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>> and now "bbc world news." >> hello and welcome. >> police clashed with protesters in spain and heads of government plans to cut spending. george galloway it wins a landslide victory in the u.k. by-election, beating labor. >> furious as prices are set to soar by a third. burma's out for democracy signal a shift in power. it is 11:00 in the morning in singapore. >> it is 4:00 in the morning in london. broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world. this is "newsday."

>> hello and welcome. spanish police have fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd in barcelona during demonstrations backing a general strike. on friday, but the reforms will be announced -- budget reforms will be announced. spain is in its second recession and has the highest level of unemployment in the eu. our direct editor since this report from madrid. >> -- r europe editor said this report from madrid. >> spanish unions are angry over plants making it easier to hire and fire workers, angry with austerity cuts. protesters burned to block roads. in barcelona, rioters threw rocks at banks and started fires. the police responded with rubber bullets. support for the strike is patchy, but hundreds of

thousands joined the demonstration in madrid tonight. spain is currently the country causing most concern in the euro zone. the eu insists it must cut its deficit, but the economy is shrinking. >> unemployment is going up 24%. at the same time, we have to implement spending cuts. >> cure the problems. there is still a hangover from the housing crash. on average, there are around 140 evictions every day. protesters tried to stop them. this woman lost her home this week. house prices are still falling. then there is unemployment. this brother and sister are both out of work, unemployment is at 24% store rising. >> in my last interview, there

were about 40 or 50 applicants trying to get the job. >> a further problem is the debt of the region. valencia has the highest debt. valencia splashed out on a dazzling city and debts is still around 600 million euros. this airport glamorous in the sun, but cost 150 million euros of public money. there was no demand and no plane has ever landed here. those who support the government say there is no alternative to austerity. >> the risk is not -- austerity is to put all that at home. >> the crowd on the streets this evening know there will be a budget tomorrow, which the government says will be very

austere. the theory is that the country, already in recession, it is being locked into a downward spiral. >> george galloway has one the election inflecting a sharp defeat on the labor party, will the constituency since 1974. mr. galloway representing the party that he said up, polled 18,341 votes, a majority of over 10,000. he said he had been a proud member of the labor party for more than three decades and calls for them to change their political direction. >> they must stop taking their supporters for granted. they must stop imagining that working people and poor people have no option but to support them.

>> are correspondent says the results of this election is astonishing. >> this is an extraordinary result, not just his victory, but the margin of his victory. some beginning to say in and around the campus center that this was looking close. perhaps it would be close or a margin of victory. george galloway arrive shortly before midnight. categorically, i have one. clearly, he had a sense from his colleagues, activists, that things were looking good. from his perspective, they wear. 18,341 votes, and majority of more than 10,000. his nearest rival -- managing just 8000 votes.

the second by-election shock for george galloway in his career. he has done it again and he will be a vociferous and pugnacious and frequently photographed and regularly interviewed new member of the house of commons. >> this is a shock for him. he was expecting to win by about 1000 votes. 10,000 is staggering. >> extraordinary scenes. you would expect the cheers and the punches in the air, but as he walked out towards the car park, he was lifted onto the shoulders of his supporters. they carried him on their shoulders all the way down the ramp that led down to the car park. they were cheering, respect, respect. george galloway for prime minister. then he got into a car.

a small convoy of respect vehicles to a victory lap. it was rather surreal. 3:00 in the morning before driving off into the night. we will hear plenty from george galloway in britain. here is a man who took many by surprise in washington when he appeared at a senate hearing in the united states a couple of years ago. he is a pugnacious corridor -- or later, at the very direct in his language. -- a very direct in his language. in his view, the main parties in the house of commons, the british parliament, are bankrupt. they all said the same thing, he argues. he represents something fresh. there is no doubt in his approach, he will get noticed and he will get listen to.

>> demand for petrol has soared across the u.k. at the government advised motorists to stock up in case of a strike. sales reported to be 80% higher than usual. they have rejected claims that their advice caused panic buying. you have more on the funeral of the toulouse gunmen. >> the french gunmen who killed seven people in the city of toulouse has been buried at a cemetery near the city. only after a row about what should happen to his body. it took an intervention from nicolas sarkozy for the burial to go ahead. >> in the muslim quarter of the quiet cemetery and toulouse, the gunmen responsible for france's terror attack was buried. around 20 men, mostly friends

from the housing estates where he grew up, arrived for his funeral. hiding their faces from the media. it was the end of this saga in which nobody seemed willing to accept his body. his father, who left france when he was young, wanted him buried here in algeria. but the authorities refused permission, citing security concerns. according to the muslim council of france. >> a request to transfer the body to algeria has been issued. the town hall that receive the request has said it is unwilling. >> with the grief of the past few weeks still very rot in the minds of the town's residents, following the brutal murder of three french paratroopers, a rabbi, and three schoolchildren, there was little enthusiasm for him to be buried

in toulouse. >> i do not wanted. my husband is buried there. he should not be buried over here. >> it took the intervention of president sarkozy to force the local mayor to allow the ceremony. with his father threatening to sue for his son's death and against the backdrop of the heated present a campaign in which all sides are attempting to make political capital from the tragedy, it is unlikely to be the last time national politics intervened in the tragic events of the past two weeks. claque -- past few weeks. >> protest against italy's plans to -- indonesias plans to have spread with thousands joining violent rallies across the country. indonesians' have paid one of the lowest rates in the world for gasoline, the equivalent of about $2 a gallon. however, as oil prices have surged, the fuel subsidy bill

has ballooned to more than $15 billion a year. for more, we're joined by our correspondent in jakarta. what are we expecting to hear happen today >> >> the indonesian parliament has to decide whether the government can or cannot raise the price of fuel from the current levels of around 45 u.s. since a liter to 60 cents a liter. indonesia has one of the cheapest fuel prices in the region. there has been a great deal of opposition to the proposals raised fuel prices this week. nationwide protests resulting in violent clashes between police and protesters. just in the last few minutes, we have for the local television reporting that a toll road outside of jakarta has been blocked by some of the protesters who are opposing the government's plan to raise fuel prices.

what police have been able to tell us is they are expecting a thousand protesters around the country. 9000 of those protesters in jakarta, the capital city. they dispatched 20,000 officers, including members of the army. last night, in jakarta, in central jakarta, there was a violent skirmish between protesters and police, which led to rumors that a student had been killed. in a late-night press conference, the security minister saw to dispel those rumors sandy's bert irresponsible lies an attempt to bring indonesia back to the time of 1998. that is when mass protests affected jakarta and the rest of the country partially because of our rise in the price of fuel. it led to the downfall of the present government. >> if the indonesian parliament

raises the price of oil, how will this affect the ordinary indonesian? >> that is exactly what many people are concerned about. they say any increase in the cost of fuel will have a direct impact on the way they live their lives. from bus fares to the cost of food. they say they cannot survive if the price of oil goes up. i think that is why you are seeing the types of demonstrations we have seen across the country this week. underlying that economic reason, there is a great deal of frustration among speak indonesian public. every day, they see images or your stories of corrupt government officials been put into jail or having amassed a great deal of well. they feel they have lost any confidence in their government. the feeling i've been getting is that there is a loss of trust in the public with their president. he came into power, remember,

for the second time on the back of his promises to clean up corruption. many of the people we've spoken to say they are fed up with the state of corruption in indonesia today. that is the underlying feeling amongst many of the protesters out on the streets. >> you are watching "newsday." warnings of ecological disaster. >> let's take a look at what is making the front pages of the british newspapers. the rest by thousands of british motorist dominated front pages. total panic at the garages, police force to shut to stem the chaos. the daily mirror says everybody was kung fuel fighting.

motorists scramble to fill their tanks. the panic buying came after a government minister urged motorists to stock up on fuel in case of a strike. drivers associations are urging us to ignore that advice. david cameron is facing growing repercussions over what is being called a self-inflicted petrol shortage. a store owner taking six dairy cans to sell to panicked motorists. >> this is "newsday." >> police have clashed with protesters in spain have government's plans to slash spending by tens of billions of euros.

>> maverick politician george galloway has won a landslide victory in the u.k. by-election, beating labor into second place. in burma, 45 seats are being contested in by-elections across the country on sunday. the results were not affect the balance of power, but it is the first time the main opposition party's leader stands as candidate. of the 45 seats, 37 seats are in the 440 member lower house of parliament. six in the 224 seat upper house. to in the regional assembly. 25% of the seats in both houses of parliament are not elected and will serve for the military. the national league for democracy won a landslide victory in the previous multi- party election in 1990, but the

result was ignored by the military government. the vote is seen as a test for the nominally government, which has been in power for a year. and as an early rehearsal for general elections. for more on the forthcoming polls in burma, we are joined by a research fellow at the school of international political and strategic studies at the australian national university. he joins me from sydney. professor, thank you for joining us. what you make of the forthcoming burma by elections this coming sunday? will they be credible? >> i think these by-elections coming up this weekend will prove a pivotal moment in the country's political history. for so long, the former military dictatorship attempted to keep

her out of the political process. they have had a change of heart. they have to consider her to be far more dangerous if she remains on the outside. as a result, there is a fair chance this is an election which will pass muster with the international community. every indication that it will be relatively legitimate. >> legitimates. the government has taken steps to show the world that this political process could be fair and honest and clean. basically, are these grounds for optimism for a full-fledged democracy in the country going forward? >> we're a long way from a full- fledged democracy. there are so many people that need to be worked out. an effort to get her into

parliament. to give for a formal status as a politician and a political player. it is another indication that the government is working hard towards your -- trying to address all of the many issues which have made this country a byword for dictatorship, mismanagement, economic decay, ethnic strife, and for economic turmoil. they want to get rid of that history. they are hoping the world will take a second look and they can become something more like a normal country. >> a normal country. if international servers city's political exercise as credible, fair, and honest, could this lead to lifting of sanctions by the west?

>> it is a very real chance that in the weeks ahead, assuming that she finds herself in parliament and the elections are considered relatively free and fair, the sanctions imposed by the united states, by the european union, and by countries such as australia and canada, will start to be lifted. in some cases, those sanctions could be lifted. quickly. she may well start to call for the sanctions to be modified and for the rest of the world to become full partners in the process of reform. >> yes. thank you so much for your insight. conservationists are warning that a population of iran and tanks in indonesia are in danger of being wiped out within weeks -- are renting and indonesia are

in danger of being wiped out within weeks. they are believed to live in this swamp forests. one of the highest density anywhere in the world. joining me now from jakarta is the conservation director. thank you so much for joining us, sir. who is clearing these forests for palm oil? >> couple of the concession owners to on the plantations. >> if this does not stop, how much time did these animals have left? >> if the current rate of clarence and forest fires continues, there will be gone by the end of the year. if we had a prolonged dry spell, it is possible that all of the forest could go up in a matter of weeks.

>> the government and the private sector, what can we do at this point to protect these endangered populations in indonesia? >> right now, they have to stop the activities immediately. clear indication that these companies are breaking several laws and they have to stop that immediately. the whole sector it needs an urgent review. a lot of these measures are questionable. a lot is not being enforced. we are losing countless wildlife species and biodiversity. >> how urgent, though, if something like this for the government to protect the population from being endangered in the forest of indonesia? >> after several studies, a lot of these forests are much more valuable as they are standing,

especially in these forests. as far as ecosystem services to local communities. when the private sector destroys these forests, all these services are lost. it is as a benefit for one or two already wealthy individuals or companies. >> the conservation director, thank you for joining us. >> new video footage has emerged of the man accused of killing an unarmed teenager in florida. some say the police surveillance pictures of george zimmerman because questions about his claim that trayvon martin attacked him. he says he shot the teenager in self-defense. >> george zimmerman on the night

of the killing, he is wearing the jacket witnesses described. he told police trayvon martin punched him and slammed his head on the ground. others point to a lack of blood. george zimmerman was not arrested, but this footage shows he was handcuffed and questioned by the police. death has martin's sparked debate and protests across the united states. the hooded sweatshirt he was wearing has become a symbol for calls for justice, which have reached the nation is its capital. >> of racial profiling has to stop mr. speaker. just because someone wears a not make them a hoodlum. >> from politicians to celebrities, many of them have been voicing their opinions.

trayvon martin's family have called these pictures a smoking gun. they prove little about what happened. as the investigation continues, the 17-year-old's parents and others are impatient for answers. >> you are watching "newsday." what would you do if you 1 $540 million in the lottery? lottery fever has taken over in the u.s. were hopeful americans are rushing to buy a ticket for the world's biggest ever jackpot. the mega millions price will be drawn on friday. it has been growing steadily since late january. ticket holders will have to be incredibly lucky. the odds of winning are about one in 176 million. >> if they win the lottery, i will give it to charity.

>> thank you for joining us. >> 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 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. presented by kcet los angeles.