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>> and now "bbc world news america." >> welcome. these are the headlines. more than 350 inmates are killed in a prison fire in honduras. the president calls it an unacceptable tragedy. iran the lights in the latest advances to its nuclear program. the united states down plays a significant. in syria, voices keep up their attacks on opposition strongholds this by the president's promise of reform. >> up could be to his father, north korea's -- paying tribute to his father, north korea's new leader remembers his father. >> view is on pbs in america and

around the world, this is newsday. hello again. we begin in honduras. the president has -- a huge fire at a jail killed more than 350 inmates. firefighters said many prisoners were burned alive. the president in a town, 80 kilometers from the jail, it was holding quote -- twice the number of inmates. >> for three hours it raged. one of the deadliest prison fires in recent history. prisoners who barely survived the heat and smoke managed to stagger out. hundreds remain trapped inside. guards had not found the keys to many cells in time.

this business said he could hear the screams of people burning. he said the only thing he and his inmates were able to do was to start breaking the roof apart. by the light of day, relatives clamored for information and prayed. this woman said she did not know where her husband was. if he is dead, let god give her strength, she said. not knowing the fate of their loved ones, some had tried to force their way in. they were driven back by police firing teargas. soon, the dead were bought out one by one. it may take months to find out the true numbers. the bodies will be hard to identify. there are reports that the fire was caused by an inmate said in his bed at alike. the president promised an inquiry. the government accept some responsibility.

>> there is no room for trying to avoid responsibility as a country. this is a lesson we have to learn. we cannot assess this, we will not accept this. that is why we have to decode deep into details -- to go deep into details to find out why it happened to avoid it again. >> honduras has the highest murder rate in the world. prisons are overcrowded. there are clashes between rival gang members behind bars. grieving families will now want to know whether the high death toll will push the authorities into action. >> our correspondent has more details from outside the prison. >> almost 24 hours since the

fire broke up. the situation is still one of chaos. bodies have been produced from inside the prison. the remaining prisoners, who the foreign minister just mentioned, being taken away at gunpoint. outside the prison gates, there is still a large group of loved ones, the prisoners loved ones, who are extremely scared and frightened about what will happen to their fathers and their sons. they are complaining they are getting no information. >> take us back 24 hours. tell us about the confusion as the fire started. that was deadly for many of those inmates. >> that is right. you have already heard, there was difficulty getting any form of evacuation plan under way.

there were too many inmates in too small a space. this was chaos. even when they did begin to break out, there was confusion in terms of some of the guards and thinking this was a break at. we have spoken to two different ministers. there are conflicting stories. one sang this was deliberately started. be anr sanying it could electrical fault, which was the original reason. it is still going to take a long time before we know what happened. >> iran has announced two new developments in its nuclear program. iranian made fuel has been loaded into a reactor. he also claims a new generation

of centrifuges are now being used. iran is now mastering the cycle of producing nuclear fuel. the united states downplayed the development. it has described them as high. we report. >> mahmoud ahmadinejad has a ph.d. in traffic management. he likes to play the part of nuclear physicist. he inspected new homemade fuel rods for a research reactor, all made without any help from the west. >> they restrict scientific achievement to themselves, especially advanced science. they have used it to fight humanity. science should be invested in people's well-being and to organize relations. >> the most important of the announcements may be the

installation of 3000 new centrifuges for uranium enrichment. this does not prove that iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. it puts the country in a better position to do so if it chooses. >> if it is true that they have been proved -- producing more centrifuges, that is significant. it means the time line for iran to be able to produce a nuclear weapon is significantly shorter. >> how much shorter is something that negotiators will try to work at. the last time that world powere ands and iran sat down a year ago, they achieved nothing. they now tell the west they are ready to have another go. this is what makes things more urgent. israel accused iran of carrying

out assassination attempts in india, georgia, and thailand. it is a charge denied by iran. it adds to israel posed a sense that iran must be stopped. >> there have been political moves from the syrian president. the troops are still shooting. >> that is right. the syrian city seems to be the latest place to feel the full force of the crackdown against the uprising. it is being shelled as the opposition stronghold has been for nearly two weeks. it makes the search for a diplomatic solution all the more urgent. we have the latest. >> a symbol of a country deep in crisis. it is not the first time a pipeline has been hit. this fire will be hard to put out. the two sides blamed one

another. activists say it was hit by the government. the state tv that it was sabotage by terrorist. it runs close to part of a town that has been heavily bombarded for many days pai. it is not only the central cities that are affected. five soldiers were killed in the north. many similar incidents are reported from all parts of the country, including damascus. they were storming houses and detaining suspected activists. against the turbulent background, assad has ordered a popular referendum on the new constitution finished on sunday. it ends the monopoly of the ruling party. it would allow any president to be reelected only once. russia welcomes the changes made in the new constitution.

>> we believe that the new constitution will and the problems in syria. we believe that introducing the pluralistic basis for the new political system in syria is a welcome idea. >> the syrian opposition and its supporters are unlikely to be convinced. ssad's gard mr. a method as cosmetic. they want to see a resolution that calls on him to go. with humanitarian conditions worsening, the french of trying to get agreement. at the moment, no outside countries are ready to step in. >> a humanitarian corridor to allow -- scandals massacres are taking place. it needs to be pursued by the

security council. >> the western powers and other opposition will be holding a friends of syria meeting just two days before the referendum takes place. with the country in turmoil, it is hard to see how such a big operation could be organized and carried out in such conditions. bbc news, beirut. >> the chinese vice president, xi jinping, who is visiting the united states has called for greater strategic understanding. in the only formal address, he repeated his ideas that china welcomed america's role in asia. he said the country should respect each other's core interests. there is optimism that a decision on a second group bailout will be taken in day. finance ministers have been discussing what more greece has to do.

the greek president says the doubts are an insult to his country. we report. >> above the streets of athens, a gesture of desperation from a woman threatening to jump. she cannot repay a debt. she cannot afford to care for her child. they pulled her back from the edge. greece is on the brink. next, a gesture of empathy. the president gave up his salary. even he is feeling the pressure, lashing out at germany's finance minister who has accused greece of becoming a bottomless pit. >> we all have an obligation to put our backs into it. i cannot accept him except -- insulting my nation. i cannot accept it at a -- as a greek. >> on the street. the germans are figures of hate.

many feel supporting athens may no longer be the best course of action. merkel does not say that. there are big concerns. >> after all of this, we will still be heavily in debt. they will have a debt ratio more than 120% in the year 2020. this is not sustainable. >> the meeting to discuss the greek crisis was downgraded to a teleconference. the finance ministers should have been here finalizing the second bailout. instead, following the phone conversation, they said they hope to do that next week. this is now a question of trust. many of the europe's countries do not believe that athens can influence the needed reforms.

the sense is of european disunion. italy paz of prime minister warned that the debt crisis is the bi -- italy's prime minister warned that the debt crisis is dividing europe. it said it greece. 150,000 public-sector workers will lose their jobs. the minimum wage is being slashed. there is austerity. europe's leaders will pay the bills, but only for as long as having greek in the euro is less painful than booting it out. >> you are watching newsday. still to come, what is lin- sanity? we will find out about the basketball player who has a big following. >> the exhibition that proves art can be rubbish. some ofve a look at

the stories that are making headlines around the world. the front page, it warns iran could cut off all imports to europe. women are losing their jobs at a faster rate than men. that is according to a report in the "independent." the male unemployment is at 1.1 million. one paper investigates what happens after programs face up in russia. the government says it will step in if the number of people testing for hiv prizes. -- rises. queen elizabeth rides to the rescue of the church in her first public engagement to mark the diamond jubilee. the quinn described it church of english -- the queen described the church of england as being misunderstood and underappreciated.

>> this is newsday on bbc. >> the headlines. the president of honduras suspends officials in charge of the national prison system after a fire at a jail kills more than 350 inmates. >> the united states downplays the significance of two major advances in iran's nuclear program. now to the u.s., where two weeks ago jeremy lin was an unknown basketball player sitting on the bench of the new york knicks. now, but papers are full of his images. the post calls his performance thrilling. the new york daily news reads "lin and a prayer."

taiwan has embraced him like a son. >> lin-sanity in action. jeremy lin doing what he does best. scoring crucial point in the last few seconds of the game. helping the knicks win their sixth straight match. the news channels cannot get enough of him. his parents were born in taiwan. although he was born in america, he can speak mandarin and has it taiwan to cook players. the taiwanese consider him a local son. even his relatives have become a hit. there is talk of his father's hometown making him an honorary citizen. one of only a handful of asian players who have made it to the nba. he has become an inspiration to youngsters.

>> we feel very proud. now we will have more opportunities to play in the nba. we will see more and more asians playing in games. >> his success in his studies and sports has also prompted society to rethink their of this is on education. they are considering allowing teenagers to follow their passions. despite all the praise. the man is keen to keep his feet firmly on the ground. >> i think i'm getting used to it a little more. i am spending as much time with my family, then giving me advice. keeping me grounded. helping me with the whole transition. >> jeremy lin is not only popular because of his great moves on the basketball court, he is a source of pride, because

of his taiwanese heritage. it is hoping it will give taiwan's international attention. officials say his popularity is also linked to people's sense of national identity. they want taiwan to be a country, not just a province. >> when he competes, taiwanese bands go on facebook to attend other fans to go to the games. this is helpful for our overall image. it lets everyone know jeremy lin and taiwan are linked. >> it has inspired all of taiwan to believe a small island can achieve anything if it sets its mind to it. bbc news. >> a timely message. many of us being urged to live on less.

an exhibition called "waste not " is the life work of a chinese artist. he collected thousands of objects from his old home when nothing was done away. we asked him about his work. >> it is a long story. >> memory and lost. here are 10,000 items that sum up the life of this man and his mother. linens and quilts, bottles and any household. >> island from my mother, from that generation. -- i learned from my mother, from that generation. >> this is a meditation on the

legacy of the cultural revolution. a time when lessons were learned to make the most of what little you had. the population was urged to destroy anything related to old customs. old ideas and old habits. hanging on to the past would lead to severe consequences. this is a very emotional exhibition for me. there are memories of old times and hard times. i can see so many different objects from my own childhood home. this work is about continuation. his mother died three years ago. this is a way to keep her memory alive and learn more about her and what she lived for. >> each time, it is not only installation, it is the family product. the whole family that works

together, live together. i think art is life. i think this is my favorite object. >> a ton line of one family. a reflection on a generation. maybe a lesson for today, to make do and manage. bbc news in london. >> north korea has been celebrating what would have been the seventh birthday of its former leader, kim jong il. his son of but the celebration that included a flower festival and a military rally. a new statue was also unveiled. it showed kim jong il and his father. for more on that, we are joined from seoul. we know today would have been

his birthday. how are north koreans marking it? >> it was on the eve of his birthday on wednesday. we saw hundreds of senior officials packed into an auditorium, sitting and standing as one, shouting, long live the great leader and his father, the great president. listening to speeches praising kim jong-il, including his achievement of making north korea at a nuclear state. that went on for quite a while. it that was the birthday party, he has also been receiving quite a few gifts. you mentioned the statue. that 6 meter high bronze statue. he has also been given a specially issued series of gold coins printed with his image.

also, a carving, carved into the side of a mountain. lots of ways in which north korea is marking his birthday, not just to honor kim jong-il but to bolster the position of his sons. look at his son. has there been an equivalent of a point of admiration for him? -- of the outpouring of admiration for him? >> there has been a media. lots of stories appearing in the north to prius the media. -- north korea state media. he is being very visible. watching him in that ceremony, he did look very comfortable in his new role. there was one point in which he received a standing ovation. a long standing ovation from the party officials.

he stayed in his seat and he turned and motioned for them to sit down. he does look very comfortable. it is impossible to know, how much power and influence he has over the statement. -- those statesmen. >> how are people saying this from where you are? >> in south korea, people view it the way they feel a lot of state offense, an edge of competition. -- view it the way they beat you a lot of state defense -- they view a lot of state events, and edge of trepidation. >> you have been watching newsday. >> the president of honduras has suspended the officials in charge of the national prison

system after a fire in a jail that killed three and 50 inmates. this is bbc news. >> make sense of international news. 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. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key, strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries.

what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.