>> 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 know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> now, "bbc world news." >> hello and welcome. the >> our headlines this hour.

>> gloomy economic data, but a goal and uncertainty in europe sent share prices falling. stop the fighting. bombing in the south. what lies behind the escalation of violence? >> in quest starts into the death of a british officer whose body was found locked in a sports back. obama's army. behind the scenes of the president's election campaign headquarters. it is 11:00 in the morning in singapore. >> we are broadcasting to viewers in america and around the world. this is "newsday." hello and welcome. share prices have fallen around the world after the victory of the socialist candidate francois

hollande in the first-round of the french presidential election. the collapse of the dutch government has added to fears that countries at the heart of europe might struggle to implement further austerity measures. gavin hewitt reports from paris. >> president sarkozy fighting for his political life today while financial markets tumbled. political uncertainty is here in france. he was beaten in the first round of voting and is trailing in the crucial run off. to stay in office, he will need votes from people in the far right. that was his pitch today. >> i want to speak to those who are tired of hearing that insecurity is not a problem, that immigration is not an issue. i have been a target of insults because i dared to say that these were issues. i say this is a scandal. >> the leader of the far right

stunned crowds with 6.5 million people voting for her. president sarkozy will not win a second term unless some of her supporters back him in the second round. here's the problem. when sarkozy's name was mentioned that rallies, there were boos. >> nicolas sarkozy. [boos] >> many on the right feel betrayed by the president, and places like this tell you why. this is a town about 25 kilometers outside of paris. it was not difficult to find those who had voted for the far right. >> i feel france has been invaded. further out in the states, there

are too many immigrants. we don't like that here. >> president sarkozy said today he did not blame those who voted for the opponent. tonight, she went on prime-time television. >> i don't believe nicolas sarkozy is sincere anymore. i don't think many of those who voted for me believe him or his posturing. they stopped believing in his promises. >> it remains uncertain how many people will now back president sarkozy. europe and the markets are watching. the favorite to win is francois hollande. he says growth will be his priority. the markets today partly reflected concern that the political tide in europe might be turning against austerity. >> gavin has more on those

concerns across europe. >> it was a very bad day on the markets. they are worried about political uncertainty here. they're worried about the fact that the dutch government collapsed today. they could not agree on the budget cuts demanded by the eu. they are worried about the latest economic data, which suggests the economic situation here in europe is worsening. they are also worried by the fact that today, spain officially was declared in recession. all of this raises the question as to whether the current strategy, focusing on austerity and bringing down the deficit, whether that strategy is working. that is on nerving -- unnerving the market. >> the european union is to impose more economic sanctions against the syrian regime. the move comes as violence continues, despite the small presence of observers.

up to 50 people were killed, most of them in the city of hama. the man on trial in norway for the killing of 77 people last july has apologized to those victims with no political connection. anders behring breivik offered no remorse for the people he killed on utoeya island. there are still questions about his sanity. the iranian government says key pieces of the oil industry have been targeted in a cyber attack. the oil ministry has been disconnected from the internet out of precautions. no serious damage was done. the production and export of oil was unaffected. the united nations secretary general banking moon has condemned sudanese warplanes in south said on and called on the

government to stop the fighting. omar al-bashir has ruled out negotiations with south sudan. we have been sent this report. >> it is the site that people have come to dread. soldiers and some civilians shot back with the small weapons they had. they were powerless against the modern warplane. at least two places were hit. the primary target was this bridge, which leads to the front line. this time, two of the rockets missed the bridge. nearby, several shops were destroyed by direct hits. at least one man was killed. the state government told the bbc three others were critically wounded and are not expected to survive. more than 75 civilians have been killed in air raids since the beginning of march. >> when our forces were blown,

and an airplane coming today -- it killed three people and four shops. now we are suffering a lot. >> the bombing has been condemned by the united nations peacekeeping mission in south sudan. they have always denied carrying out cross border raids in the past. it describes its decision as not ending the fighting. >> [inaudible] we will draw, but there has been continuous propositions from the sudanese army and its militia.

>> there is international concern about the clashes of the last couple of days, which have included ground battles in the disputed border area. people are scared they have not seen the last of the fighting. bbc news in south sudan. >> the former prime minister who was put on shot -- on trial, accused of negligence, has been cleared of the major charges. he was found guilty of failing to consult cabinet members at the time, but was acquitted on the accounts and told he would not be punished. jennifer hudson has testified in the trial in chicago against the man accused of shooting three members of her family. he is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. he pleaded not guilty. as he accused of killing her mother, brother, and nephew.

the motor recently bought rain might be over, but the violence has continued -- motor race in bahrain might be over, but the violence has continued. >> the leader of the main opposition party has said the violence -- the government pushes ahead with reforms. >> he is the man who now symbolizes their struggle. mourners in protesters reached to touch coffin. they plant security forces for his death. these protesters shout, killers. the body was carried through the streets of the capital. black smoke billows over their heads. the battle of wills continues. supporters of the sunni royal

family say the violence here has been blown out of proportion, and reforms are underway. this leading activist says it is simply not true. >> you have reached our hurdle, the same one we started out with. this government is not serious about having a real dialogue about listening to the demands of the people. the demands cannot be ignored. who are you to have a monopoly in power? who testy with the job of appointing the government, controlling our ministries, taking advantage of national wealth? >> 13 months on the from when the uprising began, and after more than 50 dead, the divisions here seem ever wider. bbc news. >> the inquest has started into the death of the british intelligence officer whose body was discovered locked inside a bag at his home in london in

2012 -- 2010. none of the evidence will be held in secret. >> a brilliant mathematician who graduated and went on to work in gphq. in august of 2010, he was found dead in his london flat in the most unusual circumstances. after he had been reported missing, police entered the flat. the first officer inside described passing a woman's wig hanging on a chair before entering this bathroom, where he found a large padlocked read the sports bag. when he lifted it, red liquid emerged in the called for help. the suspension is someone else was with mr. williams when he died here at his flat. police have been able to find no reliable evidence, no dna, no fingerprints. that is a mystery. the lawyer for his family says

all of this suggests that someone specializing in what he calls the dark parts of an intelligence service were either involved or clean up afterwards. what were his last movements? on august 14, cctv captured him at the station. the following afternoon, he was pictured near a bridge. his body was only found on august 23, a week after he had missed the meeting at mi6. his family attended today's inquest. his sister said she thought the clothing might be gift. she said he was unhappy in london. he disliked office culture, car competitions, and the rat race. he even spoke of friction in the office. the chief of mi6 attended in

north wales. some of his officers will give evidence, but anonymously. some material will be excluded on national-security grounds. was it his work or private life that led to his death? the inquest is due to last up to two weeks. bbc news. >> live from singapore and london, cash or kids? people are being offered money to delay having children. >> slim pickings. why sri lanka's workers fear for their future. now some news from around the u.k. david cameron says the coalition need to raise its game. he has accused incompetence.

he said the chancellor did not know the price of milk. he insisted he was keeping his eye on the long-term and trying to sort out the economy. thousands of people have been giving money to charities supported by the woman who died as she was nearing the end of the marathon. they have been overwhelmed by the donations, which are more than 200,000 pounds. baa was ordered to sell an airport as part of its drive to lessen its grip on the sector. >> this is "newsday." >> share prices have fallen around the world, following fierce of a new eurozone debt

crisis and political instability in france and the netherlands. >> the united nations have sworn there can be no military solution to the problems facing sudan and south sudan. newlyweds in india are being offered a cash incentive that they delay having children. the government will hand over 500 ruby, nearly 10 u.s. dollars, if they do not start a family in the first two years of their marriage. joining me now is the executive director of the population foundation of india. thank you so much for joining us. what is the reasoning behind the scenes for delaying having children? >> there are several reasons. the first is that there is a huge unmet need for contraception that women have in india. much of the focus has been on

more permanent methods, like sterilization. there is evidence in india based on government and the realizations of government that family planning acceptance has declined. the government is making a very wise step in focusing on spacing. >> do you think this scheme will work? >> i believe it will work only if there is good-quality services for contraception available. just incentives will not help. not only are the women who ac cept family planning or postpone families will get incentives. it is the accredited health worker who will also get a similar amount of incentive.

the problem, i believe, has been more the supply side than demand. if they are giving incentives for the help worker, it is double insurance. >> the services and implementation are very important in making this work. how important is it to control the eight young couples are having children, briefly? >> sorry, how important is it to do what? >> to control the age of the young people having children. >> first of all, let's not use the word "control." if there is an unmet need for services or family planning, the idea is not to control the population. the idea is to provide services that help families regulate and

receive population stabilization. "control" is a word we must not use. >> all right. we will have to leave it there. thank you so much. sri lanka is world famous for its tea. many of those who work in the industry live in poverty. their lives are getting tougher. we report on the gloom in the industry. >> the landscape is breathtaking. from the forested hillside to the huge areas cleared for tea in the 19th century. the work is quite grueling. picking tea demands care. they take only the greenest leaves. the pickings are carefully weighed. if they get 18 kilograms in the day, they get $4.

any less, and it is just $2. salaries were recently more than doubled. their lives are still very difficult. they are among the poorest people on the island. on the plantation, this person has no water or electricity. the young family has been hit hard by rising costs. some days they do not eat a square meal. in february, the cost of kerosene was raised by 50%. now, they cook on wood. >> it is very difficult now. my husband does odd jobs with no secure income. we mainly depend on my salary. the shop owners who have given me loans, to my doorstep to take their money. >> at this factory, tea moves from bush to cup in barely 24 hours. it is left to wither, then it is

rolled, fermented, dried, and baked. delicious. despite the quality, foreign markets are under cloud. the three biggest purchasers are iran, iraq, and syria. political turmoil means the purchases and payments get delayed, and prices are falling. the family has owned the factory 66 years. now they face financial difficulties. some of the colleagues face closure. >> we cannot run factories. the price of tea -- the cost is not -- >> with workers on happy and plantation owners barely breaking even, they must find new foreign markets and ways to add value to the crop. these are tough times. bbc news.

>> singapore this week welcomed some of the leading chefs. 17 british chefs and you're a's rising star -- europe's rising star attended. >> i am a french chef. i am a french cook. i have been raised with certain traditions and a certain tradition of cooking. here, i have new things. i discover new flavor, new spices, new techniques. that excites me somehow. after spending 15 years in asia, i feel that the true life and business belongs to asia today. people want to come here. people want to have a restaurant here. they feel that is the place to

be. the economy is very bad today. everybody knows that. everybody wants to be even more attractive -- created to attract customers. -- creative to attract customers. you want to open a business today. we are trying just to follow the energy, just to try to create tradition in this new country, and that is why so many people are coming year. >> president obama's campaign for reelection later this year is set to be the most sophisticated ever. his victory four years ago was seen by some as a triumph of social networking techniques. we have been given a rare access to the obama campaign headquarters in chicago. >> @ obama's home city, a plan

is afoot to reelect the president. the headquarters has the air of a place stopped by people you would expect in a high-tech startup. don't be fooled. this is a war machine designed to crush the enemy. to do that, they have to energizes supporters whose enthusiasm has evaporated. we were allowed a rare glimpse inside this nerve center. it set up a year ago with tendrils stretching to every state. they have one mission, to build again what has been lost. >> the 2008 -- what the obama campaign did was to create a structure so people would self- organized. this time around, it is more professional. the campaign has to recreate

what occurred spontaneously in 2008. >> this year, you hardly see a phone. everyone has a laptop. this is a digital campaign targeting voters through the apparent intimacy of twitter, facebook, and online inducements to give money. maybe dinner with george clooney, or even the president himself. one woman donated $35 and ended up being -- it trumps of the personal testimonial and the slick television ads. >> they exceeded our expectations. really, so genuine. not a smooth, a seasoned politician. just a genuine and kind. i really cannot say enough. >> the chicago machine is not just about charming voters. it is also about scaring them.

it became obvious that mitt romney would be the republican candidate. >> corporations are people, my friend. i like being able to fire people. >> right now, the campaign is at a big disadvantage, with less money and fewer staff. >> i think you are going to see thousands and thousands and thousands of volunteers and millions and millions of dollars coming into the romney campaign. >> it is in the park across the water that he accepted the presidency in front of a raptor crowd. he is using the city as a base to pump back that energy into voters to rekindle enough of the magic to win the second term. bbc news, chicago. >> bye bye.

>> 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, -- bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to 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