald payne shouting obscenities at iraqis, among them the man who died. acts of shocking brutality were to come. >> my judgment is that it constituted an appalling episode of serious, gratuitous violence on civilians, which resulted in the death of one man injuries to others. they represented a very serious breach of discipline. >> these pictures show the wounds of surviving detainee's. one was left with acute kidney failure. the inquiry found it was a violent assault that triggered the man's death. he had been made physically vulnerable by putting in extreme heat, and the stress positions. it reveals a corporate failure

of the ministry of defence. it said that stress positions and who these were wholly unacceptable in any circumstance. it also found that many soldiers had insulted the iraqis, even more had failed to intervene. it showed a lack of moral courage. >> is truly shocking and appalling. it should not have happened. it should never be allowed to happen again, and the british army, as it does, should uphold the highest standards. >> the inquiry showed the major new that both treaties had been insulted. he is accused of one acceptable failure. diss said that if he had acted when -- it said that if he had acted when he knew the man was suffering he might have survived. the kernel of to have known what was going on, and that corporal pain tried to cover up what he had done. >> no doubt that they are

reading the report now they will be considering the war crime of torture and inhumane treatment and support -- inducing people to inhumane treatment it has caused many to be worried. >> back in the middle east, and family is still grieving. the father had to identify his son's battered body. >> i loved him. he was a good son. >> his children are now orphans. today, the former soldier who tried to resuscitate their father expressed his remorse. >> there is never a night when he is never on my mind. granted, i've got to live with that for the rest of my life. so does his family. >> the man is buried in iraq's holiest city. today's report into his death is a big step toward

accountability, of this council of -- the scandal over what happened to him has not been laid to rest. bbc news. of what you are watching news day on the bbc, live from singapore and london. if still to come, chilling messages from 9/11 as these events unfolded. than 3000 children lost their parents that day. we need some of the families affected. the organization for economic cooperation and development has warned of a gloomy outlook for the world's leading economies and a possible return to recession. stephany flanders reports. >> the closer you examine the world economy, the worse it is starting to look. today, the oecd added to the klum with a report that talked of the recovery coming to a halt of world trade stagnating,

and the risk that unemployment will become entrenched. if time for a plan b? you might think so. the oecd said countries with credible budgets can and should respond to the slowdown, but apparently, that does not mean the u.k. prime minister met with the premier of china will leav. >> countries that pursued different policies two hours in the last year -- the u.s. had a huge fiscal stimulus. they have not seen remarkably more growth than we have seen in the uk >> his decision a year ago choke off our recovery in britain even before this latest crisis in the eurozone and in america, which means we are very badly exposed indeed now. our economy is flat landing, unemployment is rising, a case for a global plan b and a

changing course in britain is growing by the day. >> brought down by the european recovery today. >> we are in the worst crisis since world war ii. we do our job. it is not an easy job. >> the job is no easier in the u.s., where the head of the central bank tonight hinted that he was exploring new tools to help the economy house -- hours before the president unveiled his plan for jobs. stephany flanders, bbc news. >> this is newsday on the bbc. i am in singapore. kasam in london. the headlines this hour, counter-terrorism officials in the u.s. are investigating credible, but uncorroborated threats just days before the anniversary of the september 11 attacks. and president obama has

challenged his opponent to challenge his plan to create more jobs and he called for an end to the political circus. and as the september 11 anniversary approaches might u.s. news network's are reporting that officials are investigating what has been described credible -- as credible but unconfirmed threat attacks planned against the u.s. is security operation is already in place in new york, meanwhile audio tapes of communications record on the morning of the attacks 10 years ago have been made public. the recordings, many of which have not been heard before, painted a dramatic picture of confusion and or -- and horror. >> september 11, at 8:13 a.m., air-traffic controllers lose contact with americans airlines flight 11. not far from new york. then a call from an attendant.

>> someone has been stabbed in business class. and i think there is mace. if we cannot breed. i think we are getting hijacked. >> shortly before this. >> [unintelligible] >> the voice of mohammad atta, now that the plane's controls, stunned air traffic controllers trying to understand what is happening. >> we have a hijacked aircraft headed toward new york. if we need someone to scramble some f-16s or something to help us out. >> is this real world or exercise? >> this is not an exercise. >> the head of the air-traffic control was in his first day on the job. >> i find myself standing in the middle of the floor mostly trying to comprehend what the heck was going on. >> as events unfolded in the

control towers, bafflement and this belief -- disbelief. >> do you see that guy? >> i see him. >> that is another situation. >> another one hit the building. >> the whole building just came apart. >> @ 10:30 a.m., orders go out to shoot down hijacked aircraft. >> the commanders determined we can shoot down aircraft that do not respond to our direction. copy that? >> kotb that. >> you read that from the vice president, right? >> but there were none left to shoot down. >> it took just 73 minutes for those terror attacks on 9/11 to change the course of american history. those moments will change the lives of thousands of families. as husband, wives, sons, and daughters were killed. more than 3000 children were

affected. >> the ad would children are back from their first day at school, but this is no ordinary wheat for margaret, gerald, and robert, and their mother barbara. on sunday, the children will mourn the death of their father, the firefighter gerald at woulw. who perished trying to save others. >> he sacrificed his life for other people that he did not know, and he cared so much about them. >> barbara was pregnant with robert when gerald was killed. the pregnancy helped her to deal with the grief. robert misses a father who never got to take him on school trips. it's what has it been like growing up without your father? >> all right, but it would be beyond better if he were here. >> barbara has devoted herself to bringing up the family, but

she worries about what she and the children are missing without gerald. >> taking the boys to scouts, just being a partner who is committed to being there for me, for the children, has been huge. there is not a day i do not think about him. >> when al qaeda destroyed the twin towers, more than 60 fathers of unborn children were among those killed. the pain of growing up without a dad is not confined to new york. the knot -- the long shadow of 9/11 extends to britain, too. elizabeth turner's husband, simon, had flown to new york for a meeting on said henry levin. elizabeth was pregnant with william when simon was killed inside the trade center. her grief is very different to williams morning. >> with him does not know simon.

he knows of him as his dad. it is almost like his grief is about the loss of not having a father. >> this is the memorial at ground zero, the 3000 children who lost a parent now have somewhere to mourn the irreplaceable. laura trevelyan, bbc news, new york. >> from one commemoration to another. if you have the details. >> thanks very much. st. petersburg, russia, the second-largest city they have commemorated the siege of the second largest city by hitler's army during the second world war. it was to last nearly 900 days, cost 750,000 lives, and lead to horrific suffering of its people. >> at the german army's advance into russia in 1941, they faced fierce resistance in leningrad

and decided on a blockade instead. in memory of an epic tale of russian bravery and resilience, air raid warnings return to the streets of st. petersburg to mark the anniversary of the siege. residents gather where one building still bears a painting of world war ii warning telling people to stay off that side of the street during air raids. hundreds laid flowers on to the sign in the pouring rain. compared with other battles of the second world war, the leningrad siege is a story that is readily be told. cut off from the rest of the country, people had to content themselves with daily food rations of no more than 250 grams of poor quality bread. the harshest winter in decades added to the suffering of leningrad's starting inhabitants. many dropped dead from hunger.

they're terrifying experience was told by survivors who toured schools to tell people about the city's past. this is an older generation that does not want the current to forget. >> the air raids started with a sigh ran, and an air raid warning would affect people to the extent of driving them mad. but it is important to mention also that little children, who did not even understand what was going on, were crying. >> the soviet authorities eventually got supplies through to the starving city and lifted the siege. some of the credit rests with stalin. what is also certain is that leningrad's fayed would have been far worse if the city had fallen to the nazis. >> lots of anniversaries this weekend. you have been watching newsday from the bbc. i am in singapore. >> i'm in london.

from both of us, thanks for watching. >> makes 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" was presented by kcet los angeles.