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>> and now "bbc world news." >> welcome to "newsday" on the bbc. france's president nicolas sarkozy calls for national unity. the man who carried out a spate of murders was killed by a police sniper while trying to escape. >> a mass protest in florida over the shooting of a black teenager by crime watch volunteer. and the coroner says that heart disease and cocaine played their part in the death of whitney houston. >> broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world, this is "newsday."

hello, and welcome. the french president has appealed for national unity and the wake of the 32-hour siege which ended with the death of the law, the merah, wanted for the killing of seven people. nicolas sarkozy says that french muslims have nothing to do with the motivations of the monster and should not be stigmatized. >> the final act of the most dramatic siege at that lasted over 30 hours. it was thought mohammed merah took his own life, but as the police moved in to clear the apartment, there came the most intense and sustained rounds of gunfire that signaled a ferocious shooting. this is merah fooling about in his car. he was a 23-year-old criminal with a string of convictions for robbery and violence, a french

citizen trained in afghanistan who claimed he had orders from al qaeda. he negotiated with the police, but he said it was against his conscience to surrender and all communication stopped. there were attempts to break his resolve, several times flash grenades thrown at the apartment. with no response through the night, the decision was taken to send in an elite commandos. they entered through the front, blowing off the door. using special fiber-optic cameras, they picked their way slowly through the apartment, trying to locate merah, until they reached the balcony. suddenly, he appeared, armed with a colt 45 handgun, opening fire. two policemen were injured. merah advanced from the bathroom and jumped from one of these ground-floor windows, wearing a bulletproof vest, firing wildly. outside, a marksman shot him dead. merah had finished exactly as he

wanted, and a ferocious battle with the police and with a gun in his hand. in three separate and. attacks, he had killed seven people. three soldiers from a parachute regiment. on monday, three children and a rabbi at a jewish school. the police say he confessed and negotiations that his only regret was not killing more. the film his attack, reveling in the gruesome, appalling way that he executed each victim. he said he had been radicalized in prison and had begun reading the koran, but he did not show any sign of fundamentalism, although he was violent with other prisoners and had attempted suicide. he had also traveled to afghanistan alone, and later it emerged and self and extremist websites. he burglarized houses to raise enough money to buy an extraordinary amount of weapons.

today, nicolas sarkozy told the nation an inquiry is under way to find his accomplices, and every person who goes on websites that glorify terrorism he said will be punished by law. for the president facing reelection, it is a successful conclusion. through the week, he has been center stage in the crisis, overseeing the biggest manhunt france has ever known. questions have been asked today by his own foreign minister. how did the domestic intelligence agency lose track of such a violent criminal who had traveled to afghanistan and was already on their radar as a dangerous fundamentalist? officials in the u.s. have confirmed that the american soldier is to be charged with the murders of 17 civilians in afghanistan earlier this month. staff sergeant robert bales is accused of shooting dead nine children and eight adults in their homes in kandahar province. the government has demanded that

he go on trial in afghanistan. a big rally has been taking place in the american state of florida by protesters demanding the arrest of a crime much volunteer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager almost four weeks ago. the police chief of the city where the killing took place temporarily step down from office amidst the uproar over his handling of the case. our correspondent reports. >> in memorial to trayvon martin, close to the spot where he died. the 17-year-old carrying a bag of scandals and a drink when at george zimmerman shot him. the gatti committee takes security seriously, but what happened is now a national issue. >> you think he is yelling help? >> yes. >> there are gunshots. >> it reads as a calls from

residents captured the drama of the evening but left questions hanging in the air. who attacked who? why did mr. zimmerman feel the need to shoot? did the police respond correctly? this south african american community feels they know enough already. they come with stories of police brutality and corruption. >> it is getting out of hand. there are too many young people who have died. >> they believe that it is part of a long, dishonorable tradition. this person is as angry as the next, but he is not impressed with his community's response. >> it is almost reflexive to just protest, rally, have reverend al sharpton come to town. at the end of the day, we need a 21st century solution to the 21st century problems. >> for now, it is mostly about

sound and fury. on wednesday, protesters gathered outside of the office that issues gun permits. they wanted mr. zimmerman's office revoked. many think that florida's gun laws are also at fault. the author of a thick book on the subject says they're getting it wrong. >> a lot of people are upset, understandably so, and they have the right to be, but it is not the law that is the problem in this case, it is whether george zimmerman it acted lawfully or unlawfully. >> preparations are underway for the rally that was to be held in a nearby church, but organizers have moved it here because they fear -- they feel there will be a big turnout. al sharpton has a reputation for fiery rhetoric, but this is a place where the emotions are already wall. he may want to tread carefully. there is growing international banker over events

in mali? >> that is right, strong international condemnation over mali troops that have to overthrow the government. the u.n. security council has added its voice, calling for a return to constitutional rule, and the world bank and african development bank say they are suspending some operations. mali is considered a relatively peaceful country, so there is a surprise at the developments. >> this is the group of meekness soldiers who say they have added the role of the president and suspended the constitution. at half past 4:00 local time, this group of renegade soldiers appeared on state television to announce the end of what they call an incompetent regime. >> in the name of the armed forces and defense of mali, we

have assumed the responsibilities by putting an end to the incompetence and discredited regime. >> this is the dramatic culmination of a chaotic 24 hours. it started when angry soldiers took to the streets and began exchanging fire with forces guarding the presidential palace. >> we heard gunfire and people started to run. we had no idea what was happening. >> the president has fled the presidential palace and his whereabouts are not clear. from the official account, they said there is no coup in mali, just a beat me. if it succeeds, the coup will add a new layer of insecurity to the country. the country is already battling insurrection in the north, the spread of support for al qaeda, and a flood of weapons traffic

from libya since the fall of muammar gaddafi. for weeks, the army has asked for better weapons to fight rebels who they say have been bolstered by heavily armed ethnic allies to fall on muammar gaddafi's side and return to mali. this is the reason they give for the coup. the president, seen here attending a summit, had already agreed to stand down, and a presidential election was due in just under a month. supporters have been closed. they say they have arrested several supporters and top military officers. a curfew has been declared. the big question for the people of mali, who is in charge? the soldiers said they will hand power to democratically elected government. what they have not said is win or how. -- when or how.

a team searching the wreck of the cruise ship costa concordia have found five more bodies, discovered in a particularly hard to reach areas of all more than two months after the vessel sank. this brings to 30 the number of bodies found in the wreck. two people remain unaccounted for. the u.n. security council has demanded troops be withdrawn from the syrian city. these latest pictures reportedly show explosions and gunfire in the area of aoms. -- areas of homs. still to come on this program -- putting style into sport. a new olympic kit, with help from a designer. the government has been dealing with an angry backlash against its announcement made in

the budget that it is freezing the threshold upon which the pensioners pay income tax. david miliband describes it as outrageous and accuses the chancellor of targeting pensioners. they said it amounted to a relatively modest tax increase of .25%. the ministry of defense has named a soldier killed in afghanistan thursday. he is 24 years old from the 2nd battalion regiment, killed when he was struck by a blast from it improvised explosive device. 5 metropolitan police officers have been injured, not four of them seriously after being attacked. they were making an arrest in east london when the attack happened. the officers are being treated in the hospitals. the dog has been destroyed.

you are watching " newsday." >> the headlines this hour -- nicolas sarkozy has called for national unity after the 32-hour siege in to lose and it. >> and mass protests in florida over the fatal shooting of an armed black teenager by a neighborhood watch volunteer. -- of an unarmed black teenager by a neighborhood watch volunteer. amistad and with that right by the protestors demanding the arrest of the crime much volunteer who shot dead the on armed teenager four weeks ago, discussing the possible consequences of the case. we will speak with joe hicks, who was a civil rights leader during the l.a. riots of 1992. joe, do you think with the stepping down of mr. lee, is bad

enough to palm tensions? or is it not enough at the moment, tensions are so flared? >> i don't think it will be enough. it is clear the parents of the young mr. martin are looking for the arrest of mr. zimmerman. they think the police have dropped the ball. it may have momentarily calmed the waters come up there looking for far more. they think they're being treated unfairly as far as mr. zimmerman remaining free, outside of arrest. >> what should be done? this was all about george zimmerman not being charged, but there was some question about the "stand your ground" law. effectively, it was not wrong for mr. zimmerman to be arrested? >> the "stand your ground" law is part of a larger law that allows people to defend themselves with weapons inside of their homes.

the "stand your ground" law is in addition to that that says that you could use lethal force us out of your home and you could not have to be retreating, you can be pursuing somebody who you felt was a threat to your self in terms of a deadly threat. it is interesting, though, because the drafters of this law in florida contend that what mr. zimmerman apparently may have done is outside of the guidelines of this law and they think he is subject to prosecution. but it complicates things. that may be one of the reasons why the local police in stanford, fla., did not arrest him immediately. they admit themselves they have pretty much dropped the ball here. but things are heating up. there are a number of investigations that are moving forward. we are all watching this carefully. >> joe, we're coming upon the

20th anniversary of the l.a. riots and the timing is very tense. >> well, yes. i am not sure what the exact parallels are. it is clear that ballet was a unique circumstance, a black motorist beaten by the los angeles police that the entire world saw the video. in stanford, fla., there is no video, but there is audio of the 911 call. a kind of depends on what happens here. will mr. zimmerman be arrested in the next few days or not? will the grand jury investigation also call for prosecution of this man? also, there is the justice department that has got involved at a very high level. it is not as if the law enforcement or justice system is turning a blind eye. in los angeles, the belief on the part of some activists was the police were let free, they were exonerated for the beating,

initially, of rodney king, and that inflame but what some people. i did not believe that will be the case in florida. i have yet to hear anybody with any credibility who seems to think that what mr. zimmermann did was somehow proper, even with this law that exists in florida. >> joe hicks, thank you very much for your time, a civil rights leader during the l.a. riots 20 years ago. the official kick for britain's olympic team has been unveiled in london. the outfits created by fashion designer are mainly blue, with a touch of red and white. david bahn reports. >> it was more london fashion week in london olympics. the new kit was unveiled, all under the watchful eye of its famous designer, stella mccartney. even for mccarthy, it was a big challenge, come up with a kit

for 800 athletes. after the show, she told me why she wanted to put her label on the team. >> i am really excited about the games. you could really feel it. i was born here and i work here every day, and you really feel it on the streets and the city itself. after presenting it like that, you get the energy. >> not everyone was excited about her take on the union flag, with different shades of blue suit in place of read. she tried to make a fashion statement. >> when you look at it, you read it as the flag. it is very recognizable still. i definitely represented all of the different parts of great britain within their, with a lot of red, used in a very bold way. >> most olympic athletes do not

get the chance to see this much glitz and camera so often -- plots and glamour so often. the fear is that by spending time on the catwalk, they jeopardize their chances of getting medals. >> we need to be at our peak level because the rest of the world is. >> up with the game's getting closer, today's launch it showed how the hype and expectation is growing for britain's athletes. in july, most people will more rate -- will worry more about what they're winning and less about what they're wearing. whitney houston's death was caused by accidental drowning, but heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors. the announcement ends weeks of speculation about what killed the singer. her body was found submerged in a bath at a hotel in beverly hills last month. peter is in los angeles.

pockets through the coroner's findings. >> the finding is she died as a result of drowning, but that she did have some heart disease and that she was a chronic user of cocaine. those final two factors, according to the corner, may have contributed to occurred death. they're saying it is not absolutely possible to say if she had a heart attack on the day she died. she may have, and that may have facilitated the drowning, but the official cause of death is an accidental, and the ultimate cause of death, the reason she stopped breathing was because she drowned. >> other substances were found in her system? >> yes, a number of prescription medications were found in her system, and they were also found in the room, the bottles, the paraphernalia that goes with the medications, but not found in significant quantities. there had been some speculation

that prescription drugs may have played a role in her death. that seems to have been discounted to a large extent, although the full report has not been released yet. we're likely to get that in the next few days or weeks, a very detailed report, including the quantities of the various drugs, including cocaine found in her body. >> this is a very tragic ending to what was an incredibly glittering career at one point. >> it was a hugely tragic ending to a very strong career. in recent years she had not been doing so well. problems with drug and alcohol had been well documented, but clearly a superstar in her time. pro-family released a short statement in the wake of the results from the corner, saying they are saddened by the results of the toxicology tests, but to bring some closure after her death. >> peter, thank you.

a group of people largely loyal to beijing will pick the man who will run hong kong on sunday. far from being a stable leadership tradition, this is the most exciting political race hong kong has ever had, from accusations that infidelity to corruption to a notoriously illegal basement pleasure palace, the mudslinging rages on. and the surprising scandals are only feeling demands for greater democracy. >> the streets of hong kong, filled with demands for democracy. demonstrations large and small are common sights these days. the city is gearing up for a major election, one marked by scandals and decided by a small group of voters, not directly by the people. but the desire for universal suffrage is strong.

at the secondary school, they're preparing for what most hong kong residents do not have the right to do. they are deciding in a mock election which of these three men is the best candidate to run the city. every student has a chance to cast their ballot. for this 16-year-old, this is far better than having an election committee of just 1200 members voting. >> they are given the right to choose the chief executive, but the decision they're going to make cannot represent all hong kong people. that is why it is very unfair. >> the city wide school vote was orchestrated by this pollster, who says hong kong residents have not been this politically motivated in years. >> people are interested in participating, voicing their ideas, so the opinion polls we are doing has attracted more

attention than before. >> the people of hong kong have completely up and it was supposed to be a carefully choreographed election. instead, this has become the liveliest political race the city has ever seen. that has forced some of the candidates into a rather uncomfortable positions. in a live debate, the front runner apologized for his personal failings. his rival defended himself against accusations of personal failings. any race not decided by the public, all three sought popular support by touting the importance of one person, one vote. back at the school, the students are taking a break from voting. the election has ignited demands for more rights. so they're trying to hold

beijing accountable to promises of universal suffrage in five years' time. some dramatic video of a helicopter crash in afghanistan. take a look at this. the u.s. apache helicopter just missed the top of a building as it flies low over an outpost in the southeast of the country. but it started to gain altitude before something goes wrong again and the helicopter veers wildly out of control and crashes into the mountains, or red ounces. remarkably, the two men on board survived and nobody on the ground was injured. you have been watching "newsday" on bbc. >> french president nicolas sarkozy has appealed for national unity following a 32- hour siege which ended with the death of muhammed merah, the gunmen wanted for the killing of several people in recent weeks. there is more on our website.

the key for watching. -- thank you for watching. >> 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 use their expertise in global finance to guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our extended global network to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?

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