>> 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. >> 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?

>> and now, "bbc world news." >> tehran alert on capitol hill. police in washington arrest a man they claim was going to carry out a bombing. authorities seized trillions of dollars in fake u.s. treasury bonds. rupert murdoch is launching a new british sunday newspaper. welcome to "bbc world news.' horror on the slopes as the dutch prince is buried under an avalanche and is seriously injured. we have a special report on how corruption is affecting the needy in siberia.

police and the united states have arrested a man they say was planning to detonate explosives in the u.s. congress building. they said a man of moroccan descent was detained in case the operation. >> the u.s. congress and just a few blocks away, the parking garage where amine el khalifi was arrested. he was wearing a vest the believed contained explosives from al qaeda but in fact it was harmless, supplied by undercover fbi agents. all part of a sting operation involving pages that had been monitoring him for more than a year. -- involving agents that had been monitoring him for more than a year. he appeared in court in virginia charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to detonate a bomb. if convicted, he faces life in

prison. this is the latest in a series of similar operations. law-enforcement officials say at no time was there a threat to the public or the u.s. congress. >> and telling police say they have seized fake u.s. bonds worth six trillion dollars in what they believe is the biggest counterfeit operation of its kind. this equals half of the entire u.s. national debt. >> they are calling this the largest ever seizure of its kind, fake u.s. treasury bonds worth a staggering six trillion dollars. and enough, the italian prosecutors say, to endanger the stability of the international credit system. it has emerged that the bonds were found in the stocks in a warehouse in zurich back in

january. using phone tap information, the italian police helped their colleagues make the find. this was a sophisticated plot that folded across several countries. the italian authorities began unraveling in it a year ago. they were investigating a mafia group for loan sharking. fake bombs were found in a raid on a suspect's home and they realized that the gang had the grandest ambition. -- a fake bonds were found in a raid in a suspect some. >> a bomb has been detonated in pakistan. local officials said that the blast was targeting shia muslims. the german president christian wulff has resigned after it the

parliament asked the courts to strip him of his immunity. he claimed he had always acted honestly. rupert murdoch has confronted the growing crisis of his media empire by telling staff that he is launching a new newspaper. this comes after he was forced to close the news of the world newspaper. he told staff that a senate version of "the sun" would be appearing soon. -- people staff that sunday version would be appearing. >> mr. murdoch landed late last night in britain, the troublesome outpost of his global media empire. the expectation that he was here to reassure the tabloid troops.

driven at speed to avoid our cameras, he must have known what was coming. in the last month, nine journalists past and present have been arrested in connection with alleged payments for stories. information has been passed to the police by a news corp. committee. perhaps to boost morale, before stepping into the newsroom here, rupert murdoch gave a staff two pieces of news. first, arrested staff had been suspended would be able to return to work. a new son on sunday would be published soon. this helped to lift morale. these photographs were all smiles. the staff knows that a committee and another part of the news corp. is charged with handed over any evidence to the police. >> i feel completely betrayed.

i feel that we have been thrown to the wolves. this is a company that bet on placating the growing hostility among the american investors and this is cynical in exactly the same with the closure of the "news of the world" was. "the sun" is part of me, he said. he said that illegal activity cannot and will not be tolerated. he did stress that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. no one has even been charged. as for the sunday "sun" this is the reaction from a phone hacking victim. >> this is completely ludicrous. they say they're trying to drain the swamp. i don't see how this will not bring forth a creature we don't want to see on the streets.

>> rupert murdoch stressed his involvement with british tabloids. >> everyone that i have talked to thinks that the newspaper will be sold shortly after rupert murdoch stepped aside or dies. that is a reality people are facing. people have always felt a very protected by murdoch. this changes that dynamic and it puts them in a situation where it is either their reputation or his. >> as rupert murdoch left the building, his staff was fearful of the weekend. saturday has become a favorite day for police to raid a journalist homes. >> it was best foot forward in paris as the british prime minister met the french president for a summit aimed at patching up their differences

over europe. new defense agreements were signed and david cameron said that the relationship had never been stronger. david -- nicolas sarkozy said the differences had never been personal. >> it was not so long ago that the french president advised david cameron to shut up and called him obstinate. today's meeting was a time for smiles and compliments. david cameron began by wishing the man he called his friend all the best with his reelection campaign. >> i admire his leadership and courage. >> not quite an endorsement but president sarkozy was in a generous mood. >> i speak from the heart when i say i wish to pay tribute to the prime minister. >> the prime minister, who was joined by members of the cabinet, said that britain and france have enjoyed the closest relationship since world war ii.

the two leaders had been close allies over libya and david camera does david cameron gave a warship shell from that operation. they expressed their frustration they cannot do more over syria. >> i am not satisfied that we're taking all of the action that we need to. >> the message was that if the united, it would be easier to help them. >> tell us how we can help you and that is what we will do. >> a meeting made clear that the conditions were not right for foreign intervention. >> the issue that complicates this relationship is europe. president sarkozy said that he understood that the british had read lines over europe and david cameron believes that the relationship was strong enough to get over the pump in the road. >> there had been frosting is

between the two leaders after david cameron used his veto in brussels. president sarkozy conceded he would have defended british interests in the same way. >> i have always been of the view that europe needs britain. >> the strength of the relationship is that you can have disagreements and then be able to work together on all of the areas you agree. >> their vision of europe is different. this meeting underlined a deepening relationship between the two countries. >> pakistan has told afghanistan that it is preposterous to think is, but can deliver the taliban leaders to the negotiating table. there is also comments about ridiculous expectation in the

peace talks. there were talks that included the iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad. >> if there is to be peace in afghanistan, pakistan has to be on side. the public message is that there is now harmony. afghan delegates said that their president fought with his counterpart. they said that pakistan was not doing enough. as much as possible, they will do whatever president karzai asks. >> let him tell us what he wants. if you are asking us to get at the together group on the table, it would be not possible. >> the summit was dominated by this man. president mahmoud ahmadinejad

released the opportunity to speak on an international platform. he talked of the west's determination to control and suppress the region and said it was foreign interference that caused all the problems here. pakistan, afghanistan, iran has made a pledge to stand united. he got the photo opportunity he wanted as well. here in pakistan, there is undoubtedly support for iran and its nuclear endeavors. >> what we are supporting is that they are right to pursue the nuclear strategies in which they say are peaceful. >> we are a nuclear power as well. if we have more nuclear power in the world, this will kind of balance it in a way. >> at a time when washington is

trying to persuade other countries to put more pressure on tehran over its nuclear program, they agreed to go ahead with a deal to buy billions of dollars worth of gas from iran. that and today's show of brotherly affection have made many very nervous. >> this is "bbc news," still ahead -- how armed robbers sell priceless -- stole priceless objects from a museum in libya. the home secretary is to travel to jordan to discuss the deportation of a radical islamic cleric. britain would like to remove him because he is a threat to national security. this has been blocked by the european court of human rights. a woman was found in a lake with

her grandson. officers said that a search had been carried out after the mother of the boy contacted police. the price of diesel has reached a record high prompting calls for an official investigation into fuel prices across the country. the average price which is $1.43 pence a leader is disastrous for motorists. -- the average price is 1 pound 43 pence a liter. this is "bbc news" these are the headlines -- american police have arrested a man who allegedly wanted to blow himself up near the congress building. 8 people had been detained over the discovery of six trillion dollars worth of fake u.s. treasury bonds. to greece where armed robbers

have taken dozens of ancient artifacts from the museum in libya, the birthplace of the olympic games. there have been cuts to the museum posts by the government. >> one of greece's most treasured sides reduced to a crime scene. ancient olympia where the first 11 games took place, the old museum the subject of a violent armed robbery. two men led the heist, threatening the it -- tying up a female employee before ransacking the place. this place has been cordoned off as the investigation goes on. a senior member of staff warned the government that budget cuts have reduced the personnel to the point at which the museum could no longer be assured. the mayor says there is a direct link between what happened today and greece's financial crisis.

the significant cuts have an impact. we don't have an of staff to guard the museum. what we have here belongs to the whole world. this is also the responsibility of the international community to look after it appeared to the minister of culture came to the scene. he tendered his resignation. the thieves are thought to have seized around 70 bronze objects. they are a huge archaeological importance of not great monetary value. the investigation continues, forensics examining the scene. this raises more questions about museum security just weeks after the national gallery in athens was burgled and a picasso was taken there. greece is left wondering whether the economic crisis is taking its toll on its ancient treasures. >> a member of the dutch royal family has been seriously injured after being buried by an avalanche in the austrian alps.

he is the second son of the queen and he was on a skiing holiday. >> it happened here in the heart of the austrian alps. he was on a family holiday at the time. they often spent their winter breaks at the ski resort which is popular with the rich and famous. it was around lunchtime when the avalanche struck. reports from the resort say he was trapped under the snow for about 50 minutes. he was eventually rescued, resuscitated, and brought here to the intensive care unit. surgeons say the prince has stabilized but he is not out of danger yet. his wife and the queen are by his side. it is likely to be a few days before doctors are able to give

a clear assessment of his condition. presidential election takes place in two weeks from now. vladimir putin is expected to return to the top job but there is evidence of public anger which will cost him some support. we have traveled to siberia to see how the lives of rich and poor are being blighted by crooked officials. >> this woman is caring for her father in the last few days of life. he fought for his country in the second world war but even he became a victim of the corruption. when vladimir putin promised all veterans a home of their choice, corrupt officials stole half of the money he had been given and he ended up in a tiny

flat with his wife and daughter, all living and sleeping in this room. he had no choice and no dignity in death. >> no one asks him what he wanted. they just gave him this. everything keeps falling apart. >> his dream had been to spend his last days in one of the traditional wooden houses in his siberian village but that was taken from him. local officials threatened his family for talking to journalists. he died a few days later. >> the corruption as russia is like fascism. when they are stealing from war veterans, this really is fascism. sometimes, even fascists treat people like people while these officials have no boundaries. >> in the nearest big city, fury

at the corruption has started to spillover. people don't his plan corrupt officials, many blame moscow. there is so much disillusionment with the russian government that back in december, vladimir putin's united russia party was beaten into second place by the communists in every part of the city. russia's corruption contagion can affect anyone, rich or poor. this man is a wealthy executive but his son was arrested for dealing drugs which seem to have been planted. his father has been asked to pay a bribe to set him free. >> i get the impression that nobody cares about people. they only care about themselves. >> all of this corruption makes people feel powerless, like

these campaigners. no, to corruption, their banners screen. they even wrote to vladimir putin but he never rode back. in this city, they're preparing to punish him in the election. >> thousands of passengers have been stranded after the budget airline carrier air australia with a bust on friday. the airline could not afford to refuel one of their flames. >> just three months after the budget airline took off, the honeymoon is over. more than 4000 passengers were left stranded in thailand, honolulu, and around australia when the company canceled all of the flights. >> there is no one to help us or any thing.

>> the alarm bells rang when the airline cannot afford to refill one of their planes. they went straight into voluntary administration. >> my concern is not only for the working people caught up in this circumstance but also the passengers that were called up. i want to say to the administrators that they need to do everything they can to ensure people who have been passengers with this airline get back home. >> tehran australia was pitched as the airline to rival qantas. -- air australia was pitched as the airline to rival qantas. qantas is coming to the rescue for its passengers.

>> i was only there for a couple of days. >> once passengers are dealt with, the ministry is will be searching for a buyer. >> this is a growing concern, can we find a white knight? >> the 300 staff are counting on it. >> two scientific studies will show how the bird flu virus may be deliberately mutated and they will not be published for the time being at least. security officials have demanded the ban. they believe that it could be used as a biological weapon by terrorists. >> a farm in vietnam earlier this week and the authorities fight another outbreak of bird flu. the virus has claimed more than 300 lives in a dozen countries so far. the big worry is whether it will mutate and be able to start at pandemic which raises a really

challenging question, how best to tackle it. today in geneva, emergency talks discussed the latest research but scientists have deliberately engineered the virus to see how it can get past between people. they have called that work to allow for a public debate. >> there is the concern that viruses could be purposely missed used by a group or purposely created to cause trouble. >> the scientists believe it is vital to investigate at how the virus could become more dangerous. they are also looking to help other researchers develop a vaccine. the editor of a leading journal told the bbc she wanted to publish the details. >> from the standpoint of advancing knowledge that helps us to defend ourselves against future pandemic publishing has bought many advantages. >> there is a dispute over how

to fight the virus and the fundamental debate about science and censorship. on one hand, a basic principle of science is to share findings. that is how progress is made. on the other hand, there are fears that key details to get into the wrong hands. in 2001, and sex was used -- anthrax was used in the united states. scientists say that what is more dangerous is the potential mutations that the bird flu virus can go through. >> we need to make ourselves aware of what it is that with the virus more dangerous. >> in the vietnam, they are vaccinating chickens against the virus. this is a real threat. there is not yet been agreed strategy on how science should respond.

>> you are watching "bbc news," thank you for your company. >> 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. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and 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.