we report from inside zimbabwe on a new optimism about the future. and miraculously escaped. a car bomb explodes at a spanish police barracks, but no one is killed. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcasting to our viewers on pbs in the states and across the globe. coming up later, the woman from sudan fighting for the right to wear trousers. if she loses her case, she faces 40 lashes. and the hotel that has it all, including a cold war history that makes it a truly unique place to stay. >> it is a kid's dream. there are buttons to press, will soon move, paddles to push. they have even still got this emergency wear -- but instead press, -- buttons to press,

wheels to move, pedals to push. >> the nigerian assault against rebels in the north of the country has intensified. four days of violence has left more than 200 people dead. security forces have been shunning the headquarters of the sect in the city where thousands of people have fled their homes. >> parts of northern nigeria are in a state of fear. violent attacks being blamed on a radical religious groups have caught the authorities off guard. police stations, government buildings, job centers, and churches have already been attacked and torch. many of the pictures are too graphic to show. hundreds of people thought to be members of the radical religious sect are under arrest. hundreds more are killed.

it began here. over 70 men with machetes, crossbows, and guns attacked a police station. by the end of the day, dead were piled high in the streets, most of them always of the religious group. the sec responded, attacking three more police stations and government offices -- the sect responded. to the nigerian government, it is an uprising. we are a >> going to continue the security all over -- >> we are going to continue the security all over to fish out members of this element to deal with them severely. >> thousands of soldiers and paramilitary police have poured into the group's headquarters, where they are now surrounded and being shelled. the bombardment is fierce, and the military says they were taken by surprise by the intensity of the fire coming from the building. a colonel in charge of operations says he believes there are about 1000 people still inside the enclave.

he believes that those of always of the radical sect, and there are also about 250 young men guarding the enclave and fighting the nigerian military. northern nigeria has a history of violence between different communities. the fear of yet more killing is preying on many minds here. >> president obama has launched a sweeping defense of his efforts to stimulate the american economy, saying the u.s. may now be seeing the beginning of the end of recession. the market was up, meaning the financial system was also a -- was no longer on the edge of collapse. he also defended the bailout of car maker's gm and chrysler. the imf has announced it is sharply increasing funding to poorer countries to help them deal with the global economic crisis. they plan to increase lending to developing nations by up to $8 billion over the next two years. that is $2 billion more than was called for by the g-20 summit in

april. microsoft and yahoo! have announced an internet search partnership in an effort to take on google. under the deal, microsoft's new search engine will be used on yahoo! sites while yahoo! will use microsoft computer technology. the police in spain are blaming the vast separatist organization for a car bomb in a northern city that slightly injured more than 50 people, who were hit by flying glass. from madrid. >> the terrifying aftermath of the early morning attack, filmed by an amateur cameraman. "what brutality," he exclaims. at least 200 kilos of explosives have been packed into a van and detonated without warning. the blast scarred 14 stories of the police barracks, ripping out

the lower floors. more than 100 people had been inside. police officers and their families. children were among those cut by flying glass, but incredibly, there were no fatalities. "i'm in shock," says this lady. "my daughter was wounded. she has had four stitches in her head." the authorities were quick to blame the rebel group. the group's last cease-fire was broken in december 2006 when a bomb at madrid airport killed two people. they have since claimed seven for their lives, but several of its alleged commanders have been arrested. >> we have to bear in mind that the terrorist organization has weakened. the fact that they have been able to plan this huge bomb does not deter from the fact that there are very weak and does not deter from the fact that they have been acknowledging internally that they are in a very critical situation.

>> days show of force follows basque regional elections, which were branded undemocratic when their favorite candidates were excluded -- today's show of force follows vastlitly injured nearly 50 people. a court in sudan has adjourned the case of a woman who could face 40 lashes for wearing what was called "in decent clothing -- "indecent clothing." she has quit her job to bring attention to her case. as a united nations employee, she would have had immunity. >> these green trousers scarcely seem worth a second glance, but because of them, she could receive 40 lashes. the former journalist is convinced she is innocent of the charge addressing indecently and is prepared to go to court to prove it. she has decided to resign from the united nations job, which,

thanks to an agreement with the sudanese government, would have given her immunity. >> we have expressed our respect for the agreement and its provisions, but we explained to the court that the case should be tried before the court, and we do not view the immunity as a bar to the trial. >> the judge has a dent -- the judge has adjourned the trial. scores of people have attended the hearing. many of them after receiving invitation cards or e-mails. sudanese law criminalizes improper clothing but does not specify what this is. >> the charge is in contradiction of the 2005

constitution. the law also contradicts the human rights charter included in the constitution, and stated in a comprehensive peace agreement. i can also tell you, as far as i know as a muslim, the article 152 is in contradiction as islamic sharia law. >> she says she was initially arrested alongside 12 other women, all of them for wearing trousers. 10 of them pleaded guilty and received 10 lashes and a $100 fine each, she says. sudan applies a strict version of islamic law in the north of this vast country, but this high-profile case will determine whether that really forbids a woman from wearing trousers. >> now, in greenland, climate change is happening faster than the science is anticipated. as the glaciers retreat, is one of the potentially dangerous impact on global sea levels --

science once -- science warns of the potentially dangerous impact on global sea levels. >> green land is our planet's northern frontier. there are signs of change. the sea does not freeze in winter like it used to. that is bad news for the huskies. some get put down when there is no hunting on the ice. but good for villagers, who since an end to their isolation. -- who cents -- who sense an end to their isolation. >> as the climate grows warmer, people start to move back here. we are very good at adapting to

change, and i see a bright future for us here. >> warmer summers, a longer growing season -- finally, greenland is beginning to live up to its name. >> this is the tail, and then we have the -- this is the kale, leek adn potato. >> man has barely left a mark on this island. now, with climate change, there is talk of forestry, agriculture, and a new interest in potential reaches deep underground. this -- a new interest in potential riches deep underground. it is not the extraordinary beauty of this place that excites geologist. they have already found telltale signs of gold and platinum down below in the rocks. they believe with new tests, new boreholes, they can prove that

this could be valuable mining territory. >> precious metals, diamonds, oil, and gas. in a warming agreement -- in a warming of greenland -- in a warming greenland, exploration is a less daunting task. denmark has just given greenland self rule, including control of their own resources. so will they embrace change or resist it? >> it is a dilemma, both in terms of how big this industry can grow, and house small our society is, how few people we are -- how small our society as. how to manage this. >> the outside world sees this

as a portent of our planet in peril, but for greenland, climate change may bring unprecedented opportunities. >> there is a new warning today about the dangers posed by using a sunbed. a new study shows using it before the age of 30 can substantially increase development of the most lethal type of skin cancer. >> lisa is 19 and has been using sun beds for five years. she likes to have a tan and is not scared of cancer. >> if you do not use them too much, i'm sure you will be fine. i do not always do it. once a week maximum. twice at the maximum. >> 160,000 cases of melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed worldwide every year. experts are warning that some big users who start before they are 30 increase their risk of cancer by 75 percent -- sun bed

users who start before they are 30 increase their risk of cancer by 75%. obviously, adults can make choices about whether they use them, but they should do so knowing the risks. we would also like to see added protection for young people. we like to see under 18 banns. >> that is already happening in scotland. most of the users are women aged in their 20's or 30's. they come before a holiday or simply because they feel it helps them look good. this company uses airports style technology to make sure customers are not booking too many sessions. the industry insists there is no proven link with skin cancer. >> quite a day in the world of

formula one today. just hours after bmw announced that are pulling out of the sport, the greatest german driver announced he was getting back into the sport. michael schumacher will replace massa. he retired in 2006 after winning 91 grand prix. the news came on the david b&w announced it would pull out of the championship at the end of the season -- the news came on the date that bmw announced it would pull out at the end of the season. >> bmw has spent four years and millions of pounds developing their cars, but this morning, at their headquarters in munich, they announced they had had enough. the chief executive said it had been a difficult decision to quit formula one at the end of the season, but they decided to focus on other areas of motorsports -- the new technologies.

it is the end of an adventure that had promised much. last season, bmw finished third. the driver, winning in canada. but this season has been a tale of disappointment. with the economic crisis affecting their car sales, expensive failure is no longer an option. after honda's exit last year, bmw is the second car manufacturer to pull out of formula one, and like honda, they simply underachieved. motorsports governing body say they are saddened but not surprised, and that it justifies their recent cost-cutting measures. other teams may also now want to consider their future, but for bmw, it is already the end of the road. >> a plane, which was used by leaders of communist east germany, is back in service, but not in the air. a dutch businessman bought the aircraft, and he has turned it now into a luxury hotel. >> this four-engine propeller

plane is a bit of a relic of the cold war. it was produced in the soviet union, but it was used by leaders of communist east germany. of this is used to travel across the eastern bloc. today, nearly 50 years after the aircraft was built, it is in service again. although those east german comrades might be a little surprised what it is being used for now. on board, you can see that this aircraft has been given a five- star facelift and transformed into a luxury hotel. it does not fly anymore. the point is that with this plan, you can take a vacation without taking off. the plane only has one bed, but plenty of creature comforts that even the communists eagerly could only dream of, including a jacuzzi and infrared sauna -- that even the communist elite

could only dream of. >> when you want to celebrate something -- an anniversary or a wedding -- and you are looking for something special, i think this is special enough. >> it did not look so special a few months ago. the aging aircraft had to be taken to bits to get it from germany to holland. then, the takeover began. -- the makeover began. but there is one part that has changed very little. my favorite of the whole hotel is possibly the least look serious part -- the cockpit. look at this. it has been left virtually untouched. has barely changed since the time the pilots at your -- since the time the pilot sat here. it is a kid's dream -- buttons to press, wheels to move.

they even still have this emergency wrote the pilot would have used if they needed to get out of the plan very quickly. but what and when really want to spend the night here? the owners are certainly hoping that this combination of communist era of history and comfort, the idea of checking into a hotel plane will really take off. >> our top story again -- reports from nigeria from the north of the country say the fighting between security forces and militant islamists, who are blamed for fomenting violence across several states, has worsened. it is reports from one town -- the fierce fighting is continuing with the militants still holding several individual areas. >> funding for this presentation 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.

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