vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. shell. 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." >> welcome to the bbc. >> here are the headlines. >> floods for decades, the bbc

attempts to relieve effort to one of the hardest-hit areas of the country. a special report from the mexico drug war. violence on the streets of athens. bolivia is split, welcoming indigenous protestors. >> authorities in thailand are struggling to mitigate the impact of the worst flooding in decades. volunteers are working to shore up flood defenses, but they fear that barriers will not hold. nearly 300 people have lost

their lives and 1/3 of provinces are under water. one of the worst hit areas is the province around the temple north of bangkok. our correspondent travel there to witness the hardships facing residents and the struggle to deliver aid. >> this is the main part of the city of the ancient capital. beyond this point, cars are now used at all. we transferred to a navy patrol boat heading deeper into the flood drenched province. the sailors bought something, a red flag marking a house where a family is stuck. a family with a 2-month-old infant. the lady hands over some milk before moving on. there are more people to reach and more aid to be delivered. we make our way along what used

to be a side street, heading for road a breach. healthy hands appear over the concrete barrier. it is hard to believe, but out there is a major highway. this bridge is the only bit of dry high ground. if we just move up in this direction, here are the piles of supplies that the navy has just delivered. unbelievably, there are people that have been living on this bridge for three weeks. >> they could leave by boat, but they don't want to. >> it is taken before we get to it. there are still people living over there, so i have to find a way to get some of the food to them.

>> these people are living on the upper floors of the partially submerged homes. others have decided to move to safety, but they need a better alternative than this. finding places to put them has been tricky. there is just water everywhere, and it is incredibly difficult to find a piece of land or you can put it. as you can imagine, it is coming up and the situation is getting worse all the time. >> the first family unsettling welcome new surroundings. they're likely to be here for several weeks or months. the water shows no sign of receding. >> it is estimated 45,000 people have been killed since president philippe calderon announced his

war on drugs. they are proceeding to previously safe cities. >> the war in mexico is becoming increasingly dangerous and bloody. with of the government and its forces on one side and the inventory as drug cartels on the other. the people of mexico are caught in the middle of a conflict no one seems able to stop. it is no longer confined to the badlands of the border. 40,000 people have been killed since mexico's president picked a fight with the drug cartels. criminals have been a arrested, militaries have been deployed. the death is ever more gruesome. they used to boast that it was mexico's safest city.

the almost empty beaches hotel almost a different story. 35 bodies were left on the main street in broad daylight. they have been bound, tortured, and killed. empty homes have been boarded up after they were used to hide corpses. >> more than 30 bodies were found in just a few days ago. it is part of an increasingly vicious battle that is taking place. as you can see, the marines have been deployed on to the streets of the city that up until recently was safe. >> cellmark killed between blood gangs, but not all. speaking out is a rare and dangerous thing to do in mexico. but janet is prepared to take the risk just to clear her partner's name.

he was a mechanic caught in the crossfire of a gun battle. she says the state fabricated evidence that he was a criminal. >> this used to be really save city. i did not imagine something like this could have happened to me. i am scared the government might be something in revenge because they don't want it to be talked about. but i have to speak out to prove their statistics aren't real and that civilians are being killed. >> of the blame falls squarely on the drug cartels. peoplesn't deny many have been killed, but she insists that the strategy is not to blame. the war on drugs has left a deep scar across the region. every time the cartel's come under real pressure, the problem starts to move. the constant is the demand for drugs in america, britain, and

elsewhere. unless that changes, the death will certainly continue. >> my colleague or spoke to the former mexican president who has been a vocal critic of the current administration's fight against the drug gangs. >> you have called for an end to the war on drugs because the war is over or because they aren't working? >> i am trying to bring out my idea in trying to solve this mammoth problem we have in mexico with private. it is eroding the future of mexico, and we have to get out of that, so we need new ideas to finish with our war in mexico. >> you have specifically attacked the president's policies and you have said that they have failed. >> is only a single strategy,

violence against the violence and that will never solve the problem. the army has brought in violations of human rights, violations of due process, so we must come with a new intelligence and ideas like withdrawing the army out of the battle. legalizing the production, distribution, and consumption of drugs all the way. >> you have been critical of u.s. policy. he said america is effectively tipping mexico with $509 and mexico is paying in blood and dead bodies? >> 15-25 years old. >> and you hold america responsible? >> of course. either legalize consumption and

to move out of enforcement and dedicate the money, the effort, and the public policies attending a health program like this nation. until provision was eradicated, and the solutions came. >> aren't you being, with respect, unrealistic? america is not going to legalize all drugs. >> this nation, contrary to what you're saying, is about to change. there is a gallup poll that just came out, 50% of u.s. citizens accept legalization of drugs. government is saying no, no, no. people, public opinion, calif., and now in the whole united states is for legalizing.

>> there have been violent protests and the greek capital. >> the latest clashes came as the greek parliament voted in favor of more spending cuts. protesters threw stones and bombs. one of the largest protests marked the start of a 48-hour strike that will bring most of the country to a standstill. >> outside the greek parliament, of bombs and rocks came down on riot police as a country began a two-day general strike. the police responded with teargas and stun grenades, but perhaps the more significant part of the day was the sheer number of demonstrators taking to the streets to protest austerity.

resistance is spreading. this is inside the finance ministry. it is now occupied. even in the courts, magistrates are operating. an unemployed sports writer and his wife the teacher. salary cuts in the public sector have changed their way of life. >> we lost 5000 a year. i lost my job, and taxes have been going up. we check out the yogurt, the fruit, the milk, everything. >> of families are not spending, stores are closing in record numbers. are many stores closing down here? >> almost 20% of the stores. >> many worry that greece is

trapped in a cycle of economic decline and cannot possibly fulfil its promises. >> it is deepening, and the more medicine that is being applied on the patient, the deeper it becomes. >> of the policy of reducing the deficit is working. >> some of home who are in the streets understand that these measures, as terribly difficult as they are, are necessary and will guarantee a better future for themselves and their families. >> they raise the question about whether the policy of cuts in exchange for bailouts unable agrees to exchange its debt crisis or whether the country is heading for the fall. almost certainly, parliament will approve the austerity measures. but implementing them as a very

different matter. it underlines the fact that the greek problem remains unresolved. >> british police have clashed with angry protesters. the ira sellers lost a legal battle on the land last week. police are clearing by force. they will come up against stiff resistance, many have changed themselves to the barricades. authorities were able to take control of the prophecy. the french woman kidnapped and taken to somalia has died. she was captured by gunmen on the resort island. that probably died because the kidnappers refused to give the medication that the french provided. china has accused the dalai lama of encouraging people to commit

suicide. former monks have set themselves on fire, all reportedly in protest against chinese rule. the spokesman says the dollar llama was inciting terrorism in the skies. live from singapore and london, still to come, as gaddafi loyalists make the last standing surge, we need the embattled president. a new government for haiti amid the world's worst cholera epidemic -- epidemic. turkish troops and warplanes have crossed into northern iraq in pursuit of rebels in the southeast of turkey killing at least 24 soldiers. the rebels have stepped up their attacks in the turkish president has promised revenge. our correspondent has sent this report from istanbul.

>> a loss this great has provoked an inevitable response. its forces are scouring the hills along the border in pursuit of the insurgents that carried out the attack. a larger land operation is now being talked about. this is a conscript army and public commotions will be fired up by the death of some of the young soldiers. our pain from yesterday and today is great. i would like, first of all, to ask for god's mercy on soldiers and policemen that lost their lives in these terrorist attacks. my condolences go to their families and to the nation. nobody should forget that those that have inflicted the pain on us will suffer sharp, severe pain as a consequence.

dodged the strong showing in the general election and raised hopes of a more political approach to the war. the conciliatory gestures have been scarce. hundreds of politicians have since been jailed. armed militants are inflicting a steady toll, even further out of reach. the turkish army has used the mail many times against the nationalist movement without success. now looks set to try again. >> this is newsday on the bbc. >> the headlines. authorities in thailand are struggling to deal with the devastating effects of the worst flooding in decades. the greek parliament has imposed

a new austerity package despite violent protests and a two-day general strike. about 1000 indigenous demonstrators have reached the main city at the end of a two- month march to protest at the building. thousands of people gathered to welcome them and offer support. the protesters said they won't return home until the project is scrapped. >> indigenous protesters have finally arrived. they were a driving thanks to god that has given us energy. >> know what is happy that we had to come here, in order that they respect the right to life and the existence of the

indigenous people. >> they said not even the pope had received such a festive reception. the march has much more serious intentions. they are here to save the way of life from the government was a controversial road projects. >> right now, and the heart of the government, right behind me, the presidential palace where they say they will not leave until they scrapped the construction project altogether. the protesters have endured the heat exhaustion and cold weather. last month, hundreds of police officers violently tried to halt the march. the president insists the highway is needed to integrate

the communities with the rest of the country. the protesters are determined to stay until he changes his mind. >> loyalists fighters and libya are still holding out and colonel gaddafi's compound. the fighting is concentrated on district no. 2. snipers and have inflicted heavy losses on anti gaddafi forces. once a favorite and prosperous has turned into a ghost town. those residents have fled to safety. >> this has been going on for weeks now with little progress. they have the loyalists surrounded. the eventual outcome is not in doubt, but still, his home town is putting up one hell of a fight. the only people left here now

really are the fighters. standing around on street corners or patrolling the streets in their pickup trucks, letting off the odd around. the people in these formerly prosperous apartment blocks have fled. there are still some residents that are holding out. he is a fireman. one night, a rocket came crashing into his home. he panicked and fled with his family to safety. unlike most, he has come back. >> i am worried about my home. if i leave, they might burn my house down the. they left nothing. his relatives told as though she

and the children got caught in the crossfire. tuesday and face the fighting. the only ones left are the foreigners. >> the patients here, when you see them, they are all in the basement, the lobby, they are all there. they are crowded and they needed so much help. >> when the fighting is over, many of those that fled will come back and rebuild the shattered city.

those that stayed behind are realizing that life in his favorite town will never be the same again. >> indonesian security forces have broken up the gathering of hundreds of people that wanted to declare independence and that eastern region. a spokesperson said that a spokesperson -- said that the security forces fired a warning shot outside of the provincial capital. the police have made dozens of arrests, several hundred people were detained. he's he has a new government, but the challenges are immense. >> they are an immense, the new prime minister and the cabinet has taken office five months after the new president. the prime minister was a former aide to bill clinton, and was only the third choice of the post. the government faces a daunting

task not only as the cholera epidemic is described as the worst anywhere in the world, but thousands have felt homeless. >> five months after they elect a president, they now have a government. the prime minister and the 16 ministers were sworn in at the grounds of the national palace. the former aide was the president's third choice, the senate rejected two other candidates. >> ladies and gentlemen, the needs of our people are numerous. we have the general needs of the haitian people. >> and the needs are serious, including a cholera epidemic that has affected half a million. it is the highest rate of cholera in the world. the outbreak came in the wake of last year's massive earthquake that killed glands of thousands.

the hope of setting up a formal government has delayed the reconstruction work. with the infrastructure of government gradually returning, the huge challenge of getting the rest of the country back on its feet must began. >> that is just about it from this bulletin. you like football, right? most men have met to do. >> i love football. >> did you see these pictures? they are ridiculous. did you see what happened in south korea? let me explain to the viewers who why these people are so unhappy. basically theam,

fighting started at one end of the bench. towards the end of this interim, the asian champions, they were upset with the visiting team and we're not going to show you exactly why all these red cards were issued. there was a massive fight that that will tell you about in sports. you have been watching newsday from the bbc. we will take our leave and will be back and if he meant this -- that's with the business asia report. the main news comes from thailand were one-third of the country affecting -- affected by a flood, they are now placed on alert. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. union bank. and shell.

>> this is kim - about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell, we're developing more efficient fuels in countries like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy resources. let's use energy more efficiently. let's go. >> 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.

>> susie: trouble in europ