>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. the newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." xxxxxxx >> president obama says a significant and hms sanctions is being prepared against iran if it continues its nuclear program -- significant regime of sanctions is being prepared against iran. toyota bows to pressure and recalls the hybrid petraeus to fix braking problems.

very warm welcome." coming up later, fresh food, not junk food. the latest campaign to change american eating habits. and france for excess. the venice conable having to tighten purse strings after 900 years. -- same for access. -- fame for excess. the u.s. and allies are preparing what president obama cause a significant recensions to indicate how isolated it is. this is in response to iranian reports that the country have started in enriching uranium to higher grade. it has no civil nuclear power program that could use this type of material.

mr. obama says the country has made its choice, although the door, as he put it, is still open. >> one of the deal the -- one of the difficulties of dealing with iran over the last few months is that it is not always clear who is speaking on behalf of the government, and we get a lot of mixed signals, but what is clear is that i have not said yes to an agreement that russia, china, germany, france, great britain, and the united states also was a good deal and that the director of the iaea said was the right thing to do and that iran should accept. that indicates to us that despite their posturing that their nuclear power is only for civilian use, that they in fact continue to pursue a course that would lead to weaponization. >> you may be thinking that we have heard this before.

this would be the fourth round of sanctions against iran, so how much of an impact could they have? the point i put to the bbc state correspondent. >> it is a question that a lot of people wonder what impact the sanctions will have as they do get a pro teary what impact does it have on the people of iran? is it going to make their lives more difficult? is it really going to deter the armenians from pursuing nuclear ambitions. nonetheless, the united states and its allies and increasingly also countries like russia feel it is important to send a clear message to iran that it cannot continue on this path, and a half that the world sees increasingly as one leading to a nuclear iran. iran says that it wants to pursue its nuclear ambitions for civilian use, but it does not plan to have nuclear weapons, but increasingly, the message coming out of washington is that

they do not trust what iran is saying because they have put on the table and a lot of options for them to have a deal -- have fuel, and they have refused it, and that puts in doubt their nuclear intentions. >> russia, like china, has very strong business interests in iran. is there any sense that anything has really changed when it comes to what practical action is being taken, how seriously iran might take this? >> certainly what we have been hearing from russian officials over the last few weeks is sounding increasingly tougher on iran, and u.s. officials at the state department and in other parts of the administration say that russia is actually really on board. they are sounding tougher, using tough language, even coming from president dmitry medvedev. we have also heard lawmakers say

economic sanctions should be considered. that is also really interesting. we heard this from president obama today. he said that sanctions at the united nations were not the only methods considered. individual countries could start consider sanctions targeted to iran to send that message that nuclear ambitions was simply not be tolerated. we heard the same thing from russia and germany. angela merkel saying the same thing. the pressure is increasing. the lone holdout at the moment is china, and how they will react either to sanctions at the united nations or through unilateral sanctions from different countries, we will have to see. that our state department correspondent. the japanese transport minister has drawn criticism that the world's biggest car maker, for he says not moving fast enough to fix the faults that are plaguing millions of its cars. toyota has announced a world wide recall of another 4000 vehicles, hybrids, including the best-selling prius, for brake

problems. >> another humbling admission by the world's biggest carmaker and about of apology. toyota was telling japan's government that more cars will have to be recalled. this time, it is the prius hybrid, and the problem is the brakes. the recall was worldwide. the company is already fixing about 8 million cars. toyota's president, grandson of the founder, was also saying sorry. dozens of customers have complained of a lag between the pedal being pressed and the car slowing down. >> we have looked at the issues in close cooperation with dealers and suppliers. together, we will do everything in our power to regain the confidence of our customers. >> this recall is particularly embarrassing for toyota because

it is with the prius that the company had been hoping to leave something of a green revolution. in japan, it was the best- selling car last year. they are even being used as taxis. he says customers use to prefer to flag them down in his and prius than drivers of older taxis, but not today, even though toyota says the carsill stopped the driver pushes the brakes hard enough. >> the big news happened. and the customers start to worry. they are reluctant to use my prius taxi. i hope they fix this as soon as possible. it is bringing my business down, and i do not know long -- how long it will take to get the trust back. >> toyota says the problem in the high-tech car can be solved easily with new software, but it is another dent to the

reputation for quality and reliability, which toyota took years to build. >> sri lanka's newly reelected president has dissolved parliament had every elections, and still reverberating around the political landscape is the arrest yesterday of his chief rivals for the presidency. he now faces a court-martial for treason, accused of plotting to overthrow the government. >> the former army chief burst unexpectedly onto sri lanka's political scene just a couple of months ago. suddenly, there was fire in a presidential election campaign. hitherto seen as a likely walkover for the president. that is now becoming just a memory. the general lost the election two weeks ago, and now, he is in military detention. his allies and his wife sit dozens of security forces dragged him away from his office

by his hands and feet late at night as he held discussions with colleagues. >> this is not an arrest. this is an adoption. he was carried away. all he had said was that as a civilian he would surrender to police. it is a deduction for another reason. up to now, we do not know where he is being held. how can that be? if he is arrested, we must be told where he is held. the government must do that. >> the government is continuing to denounce the former army chief, alleging that he and half -- that he worked with anti- government politicians while in uniform and saying that the evidence may lead him to be court-martialed. >> the head of the security council is the commander-in- chief. the commander-in-chief is the president of the country. under military law, and the action, political or otherwise, taken against the president or government is a crime.

>> the general had stood side- by-side with the president after the defeat of the tamil tigers last may, but they fell out bitterly before the general threw down the electoral got what. the president's brother and defense secretary recently hinted at the forthcoming arrest, but said it would not be because of his standing in the election. >> we will not arrest him because he was an opposition candidate. and mr. long as opposition has now called for countrywide protests on wednesday, and general it's possible charges. a dramatic fall from grace for a man who managed to still regard as a national hero. >> let's round up some of the day's other main news. in nigeria, the vice president has assumed power as acting president. the nigerian parliament voted to

transfer power from the ailing president. he has been in saudi arabia for more than two months getting heart treatment. both the house of representatives and the senate passed a resolution recognizing goodluck jonathan as acting head of state. the bureau has gained ground against the pound and dollar. speculation mounts that the european union will go out the greek economy. a featured candidate in ukraine close a presidential election looks at the challenge the results in court. allies say they suspect vote rigging in about 1000 polling stations. both russia and the united states have praised the election as free and fair. nato troops in afghanistan are on standby for their biggest offensive against the taliban since the start of the war in 2001. one soldier has already been killed, and civilians have started to flee the area. as british forces prepare for battle in a stronghold of the

taliban in helmand province, our correspondent and his crew are with them. >> it was a terrible day in so many ways. a bare landscape so by wind and rain. seat and mud and danger. the mission was to clear a few hundred meters of road and secure a junction. this is what it takes. and multimillion-dollar armor plate american vehicle, and his job is to find hidden bombs. in some cases, the dangers are obvious. a rocket-propelled grenade has been left by the roadside and must be made safe. in the cases, the dangers are hard to find. the u.s. team has hit a taliban

-- hit a taliban bomb. the vehicle was damaged, laid low body very thing it is supposed to deal with. one soldier is injured but not badly. in this conflict, it is the walking wounded who are the lucky ones. so the british are now on their own, left to clear them out by hand and on foot. as we reach the junction, there is a massive explosion. the vehicle provides cover as the troops tried worked out what has happened. someone has been injured. >> medic! >> an engineer have stepped on a device. there is a desperate attempt to reach him, to try to save his life. but it is too late, and another british soldier dies.

>> it is always a blow to lose somebody, particularly someone who is doing such a dangerous task. it really sort of knocks us, but our hearts go out to them, to their families, and to all those that knew them. >> this debt is the first british casualty in association with this operation. in a somber warning, the ministry of defense says more should be expected in coming weeks. this is now the fit somewhere that you and for the -- you can forces have been engaged here, and every year the insurgency has grown, and the number of casualties has risen. there's pressure now to try to revert back and put much needed pressure on their side. >> good to have you with us on "bbc world news." still to come, a british mining company faces new pressure in india over its treatment of local people.

>> here is what is catching your attention on the bbc news website -- u.s. critics have ridiculed sarah palin for rights include notes on her hands for a speech. the former vice presidential candidate received a standing ovation from the tea party after she called for a return to conservative principles. the video footage shows her seemingly scanning her hand when asked what top three things the conservative-led congress should do. angelina jolie and brad pitt of suing a tabloid after it published allegations about their relationship. and mysterious forces seem to be at work in a town in northwest england. a street in when the mayor is causing motorists agree because of some of its plan reason, remote-controlled and similar devices fail to work when they parked there. some local people are blaming it goes. more details on all those stories on bbc.com.

that my latest headlines for you this hour on "bbc world news." president obama has warned iran and forth and significant regime of united nations sanctions is being prepared it presses its nuclear program, enriching uranium to a higher grade. toyota is recalling 400,000 vehicles, its new prius hybrids because of concerns about the race. this is the latest in a series of concerning sex. america's first lady has launched a nationwide campaign to improve the way families eat. official figures suggest one in three american children as overweight or obese. president obama signed a memorandum launching a task force to be led by his wife. she is also calling for better access to healthy food. our special correspondent has been on the road with a couple trying to provide just that, by running a mobile farmers market

in virginia. >> mark miller is a man on a mission. he is loading up his micro and farmers market in a vehicle that has gone from school bus to a church bus to the store it comes to your corner. -- mark lilly is a man on a mission. on the road in richmond, virginia, he targets the city's rundown neighborhoods got off a fast food, not fresh produce. >> they are addicted to the bad food. first, you have to wean them of that before you can start feeding and the good stuff. this goes a long way. this will be a lot of people. ok? i am going to tell you how to cook it. >> i went to the store, and the effort was terrible. i was like, "i have to get some sort for my kids -- some fruit , kids."

so i am letting it. that we take cash, check, or edt. >> food stands, now helping to feed one in 10 americans. in an economy where fresh food is not always the cheapest option. >> it is all choice. some stock in here might be high, but i have to eliminate something else like cigarettes or lottery tickets or candy. >> market is also relying on regulars who drive 4 miles to drop by as he sends out up-to- the-minute postings on websites like facebook or twitter or twittermark -- mark is also relying on regular is to drive miles to drop by as he sends out up-to-the-minute postings on web sites like facebook or twitter. can that kind of eating ever become the american way of life? back in washington, we met a group of people passionate about local organic and sustainable

food production. they are part of what is being called the slow food movement. the president was fresh from a meeting at the white house. >> we have an incredible opportunity with the obama administration. they are behind our issue. and they believe this vast nation is ready for change. >> i think it is time for the sustainable food movement to get ready for primetime. food and farming are the core of every problem we face. they are because in solution to climate change, the health-care crisis, the economic crisis, public education. >> that is why today's focus is on children, but at the white house and at the shopping center where mark supplies of food for children's cooking class. the next step will be teaching adults to cook. the next step for mark will be getting more buses on the road. >> and india has just deferred commercial cultivation of what would have been its first

genetically modified vegetable crop. they cited safety concerns and say more studies are needed to ensure genetically modified missiles are sick for the consumer and the environment. public opinion does seem to be largely against, even though government scientists gave their approval last year. general motors subsidiary opel has asked for loans and guarantees of around $3.7 billion to help it return to profitability by 2012. opel also confirmed it is cutting 8300 jobs in europe, half of them in germany, and that is on top of 2000 announced last month. amnesty international has heavily criticized the operations in eastern india. the u.k.-based company resources plc, and if they're accused of failing to take into account

concerns of local tribes. >> these are members of a tribe living in a remote region of eastern india. they regard the surrounding hills as faces of living gods. until then there are right, like here have hardly changed for centuries. now, they have permission to mine in these hills, and it wants a huge expansion of its aluminum of binary. but human rights groups have been mounting an increasingly vocal campaign against operations. the latest report comes from amnesty international. it says that excess of pollution from the refinery and local

people simply has not -- have not been consulted on what is happening around them. >> they should think of the impact before thinking of expansion. this goes to the potential impact of the bauxite mine. second, -- >> they have consistently rejected allegations and said they had the highest regard for human rights. in a written statement issued today, it accuses amnesty of refusing to engage in dialogue. and says it is bringing education, housing, and better health care to a chronically underdeveloped region. they also point out that their initial plans have been examined and approved by the supreme court here in delhi, but it is not just for human rights groups becoming increasingly critical. last week, the church of

england sold all its stock in the company, citing specific concerns about their operations. policy they are bringing jobs and modern development, some of the troubled people wonder if it is what they really want. it is a huge debate across many parts of this cross -- because many parts of the country. >> it is famous for excess and exotic space marks, but this year's venice carnival falls under the shadow of the economic downturn. there has been a carnival in venice for 900 years, but now, hotels have to cut their prices to attract visitors. >> in the shadow of its famous tower, st. mark's square is again putting on a party hat. with everyone trying to rise above the economic pinch, they

have made this event more frugal than usual. only when the roman empire met each they could this british visitor afford to dress up and come here. >> eating and drinking and buying stuff here is pretty crazy. going up to the supermarket mainly and cooking at home. personally for me, i spent so much money on everything else that we are living quite slowly just for the week to get by. >> of venice has partied since the 13th century, a carnival of excess bere the fasting of easter. pleasure-seeking venations indulging themselves behind the state and in many of them asks. but this year, hotels are cutting prices to fill rooms in the city its carnival budget in recognition of the austere

times. >> we have organized the 2010 carnival, keeping in mind the national and international economic crisis. we wanted to give a message of quality or excellence with our program, but to deliver it in a more sober style, taking into account economic difficulties in recent tragedies like the haiti earthquake. >> but the stunning outfit that made conable special can still be seen. some cost more than $1,000. enough to drain the color from some cheeks, a striking contrast to february's wateree sunshine. carnival for been is in winter may be more wrap up, but this still offers a showcase for cultural riches. ha>> just a reminder, anytime yu

want it, you can have more on that and all the news you want online on our website, bbc.com /news. you can get in touch with me and almost all of us here at twitter. glad to see a lot of you are already doing that. i will keep on responding to as many as i can. thanks for being with us on "bbc world news." >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. the newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> i'm julia stiles. >> i'm kevin bacon. >> i'm kim cattrall. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lili taylor. >> i'm henry louis gates, jr., and public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can count on. >> for conversations beyond the sound bites. >> a commitment to journalism. >> for deciding who to vote for. >> i'm kerry washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.