>> this is "bbc world news america." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers use their

work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions. offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news >> this is bbc world news, reporting from washington, i'm katty kay. obama's language signaling and opening to meet with the president of iran. it can serve as a major step down a long road. >> kenya says the shopping mall siege is over. the president announces three days of mourning for the victims

of the terrorist attack. and could the fuel of the future be found in our trash cans? norway is meeting -- leading the way in making sure nothing goes to waste. welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. in a speech at the united nations this evening, iranian president rouhani says his country's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and not for weapons. he says he hopes the dialogue with the united states rather than conflict. here's is a portion of what he had to say. openly that notwithstanding the position of others, this has been and will theys be the objective of islamic republic of iran, nuclear weapons and weapons of

placeistraction have no in our doctrine and contradict our fundamental religious and ethical convictions. our national interests make it we remove anyt and all concerns about a rands nuclear program. events, heree days is jeremy bowen. >> a handshake between the presidents of iran and america outside the u.n., but in real life, not yet. more than three dysfunctional decades in relations could make the rest of the middle east a less dangerous place. -- it will have

a disastrous impact on new york traffic and this gathering of presidents, prime ministers, and kings. this year there's a chance of a breakthrough on two big world crises. syria's weapons and that plans of its main ally, iran. it is telling everyone that his plans are peaceful, but the west suspects they could produce a nuclear bomb. >> the president of the united states of america. >> we should be able to achieve a resolution that respects the rights of the iranian people, while giving the world confidence that the iranian program is peaceful. , conciliatory words will have to be matched by actions that are transparent and verifiable. >> the americans and the iranians or for once being polite about talking to each other. president obama also mentioned

other crises. >> the convulsions in the middle east and north africa, and old order is upended and people grapple with what comes next. tehran stillin ane the old messages about evil america. the hope is the actions of a new president might make dealing with what comes next in the middle east a little less difficult. rouhani has made appeals to the west, arriving in new york and then tweeting the news, presenting himself as pragmatic and modern. in the end, he met the french president, not the american one, but her real dialogue between iran and america, if it happens, could change a lot. all the crises connected in different ways. the one about iran's nuclear program is smoldering, but has the potential to be the most dangerous of the mall, which is why they are pursuing a

diplomatic opening here at the u.n. this week. but to make it work, of the iranians and the americans are going to have to show much more flexibility than they have in the past. people, not just demonstrators at the u.n. in recent years, a fundamental split in the middle east has been friends of america versus friends of iran. but bridging that gap is the diplomatic link the middle east needs most right now. jeremy bowen, bbc news, new york. >> for the latest from the united nations, laura is there. we will look at what president rouhani said during his address a little bit later on. i want to talk to you about the meeting that didn't happen. why did the iranians decide not to meet president obama? >> perhaps you can see why in a president rouhani's

speech. he still needed to take a hard line against america while holding out an olive branch. the president of iran has said the reason there was no meeting over the chocolate mousse and the tuna tartare that was served is because alcohol was being served at that lunch. the americans are saying the meeting was too complicated for the iranians. it was because of the internal dynamics in iran, clearly referring to iran possibly leader. it really just underscored the trust that there still is between the two sides. on thursday there will be a meeting between the members of the un security council and iran's prime minister. that will be the highest level in counter between an american and an iranian since 1979.

so that is significant. should remember that. on balance, this week at the united nations, has it been a disappointment, or given cause for optimism for those who think there is a diplomatic solution? >> i think it is only really just beginning, but there is certainly tremendous excitement. remember just three or four weeks ago, the prospect of a military strike against syria by the u.s. the potential cooling of , andions with iran bubbling underneath all of it is the israeli-palestinian peace process. good sign that maybe something is going on there. >> thank you very much for

monitoring all of the day's event. by a former state department official who is now a dean at johns hopkins. watching were president rouhani's speech earlier together. it started fairly moderate and open to the west but became harder line. >> in many ways, he might have been speaking at the united nations general assembly, but he was also speaking to an audience in tehran. in many ways he has to talk to conservatives and hardliners and bring them through that this was the first definite nuclear process. they were like symphony conductors. they have a complex orchestra they are playing to read some of these musicians don't want to play in that orchestra. he was speaking to those

musicians. it actually was the start of nuclear negotiations between iran and the united states. >> president rouhani said he is prepared to engage immediately in what he called time bound talks on iran's nuclear issues. what does he mean, and how significant is it tackle >> pretty significant that iran is actually starting negotiations. giving assurance to the west that we just don't want to talk with no purpose, to buy time to build our nuclear programs. it is going to be a time bound process. he is under some pressure to deliver something back home. so he also wants to say that he can get results quickly. either we will get results, or we will not be entitled by the international community in difficult negotiations in which iran suffers and the west can lock it up in the process.

>> during the speech he said categorically, i'm saying to you that iran's nuclear program is only, exclusively for peaceful objectives. if you compare what president obama said and what president it is anaid, interesting vocabulary, peaceful program. no one is talking about ending the program. it is about making sure it is only for civilian use and it does not have a weapons dimension. rouhani is saying we are willing to engage in a negotiation process that does not end our nuclear program, but merely have as that it does not weapons component. we are willing to negotiate around that. he was essentially laying down the terms under which they are willing to inner terms of negotiations. >> will americans take him at his word? >> i think it is important to note that there is a lot of hope

, whos is a man who tweets writes op ed in the washington post. it shows this is a man who still has to operate in a very difficult political terrain in tehran. he is a serious man. he has a serious message, but he also has a serious problem. it is interesting how much time he spent on sanctions. that is what is really hurting iran's economy is the sanctions. he really wants to unlock the sanctions. >> can he deliver on a serious nuclear negotiation? >> he is not the ultimate decision-maker on that, but he will play a very prominent role in that. the supreme leader who he was speaking to, they will all have to be part of this complex orchestra. >> you both sound very optimistic. >> it is a really open-ended

question. that is what rouhani is asking. are you really willing and able to lift the sanctions? i need to have some kind of result to take home to those hardliners. >> judging from what rouhani said at the united nations this afternoon, is iran prepared now to give up the alleged weapons component of the nuclear program ? >> iran is willing to negotiate. that means he will give up if he will give up if you get something in return. what iran wants is for the sanctions to go away, and what we want is for the nuclear weapons argument to go away. so this is the beginning of a negotiation. he did not come to new york to surrender. he has come to new york to say we are ready to start negotiations. negotiations always have a dynamic of their own. i can go well and gain momentum or they can go badly and begin

to lose steam. >> you would say this is a moment perhaps for optimism in the relationship. >> it's going to be a long, hard slog, no doubt about it. he you have a pragmatic operator and an acute economic crisis in iran driving these discussions, and you have a president in washington who has stated that he wants to solve this problem diplomatically. ande have seen between iran u.s. relations, they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. assume this is going to be a sure thing. >> thank you very much for coming in. theenya, the president says militants who stormed a nairobi shopping mall have been shamed and defeated. with five killed and 11 capture. he announced three days of national mourning. our africa correspondent reports

from nairobi. >> kenyan troops searching room by room. here you can just make out a soldier throwing a grenade. then taking cover. now, a rare glimpse of the militants themselves inside the shopping center. the kenyan authorities are insisting the long battle here is finally over. a promise that we shall have a full accountability for the mindless distraction -- loss,ction, death, pain, pain and suffering we have all undergone as a national family. they will meet justice, as will their accomplices and patrons,

wherever they are. >> i heard loud, heavy gunfire. >> this survivor says at least one woman was involved. had a skirt up to display her knees, a narrow headband, and she was throwing a grenade at the café. >> are you sure she was a woman? >> she looked like a woman. speculation about londonow of one of the seven/seven bombers thought to be hiding in kenya. they are looking for evidence to confirm whether britons or americans were involved. terrorists were shot dead and more presumed to have been shot dead along with their hostages and parts of the building collapsed. the death toll could now rise dramatically. we have heard credible reports from one man who escaped yesterday after 2.5 days in the

that there were many, many bodies there. those who got out alive are still reliving their ordeal. >> they were just shooting. they shot everyone inside. >> tonight, rain and fires have enveloped the area. the battle over, the question still piling up. >> the beginning of three days of national mourning in kenya. sentencedr four men to death for raping and murdering a young woman have begun to challenge the convictions. all death penalty cases in india must be confirmed by a higher court. it could take weeks or months for the court to hear arguments, review evidence, and consider the appeals before deciding

whether to confirm the execution orders. former pope benedict has spoken out in public for the first time since his surprise retirement in february. in a letter published in the italian press, he addresses his handling of the child abuse scandal, denying any cover-up. struck auake has pakistan, forcing people to run out of buildings. the u.s. geological survey measures the trimmer to a magnitude 7.4. still to come on tonight's program, usually one giant panda cub is something to celebrate, but in china, the side of 14 together is quite a thing to behold. the devastating suicide bombing ofpakistan brings questions

negotiating with the taliban and. in one violent moment, this family was torn apart. lost sixstian relatives in the attack on the church. there is no substitute for the brothers i lost, she said. i'll never get them back. and there are dozens of other families here facing sudden losses. over 80 people are now known to have died when two suicide bombers blew themselves up among the congregation that had just finished sunday mass here. protesters have taken to the streets, their anger directed at the authorities for not giving them protection, but also at politicians who say they

are calling for talks with the pakistani taliban a. the prime minister had been pursuing a strategy of preparing the ground for dialogue with the militants, backed by other prominent leaders. pakistanis are exhausted with the bloodshed after years in which thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed, while talks might bring some respite from the violence, the real fear it could also put the militants in an even stronger position. whether it is christians that field,or soldiers in the this country is still grappling hard with have to stop the killing.

>> waste not, want not. it is an expression that norway is putting into practice. common household rubbish is being converted into electricity to power the nation's capital. green, butds very the process is not free from controversy. some environmentalists are crying foul. >> the waste from tens of , ausands of households disgusting, decaying mass. the stench sticks in the back of your throat. here it is seen as energy. be recycled isan before it gets to the stage. then they followed up a time at that time, ready to burn. waste is burned in here

in an incinerator. theire.0 degrees in tin cans and metal mattress springs are left over. recycledl which can be and an awful lot of heat. that heat boils water. the steam drives this turbine, producing electricity, and the scalding water is piped off to houses and public schools across oslo. rubbish from across europe, helping to heat them through the harsh winter. energy from waste, and extreme, you would assume. well, not completely. >> the overall goal should be to reduce the amount of waste.

we are not able to reduce the amount. >> public transport is also running on rubbish. by decaying food and other organic waste. enough eventually to run over 100 buses each year. most of our rubbish ends up not here but in landfills, the energy locked within, wasted forever. matthew price, bbc news, oslo. norwegians are trying to do something different there. rest ofa break from the the day's heavy news, here in washington dc, we get excited about the recent birth of one giant panda. but in china, they have been happily parading around no less than 14 baby cubs. they were all born within the last two months in the south of the country. got thea correspondent lucky assignment of covering the story.

>> their species is clinging to survival. this is a triumph. at china's giant panda breeding center, this year has been the most successful in two decades. 14 you are rivals in the past three months, all conceived artificially. pandas hardly ever breed in captivity. the species of bear has arrived for millions of years, but is being pushed toward extinction. >> it is human interference that has affected them. >> the forest where they live are shrinking. even here in the high mountains of szechuan, you cannot escape the pressures of china's vast, still growing population. tour is to come by the millions to the park don't see any pandas.

thethat remains are souvenirs they snap up instead. pandas survive in the wild. today you will only really see the animals in zoos. captivityanda born in has ever been taken to the wild and reintroduced successfully. so china's breeding program keeps the species alive and earn china a lot of money. pandas,a pair of grown china is paid around a half- million pounds a year. the new arrivals art straley valuable. they are handled with care -- they are extremely valuable. >> that is one very expensive piece of fluffy bear. that brings the program to a close. watch for constant updates on

our 24 hour news network. you can get all the latest as includingr website, president rouhani's speech at the united nations. watching.much for washin i will see you back here tomorrow. >> make sense of international news -- at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, 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? >> "bb