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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> welcome to "newsday." i am in singapore. >> i am in london. the headlines. >> reports of an earthquake which has hit new zealand's south island. the reported magnitude is 5.9, and it is near christchurch. north korea says it will accept all south korean delegations wishing to express condolences. >> the prime minister accused of creating a political crisis in iraq after bombs across baghdad kill nearly 70 people. the u.n. appeals for more money to help those harmed in a typhoon washing the southern philippines. >> it is 10:00 a.m. in singapore. >> it is 2:00 a.m. in london.

this is "newsday." >> as we go to air this hour, more reports of an earthquake in new zealand. the u.s. geological survey says an earthquake of 5.9 magnitude struck near the city of christchurch on the south island. there are no immediate reports of damage or casualties. this comes 10 months after a 6.3 earthquake hit the city, killing 180 people. i am joined by phone by a resident of christchurch. can you tell us your experience of this earthquake? >> i was entering a suburban street, getting back into my car, when the earthquake hit. there was violent rocking. i did not know what was going on to start. the car was rocking from side to

side. trees were waving. the poles were waving back and forth with lines going up and down. >> how are residents in the area responding? has there been guidance from local authorities? >> i have just heard there has been an injury in one of the shopping malls. all of the public buildings have been evacuated. the airport as well. they are not letting people off the air plants that have landed. -- airplanes that have landed. people are going about their lives pretty much as usual. a lot of cars are stopped on the road, not surprisingly. there was an aftershock, and the car rocked from side to side.

not as badly as back in february. that was a more violent, shattering effect. this was much more of a rolling effect. >> you are a resident of christchurch. how difficult has it been recovering from the previous earthquakes in the city? >> it has been a long and ongoing crisis. people are suffering here. i do not think there is any doubt about that. people are living in unstable condition in homes which are badly damaged. but people are getting on. there have been, until today, no major shakes, but this was a bit of a shocker. >> how would you say this earthquake compares to the

previous two? you said it did not seem quite as damaging. how do you think it really compares? >> it was certainly -- you certainly felt it. let's put it that way. not quite as strongly as some of the previous ones. it was enough people were coming out of their homes, checking on neighbors to be sure they were ok. i understand in some areas there has been a small amount of liquefaction, where liquid comes out of the ground. that is something we did not know much about until last september. but not as much. i was talking to my wife earlier. some of our ornaments have fallen down and broken. i would not say we are getting used to it, he but the people can take it in stride. >> we will leave it there. a resident of christ church on

the phone with me. you have more news on the earthquake. >> to back up what he was saying to us about liquefaction -- that is silty flood water, which has caused damage in the past. there are reports of some of that occurring. we are talking about structural damage. sadly, the littleton fire brigade is reporting rockfalls around coastal villages. the fire brigade says the damage is limited because of the previous earthquake in february, which destroyed already most of the structures around there which were vulnerable. local radio also reports in christ church that at least one person has been injured. phone services and power have been disrupted. many shops are closing. one of our reporters has also spoken to the civil ministry of defence. they say -- the official word is

the violent shake with aftershocks which are still continuing. no reports of serious damage or injury. the impact of this earthquake is probably -- this is a quotation -- more emotional than physical. it struck midafternoon in christchurch. we will keep you updated. it does seem as if the damage is limited there. violence has returned to the streets of baghdad, with a series of coordinated bombings which killed nearly 70 people and wounded another 200, one of the worst attacks in iraq this year. it is a dangerous political standoff between the president and vice president. tariq al-hashemi says nouri maliki's issue of an arrest warrant is causing a national crisis. >> it was a reminder of the horrors of the past, and a warning of what may loom ahead.

at the height of morning rush- hour, 14 blasts across baghdad. the targets were commuters, the anti-corruption agency, and even a kindergarten. this is the imagery of under rock cast a backward, of the people once again in golfed by violence. in this home, a sleeping family was blasted into wakefulness. >> my baby was sleeping in her bed. other countries are stable. why don't we have security and stability? >> no group has admitted responsibility, but suspicion is falling on the sunni extremists of al qaeda in iraq. baghdad's sectarian boundaries dramatically hardened during the insurgency against the american occupation. militias from the shiite

majority and sunni minority terrorized civilians. today's attacks targeted areas of baghdad where the group's live and work together, a clear attempt to sow sectarian fear and political instability. it comes with a power-sharing agreement designed to and strife unraveling, with a demand by she of prime minister nouri maliki for the arrest of sunni vice president tariq al-hashemi on charges of running hit squads. he in turn accuses shia leaders of trying to monopolize power. >> we have warned that terrorism will continue to be acting in iraq against the people unless the political landscape is corrected, and the political process is corrected and it becomes an inclusive political process. >> the attacks come just four

days since the last american combat troops left iraq, after an assertion by their president that even then sounded hostage to fortune. >> all of this has led to this moment of success. iraq is not a perfect place. it has many challenges ahead. but we are leaving behind a sovereign, stable, and self- reliant iraq. >> the attacks were described as an attempt to derail progress by the white house, which called on politicians to come together. but that would take a will for compromise that has so far been absent. there is now a very real sense of foreboding. bbc news. >> nato aircraft killed two dozen pakistanis soldiers near the border last month. what went wrong? according to the pentagon, it was a combination of an

overarching lack of trust and communication errors between the two sides. pakistan says the u.s. investigation is short on facts. we report from islamabad. >> it was an attack that shocked pakistan. even more because it was perpetrated by an allied. 24 soldiers were killed in the aerial bombardment of a border post by nato forces. for the first time, washington admits those forces made a series of mistakes. >> the loss of life and lack of proper coordination between the forces that contributed to those losses -- we express our deepest regret. we further express sincere condolences to the pakistani people, the pakistani government, and most importantly, the families of the soldiers who were killed or wounded. >> 823-year-old was one of the

soldiers who lost his life in the assault. his father says nothing will make room for give the americans. "if i had the means, "says, "i would set the whole of america on fire." his son was killed. his only thought is to destroy the home of his killers. the attack caused public perception of the u.s. to fall to a new low. huge demonstrations were held. the government stopped some cooperation with washington in protest. the key question is whether the acknowledgement by the americans that they made mistakes that led to the killing of pakistanis soldiers is going to be enough to get the diplomatic relationship back on track. many in washington feel it is nearly impossible to win the war in afghanistan unless pakistan is back on its side. crucially, the u.s. are hoping

pakistan will reopen supply routes to coalition troops. the main arteries of fuel and military essentials into afghanistan were blocked after the attack. trucks were not allowed across the border. the feeling is pakistan won't need further concessions before it lets them through. -- will need further concessions before it lets them through. washington implied they acted in self-defense when attacked, and that angered people here. it has been a turbulent year for a u.s.-pakistan relations. levels of trust on both sides are poor. to some, the trust can never be rebuilt. bbc news, islamabad. >> live from singapore and london,, still to come on the program. the fear of disease mounts in the southern philippines. unicef appeals for more money to help the thousands who need homes. >> racist and xenophobic.

turkey condemns the bill passed in french parliament making it a crime to deny the armenian genocide. in the wake of the worst unrest in kazakhstan in years, the president has announced he will dismiss his son-in-law. at least 16 people died in clashes with police last week. we report. >> this footage appears to have been filmed from a building overlooking the main square on december 16. it shows riot police opening fire on protesters. the video is accompanied by female voices speaking in causal -- in kazak. the footage was posted on youtube and has not been verified. it shows killings. speaking to journalists on wednesday, the commanders where a state of emergency has been declared, said the video is

being investigated. in an interview to radio free europe, the ambassador to the united states described the footage of a shocking. >> these were shocking video images. i cannot tell you specifics about this, how this came to be, who made the video, etc. at the very top level, i am reassured that this and other similar attacks will be eradicated. >> the president has supported the conduct of the police and said they acted within the law. this has been the deadliest unrest to hit kazakhstan since independence from the soviet union 20 years ago. authorities have tried to restrict news coverage, but in the age of internet, it may

prove hard to stop information escaping the troubled town. bbc news, kazakhstan. >> this is "newsday." i am in singapore. >> i am in london. the headlines. an earthquake of 5.9 magnitude has struck near christchurch on the south island of new zealand. >> north correa says it will accept all south korean delegations wishing to express condolences for the death of its leader, kim jong-il. let us stay with that story, because of the message posted on the official website. steps have been taken to open all air and land routes. south korea has sent sympathies to the north, although it has also put its troops on alert. for more, let us go live to the south korean capital of seoul.

will the south koreans take up the offer of living mourners go to the north? >> i have spoken to some government officials this morning who have said they are not changing their status at the moment. they have allowed individual families to go north to express condolences, because they say those families had north korean condolences when members of their families died. they are saying there may be a small number of officials who will travel with those two families to north korea. apart from that, no other south koreans are being allowed to go. the president was quoted as saying it is important they do not waver on this issue, because it could cause internal division within south korea. this new statement on the web site -- this invitation is putting a lot of pressure on the government.

>> it does seem to add complexity to the relationship already. what does it say about relations between the two since the death of kim jong il? >> there were two statements on this web site. it is not the direct mouthpiece of the north korean government, but it is seen to be one of the mouthpieces the government uses. the statement said that it would invite all south koreans to come and express their condolences, that north korea will open land and air routes from south korea to north korea to try to facilitate that. it will guarantee the safety of all south koreans to come to the north. in a separate editorial, there is a strongly worded statement which says that south korean government needs to carefully consider the grave implications of its decision. inter-korean relations are in a great divide.

as a result of this decision, they can heal or come to a complete and. this is the very early days after kim jong-il. north korea is firmly putting the ball in south korea's court. >> we will leave it there. our correspondent in seoul. an advance team of observers from the arab league has arrived in syria after reports of increasing violence. they intend to oversee a peace plan and force withdrawal of troops from the streets and release of all prisoners. but the violence goes on. in the latest incident, at least four civilians are reported killed. palestinian faction hamas, which governs gaza, is to join the palestinian liberalization organization. they reached an agreement with rival fatah, which is in power in the west bank.

the deal follows three days of talks in cairo. it is an advance toward palestinian reconciliation. u.s. representatives are to vote on a bipartisan deal to extend a payroll tax cut. leader john boehner has agreed to hold a vote on friday. there is a precision -- a provision to help small businesses attached. it was passed by the senate last saturday and has exposed deep divisions among republicans. the united nations has issued an appeal for $28 million in aid for the philippines, following the devastating storm that killed more than a thousand people. the government has said more than a thousand people are still missing. it hit the southern island. thousands have been left homeless. there is growing concern of possible outbreaks of disease among those living in evacuation centers. i am joined on by the mayor of one of the worst

affected towns. can you tell us about the situation in your town? >> right now, we are so busy in dealing with 17 evacuation centers we have established all over the city. we have about 70,000 residents that are directly affected. right now, we have about 20,000 evacuees in these 17 rehabilitation centers. we are also attending to the retrieval of more than 300 missing in our city alone. we want as soon as possible to resettle people back to their homes, especially those in areas

where they can rebuild their homes. it is a priority. we do not want people to go back to danger zones or near the river. there would still be danger imposed upon them. right now, we are very overwhelmed with support of the people in our country, in our city, and around the world. but this is the worst tragedy and nightmare we have ever experienced. we are trying our very best to attend to the needs, especially of our more than 20,000 evacuees. they need food, clothing, water, medicines, milk, hygiene kits, and so many things. but we do not want to have these

evacuation centers stay a long time. we are now concentrating on the resettlement, so they can have their homes back and go on with their lives. >> thank you very much for that. that was the mayor of iligan. you have more on the fact that turkey is angry with paris. >> that came after the french parliament decided to make it a criminal offense to deny the ottoman turks committed genocide against armenians almost a century ago. the turkish prime minister said the move would open grave and irreparable wounds in the relationship with france. >> a long time ago in a distant land, whipping up the fashion -- the passion in paris. these are pro-turkish demonstrators outside the national assembly. they want to know why french lawmakers want to be able to

send people to prison for a year if they say there was no such thing as an armenian genocide. >> i do not know what they have against us. this armenian issue is a century old. what is this about? it is just creating tension. >> everyone agrees that hundreds of thousands of armenians and died under ottoman rule in 1915. the question is how, and with what degree of organization. 10 years ago, the french past an initial law that states that what happened was a genocide. now, for the new law's supporters, they are taking the logical next step. just as with the jewish holocaust, it makes it illegal to deny that genocide. >> would you except that germany denies the shoah? no. why should we accept that from turkey?

>> turkey is furious. ministers in ankara who call the law an attack on the national honor, and there are threats of economic sanctions. >> efforts to gain votes using anti-turkish and anti-islamic feeling to win a presidential election raises concern not only in the name of france, but also in the name of europe. >> it is not just the turks who feel this lot is inopportune. many senior french politicians believe it is gesture politics, with potentially devastating consequences. in the end, there were only about 50 deputies in the chamber to vote it through, a reflection of the unease the bill has created. opponents hope it will get bogged down in parliamentary procedure, which is possible. even if it does, the damage to franco-turkish relations is

already considerable. bbc news, paris. >> you have been watching "newsday." >> just a reminder of our main news. reports of an earthquake in new zealand measuring 5.9 magnitude, striking near the city of christchurch on the country's south island. importantly, no immediate reports of damage or casualties. the depth of the quake was about 4 kilometers, with the epicenter about 25 kilometers east-northeast of christchurch. it is the third major quake to strike the area this year alone. of course, in february, about 181 people were killed in a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. local residents say this earthquake was violent, and there are no reports of any major damage or injuries.

that is the good news. this is bbc news. >> 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 strength to work for a wide range of financial companies. what can we do for you? >> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles.