>> "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. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news."

>> fury on the streets of athens. protesters arrived in violence and three deaths at a bank. it will today be gordon brown is last as prime minister? -- will today be gordon brown's last as prime minister? more details emerge on the man who has the admitted to trying to bomb times square. what you pakistanis think as another terrorist attack is linked to their country? welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, also around the globe. my name is mike embley. coming up later for you -- they fled to scotland and northern ireland. there are warnings the volcanic plume could affect parts of europe again. looking at the growing division between ethnic groups.

-- growing divisions between ethnic groups. hello to you. ed blood was shed in the greek capital today. at tempers boiled over in response to the measures being taken. a general strike paralyzed transport and three people died in a bank set on fire by a petrol bomb. several other buildings burned and protesters tried to burn parliament. the prime minister says his country is on the edge of an abyss. dumping kennedy is in athens. -- duncan kennedy is in athens. >> protests ending in writing and death. for hours, the streets became

battlegrounds as police fought with ordinary greeks angry at the government's austerity measures. police moved in on protesters who reached up the marble columns and concrete pavements to fight back. >> you can see is really two different countries. giving money, loans, is not helping people. >> greece is not like this. we are not people like this. do you understand me? >> police officers fired stun grenades, trying to regain control. the tear gas and the stun grenades are being thrown all over the place. this is exactly what the greek government did not want to happen. another government in europe will be in -- other governments in europe will be showing their concern over the chaos. protesters say they will suffer under the government's new

measures and produces petrol bombs. many buildings were set on fire. the location of the most tragic moments of the day -- in this bank, three employees could not escape in time and died, suffocating in smoke. this terrified woman headed to safety. in parliament, the greek prime minister condemned the three deaths as a murderous acts. -- as are murderers act. he said "we are deeply shocked as to what's uncontrolled violence leads to. -- what uncontrolled violence leads to." many will have to retire later under the terms imposed by the international deal. tonight, it was an unusually

quiet city center. the day claimed lives, and still governments and markets across this -- and stilled government and markets across the continent. >> what you are seeing is a brittle illustration of how hard it is for country to sustained deep cuts in public spending. european stock markets have reacted with further sharp declines in the value against the euro against the dollar and stock values. there are concerns the increase will not be the only country affected by the debt crisis. portugal is on review by moody's. shares in madrid fell more than two 2%. spain is seen as vulnerable. it is still in recession. senior officials have rushed to point out that spain and

portugal had nothing to do with greece. just a little earlier, our business correspondent explained what is driving these market falls. >> what we are seeing is fear driving investors. there is no doubt about that. there is concern as bailout has taken too long to come about -- to come about. greece does not yet have the money. there are also concerns that if greece -- if and when greece does it the money, can they do the things that are being required of it? candy, in other words, increase taxes -- can it they, in other words, increase taxes and other draconian measures? what is the future for greece? are we looking at the situation in countries like argentina? that is the worst-case scenario investors are looking at. and you add to that, what could happen beyond? what would happen in countries

that have high problems of debt levels? that is where you get the contagion of fear and that is what drives the market at the moment, concerts -- currencies and oil prices. >> in hours, britain's go to the polls to vote in the most closely contested election in decades. polls show a large number of people still undecided. there really is everything to play for. turnout could be considerably higher than the last election. at the moment, still a three- course race with no obvious -- 3-horse with no obvious winner. >> it is never too late to persuade the undecided, never too late to convince people to have trust in you, never too late for another campaign stop. david cameron campaign through the night. after all, and need sleep? >> i think he is all right.

>> he is. we have got wakefield, we have got wales. all through the night. and a bit -- breaks, there are breaks in between. a cup of tea or a bit of sleep. >> the polls say that more people than ever before have yet to make up their minds, said the tory leader's surprise push to lancashire exhausted his aides. if only landing boats was as easy as landing fish. down the road in leeds, gordon brown headed to the market trader at's door. >> when did you start? >> 3:00 this morning. >> when do you finished? >> 10:00 tomorrow, it will all be too late. before the campaign began, the prime minister was told he could

not win. in the final hours of this campaign, it is clear he refuses to believe that. >> do you still think it is possible? >> making a difference by talking to people, making speeches, i will be making speeches throughout the day about the choice before britain. >> nick clegg either likes to sleep or is confident. all this activity -- to do what it is that they believe in. >> they are coming out and saying to as they really want to support. only we offer the real difference. >> it is a squeeze. the start of this election, they have any great undecided. the millions to ensure no one

knows who will be arriving at number 10. bbc news, bristol. >> somali pirates had hijacked a russian tanker loaded with oil bound for china. the tanker was seized of the somali coast. is reported the crew locked themselves in the control room. they are believed to be holding in total 400 hostages. the governor of the afghan province says six people were killed when the compound was stormed. the compound was attacked in the border town. the gun battle that followed had eight attackers throwing themselves. one was killed by security forces. four men were acquitted in the bombing of a hotel year and a half ago. at least 50 people were killed,

more than 200 injured when a truck packed with explosives blew up in an islamabad. >> with the man who reportedly tried to detonate a car bomb and times square facing terrorism charges, the focus is on the links between the alleged bomber and pakistan. he became a u.s. citizen last year. we have this from islamabad. >> educated, affable, professional. a son of privilege in pakistan who built a life in the usa. but a great deal was hidden behind the public face, according to investigators. his father rose from these dusty streets to the top ranks of the pakistan air force. we found no sign of life. close relatives are believed to

be in protective custody. members of the family say they are in shock. one told us that when he heard what happened in new york, in his hair stood on end. these are quite people with no history of involvement with militancy. what happened, he says, is a tragedy. his cousin says he was not an extremist. he told me he was not religious. he did not even pray much. but if you ask around here, there are hints of other things. this a friend from child school -- from childhood last saw him 18 months ago. >> he followed the american policies towards muslims. he was angry about that. did that anchor drive him into the arms of militants in

pakistan. perhaps, but there is no confirmation he had links to the pakistan taliban or anyone else. three years ago, faisal grew a beard and became withdrawn. >> as long as he was living with in karachi, some interchanges started taking place. he became silence, -- he became silent, as if that was a symptom of the changes. faisal shahzad went unnoticed from a the shadows of karachi to the shadows of -- the shadows of karachi to times square. the unanswered question -- how many others could do the same? >> engineers working for the oil

company two bp that's succeeded in blocking one of the leaks from a sunken drilling rig in the gulf of mexico that caused the massive oil slick. oil was still spilling at our rate of almost 800,000 liters a day. later wednesday, a huge especially-constructed metal dome will be moved over the site. adam brooks has this. >> more can be done to disperse the slick. more controlled burning and skimming of the oil on the sea surface. but the slick is still growing. the alger edges are lapping at the louisiana -- the outer edges are lapping at the louisiana shore land -- shoreline. >> it absolutely jeopardize its louisiana's what life. it is destroying our fisheries. these barrier islands. is this during our way to earn a living -- it is destroying our

way to learn -- to earn a living. >> the plume of oil will be beneath the seabed -- will be in the seabed. the dome will contain the oil. there's a lot going on under the water. chemicals are being sprayed into the oil thousands of feet down in the hope of dispersing it before it comes to the surface. and robot submarines have capped one of several leaks. but in coastal towns like biloxi, mississippi, a resort town that has only just occurred from hurricane katrina, the mood is grim and resolute. >> that is terrific. getting everybody on board, hiring people. i know you see the ads in local area for hires for people to do cleanup work. so i know there are people who are going to be ready. >> and there are occasional forebodings. wildlife choked with oil appear

along the coast. >> it has just now reached the barrier islands. it is coming our way. it is killing animals are ready. it is pretty nasty. -- it is killing animals already. >> is hoped that drilling a relief well will -- it is hoped that drilling a relief well will cut off the oil spread. now the oil continues to leak into the ocean, and the gulf coast holds its breath. adam brooks, bbc news, washington. >> good to have you with us on "bbc world news." stay with us, if you can. still to come -- as britain heads into its general election, we will look at help south africans see its former colonial masters. -- we will look at how south africans see its former -- south africa sees its former colonial masters. it is an auction record.

it is the highlight of the collection announced by a los angeles collector. >> be a bust drew huge interest. -- the bust of drew huge interest. the colorful and serene pain depicts -- painting depicts picasso drawings mistress. >> $55 million. at $95 million. >> six people with deep pockets came out to bid on the painting. christie's expected upward of $75 million. at the end it was an unidentified telephone buyer who set in new world record for an art piece. $106 million, and the hope that the worst of the global

financial crisis is over. >> [unintelligible] it really confirms it. >> all eyes will now be on the sales of another picasso portrait next month. is expected to sell for half the price of this masterpiece. it is not for the faint hearted. bbc news. >> just briefly, preparations for the film festival have been thrown into turmoil by giant waves that have battered the french riviera. the french marquees for the industry's big stars have been damaged. this starts may 12 and runs for 12 days. there will be 10,000 media types and about 4000 press. the latest headlines for you on "bbc world news." 3 people have been killed by a firebomb in a bank in athens

during a protest over a sharp cuts in government spending. opinion polls are still keeping everyone guessing. britain's main party leaders and campaigning across the uk in the most unpredictable general election in 30 years. more now on that. we are looking at britain's place in the world. south africa is the uk's biggest business partner. britain's supermarkets are stocked with south african items. how does the country view its former colonial master? we have this report. >> this luxury yacht is a symbol of our relationship anchored in history, language, and culture, which nearly 500,000 brits

visiting south africa every year. >> we drive on the same side of the road. the architecture is english. so one really feels home from home at times. >> remember when britain claimed to will be waves? it is no longer love. -- alone. there are plenty more fish and sea. south africa is the gateway to the rest of the continent, but britain still takes more from britain -- from south africa than it gives back in trade. now with stiff competition in east, south africa is looking for a more equal partnership with its former colonial master. the recent visit to britain was packed with pageantry. he even arrived in the royal carriage. he asked for the keys to no. 10 -- leaders cannot rely on the

heels of the past. reject deals of the past. get to johannesburg, and is it s as if time stood still. now for britain to remain relevant, it needs to make special alliances with the post-mandela generation. >> you do not establish a relationship with that generation. the relationship will be minuscule. >> the kind of man britain wants to do business with is the manager of one of the first black-owned wine firms and has received british grants. britain is the biggest export market for south african wines. little wonder then that the possibility of a hung parliament thousands of miles away is being talked about right here. >> it is scary.

it might slow down progress. >> whenever routes britain takes politically, south africa will remain a key partner, even if it has its sights set on new horizons. bbc news, cape town. >> full panic-from iceland is again causing -- volcanic ash from iceland is again causing flight delays. we get the latest. >> a fresh plume of volcanic ash in iceland stretching thousands of feet into the air. the volcano has been erupting for weeks, but it got worse and the winds have been blowing the heavier ash cloud in our direction, causing another day of disruption for thousands of travelers here. in edinburgh, the main scottish airport has faced restrictions,

while airports in dublin have also been closed for much of the day because of the ash. in the irish capital, passengers have been affected and flights remained grounded -- remained grounded until 4:00 tomorrow morning. this is a rare sight at the scotland airports this morning. aircraft arriving as normal. this is likely to be the last day of the no-fly zones over the british isles. >> there is the possibility of the u.k., coupled with congested airspace, we have a situation that is -- the next few days look good. it is hard to predict. >> the cancellations at glasgow airport not only serve as a reminder of the disruption, but also the possibility of what might still be ahead. some of the few people who have

been checked in here have been bused to airports in north england. >> we were trying to travel from glasgow to vancouver. we had to go to manchester. >> we are leaving from manchester. the flight will get out sometime this afternoon. >> we could not stay until 5:00 this morning. >> the airport is almost completely deserted. it is not expected to close until 1:00 in the morning -- is expected stay closed until 1:00 in the morning. bbc news, glasgow. >> there is concern over inter- ethnic tensions in kurdistan. there's been one of violent episode in a village. the huts of turks was -- were

burned down. we have more. >> distraction and chaos. this is the scene the turkish community returned to after running away from violence. two weeks after the popular uprising in kurdistan, the village was attacked. five people were killed and several homes were destroyed. most of the property belonged to ethnic turks. these and many's home was burned down. it is difficult for him to cope. -- these men's home was burned down. it will take a long time for people to forget about the violence that took place here recently. there are thousands of villages just like this one where people of different ethnicities live side by side, and the main concern is if this could happen

at their doorstep, who will protect them? sources denied it was an ethnic clash and they try to say it -- and they say they tried to stop the ethnic violence. dozens of world war -- rural poor came here. they want the interim government to give them land. they deny any involvement in attacking the village. there is a risk of inter-ethnic violence. the government has a difficult job ahead to deliver on its promises of a better life for its people. bbc news. >> just briefly, our top story again -- violence erupted on the streets of the greek capital. protests over government spending cuts have left three people dead. thank you for being with us on

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