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>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of businesses from small businesses to major corporations. what can do for you? >> and now for "bbc world news" -- >> i am georgian this is world news today. the headlines, over 20 residents dead in afghan after reds had problems in the south. it comes as the chief visit of nato visits the country and says keeping casualties to a minimum is one of its priorities. sentenced to death, the maximum penalty for the three found guilty of a car bombing in mumbai in 2003.

awaiting senate confirmation, will the controversy over the first hispanic supreme court justice in america now die down? also, this hour, the hidden cost of swine flu. we will find out how it is affecting egypt's poorest. and a play about polygamy allowed in the west, but not in many traditional cultures. just tell a acceptable is it? ♪ it is 7:00 a.m. in washington, midday here in london, and 3:30 p.m. in the afghan province where 26 people, many civilians, have been killed, following two wrecks of bombs. it is the latest in a string of insurgent attacks in the lead up to next month's election. and the worst incident, 21 including children were killed when a bomb detonated.

the attacks happened as the new nato secretary general was making his first trip to southern afghanistan to assess conditions there. he has made cutting the civilian deaths aboard. joining us is our correspondent, martin. these civilian deaths, can we assume that this is a product of the terrorists changing the way they are targeting? due to this latest incident in southern afghanistan is not exactly clear how how these 21 civilians were killed. there was a tractor and trailer and it could have gone over to improvise implosive devices. it is not sure whether they were the intended targets. >> if they were the targets,

there is still going to be a lot of consternation about civilian deaths. it makes it much more important, doesn't it, for rasmussen to say that he will do something about it? >> yes, but the problem is the senior western officials in the nato secretary general have been saying this for years. civilian casualties keep going up. some of those at the hands of international forces and others are at the hands of insurgents, but the pattern is clear. since operations began in 2001, the number of civilians getting killed particularly in the south and east is increasing, as are the number of foreign soldiers serving afghanistan -- their casualties are also increasing. the situation for now is more violent than ever before. >> judging by your analysis, the

secretary and nato can only do so much? they can only do something about casualty's that are a result of their attacks, right? >> yes, the majority are killed by insurgents according to the united nations. but if you believe figures released last year, 30% or 40%, that is 2000 or 3000 afghans killed of the last three months, about 40% are at the hands of either foreign or afghan forces. there is much to improve how the business. the afghan government has been calling for the afghan army to take the lead in operations. they believe that will reduce civilian casualties, and also less reliance on air strike. we have seen problems from air

strikes in several incidents of the last 18 months. >> i am joined now from edinburgh by director in commentator on afghanistan. thank you for joining us. i'm not sure if you heard this last comments from martin, but he says the afghan government will like to see greater coordination with afghan forces and fewer air strikes to reduce civilian casualties. are those things you think that nato can deliver on? >> they can if they produce more boots on the ground. martin is right. the number of civilian casualties is going. in the first six months according to the u.n. official, there were 1000 casualties of which 300 were caused by nato air strikes. there's not much that nato can do about the civilians being killed by the taliban, but the

answer is more boots on the ground. that means more training of police and the army there. in the meantime, it would be nice to seek more to troops there to fill the gap. our troops are not pulling their weight. >> the heavy reliance on air strikes is a direct result of the failure to get enough people on the ground? >> that is correct. that has been the case for the past three years. >> the question we all need to ask is what will you do to get more nato troops on the ground? the challenges perhaps in the capitals of nato countries? >> that is right. there's a gap between the rhetoric coming out of brussels and what is happening on the ground.

this is not a good way to protect elections. in an election month to have civilian casualties in this way -- that will rise to the top of the agenda. it is a disastrous policy. >> we have been talking about nato policies for years. is there anything that rasmussen can do that others have not done before him? >> to be honest, a data. the argument for western capitals to produce more troops has been going on for some time. we should not forget that they have taken a hammer in. there have been many deaths, over 30 nato deaths this sumr. but you cannot fight a campaign like this without more of the same. i'm afraid this month we will see more during this election month.

is in the taliban's interests to disrupt the elections as much as possible. >> thank you, james ferguson. we will have a special report on this month's election later in the program. three people have been sentenced to death in india for planting bombs that killed 52 in the city of mumbai in 2003. all three were convicted last week six years after bombs exploded at the gateway of india monument in the main corridor. our correspondent there reports now. >> the attack in mumbai in august 2003 was the victim. the bombs were planted inside two taxis. one detonated as -- at the city's main jewelry market at the height of the business hour, leaving behind a trail of destruction. the second at the city's main landmark. it was the gateway of india. more than 50 people were killed

and nearly 180 wounded. last week, a special anti-terror court convicted this man, his wife, and usherethis person of planting the bombs. they stood in court as the judge handed them the death penalty. all three have pleaded not guilty and are expected to appeal against the sentence. their trial took place in high security and under a powerful anti-terrorism law that no longer exists. prosecutors argued that the bombings were carefully planned and were an act of extreme brutality. all three deserved the harsh sentence, they said. the bombings were said to be in retaliation for an dead-muslim riots in a certain state in 2002. all three are also said to be members of a certain band pakistani military group, also accused of carrying out last

years mumbai attacks which led to increased tension between india and pakistan. >> let me give you a quick round up of other stores. pakistan has asked interpol to issue of alert for 13 suspects wanted in connection with last year's mumbai attacks. miller asks member countries to help locate the suspects and notify pakistani authorities will then issue arrest warrants. the 13 have not been publicly named, but details will be circulated worldwide to police investigators. australia's prime minister says there has been considerable loss of life in a ferry sinking. more than 50 are missing. it overturned in rough seas. the united states is withholding aid to tackle mexico's drug war because of a dispute over the

country's human-rights record. patrick leahy has blocked the release of the state department report on human rights which is needed before $100 million in aid can be released. hillary clinton is due to hold talks with the somali president and kenya. the united states has been supporting somalia's transitional government which has been under pressure from opposition forces, especially the islamist insurgents group. we will have a business record in 25 minutes. michelle is here now. the u.k. interest rates have just been announced. >> not surprisingly the bank of england decided to leave rates unchanged. i guess the delta was not much room to move lower. the big question economists were wondering was would they continue to ease, or not? they have been launching a program to try to buy it back government bonds to put money

into the system to stimulate more lending, stimulate the economy. everyone wondered because of recent positive economic it if it would continue. many economists who have been pulled are split evenly. we have seen the bank of england say will increase the program by around $85 billion. it is a surprise. >> will you also look at news in the gambling world? >> yes, the british betting firm has decided that taxes are too much in the u.k. and is moving its online operations elsewhere. we have seen its rival do the same thing this week. there is an exodus from the gambling world here. we'll have more on that and interest rates and a while. >> this is "world news today quoting -- coming up, the hispanic judge expected to

joined america's highest court. time to take up the trash. we will find out house one flu has led to a dramatic rise in egypt's rubbish. the venezuelan president hugo chavez has announced trade measures against columbia which is struggling to counter regional problems with its links to the in a distance. he says he would hope that the import of cars and bar -- can bar a venezuelan country from an oil field. their meeting originally on a rapid tour of south american couples to win support. >> the proposal to allow the u.s. greater access to military bases in colombia has created a bitter diplomatic stir than either side seems to have anticipated -- has treated a bigger diplomatic stir. it is only fair to exacerbate existing fears about the role that influenced the more

powerful neighbor to the north. officials in colombia said that u.s. forces will have access to three air fields. two army facilities and two navy bases. faced with the long-running battle, they insist the goal is to boost the effort against drug-traffickers. >> no one else but the terrorists and illicit traffickers should fear this agreement. it is clear and respectful of other countries, of the international agreements, and is simply looking for the strengthening of our capacity to fight this global scourged. >> columbia's president toured several south american nations to ease concerns. that was in advance of a regional summit next week. even in brazil for the government is known for its moderate tones when it comes to problems around its neighbors it seems to have a tough task. brazil's president has said he is not happy at the idea of even

one american based in columbia. while the brazilian government says the proposed u.s. military presence seems to go well beyond what is needed. gary for bbc news and sao paolo. >> this is "world news today." i am george. the man headlines -- more than 20 killed in afghanistan. the violence comes as the new nato secretary general paid a visit to the country. three people in india or given the maximum penalty of the death sentence after being found guilty of the car bombings in mumbai in 2003. the first hispanic supreme court judge is expected to be confirmed by the u.s. senate leader. that is despite widespread republican opposition to the nomination of sonia sotomayor. even though barack obama's

choice is unlikely to change the ideological makeup of the bench, justice sonia sotomayor has been opposed by nearly three-quarters of republican senators. they say that she will bring bias to the row. who is she? the daughter of put to rican parents grew up in a housing estate in the bronx, new york. she says her working-class background has shaped her decision making. she studied at princeton university and went on to yale law school. after which she served as an assistant district attorney in new york. her career snowballed. seven years of private practice ended after nomination to the district courts. she was then elevated to the court of appeals in 1997. sonia sotomayor's place in the supreme court would see her not only as the first hispanic on the bench, but also the third woman. i am joined by washington from david, a senior editor from the

washington-based website, politico. thanks for being with us. there is no doubt that she will get this confirmation, is there? >> no, really no question that she will win confirmation to the spring court. the real question will be how many republicans' but was to get? there are only 40 of 100 and it is unclear if you get a majority of voters. they imagine to give 65 up to 70 overall. >> one gets the impression that people are making politics of this appointment. but this is not new, is it? hasn't this gone on in american politics whenever a supreme court judge is appointed? >> read, there's nothing new about voting against the supreme court or any other judicial nominee because one disagrees with their philosophy. that has been a real

disagreement among republicans. do you give deference to the president even if it is not the person you have chosen? or do you say, i disagree. i do not like the ruins they will make and i will vote against them? that is a big split among both republicans and democrats. >> what are the issues those who are most opposed are concerned about? >> this suggest she would rule against the conservative viewpoint on say, gun rights ownership, abortion, private property. it is not clear that is the case. she really does not have a long paper trail on those hot-button issues. whether it is out of a fortuitous circumstance or intentional decisions, she has not ruled on many of these. they are having to guess how she might vote on them. >> is it true to say that her

appointment is unlikely to change the ideological makeup of the court? >> that is a very important point. i suspect it is part of the reason why there has not been more conservative opposition to her. she workplace justice david souter, one of the most liberal ones on the supreme court for many years. assuming that she rules in a similar manner and it is not clear that you will, but if she does, it will not change the overall composition. if there is an opening to replace one of the current conservative justices, then i suspect we would expect a much larger, a prominent battle over ideology. >> leaving that aside, how important is it in american life to have a hispanic woman nominated and perhaps getting it? >> it is certainly another barrier been broken, one that

opens the opportunities for everyone else. it comes on the heels of the first african-american president elected. she will be the only third female on the court. it breaks down the walls. the future appointments we can expect perhaps the first jewish justice, any number of other possibilities. >> david mark, thank you for your time. it is now three months since the egyptian government order the controversial slaughter of all the countries pigs in a futile attempt to stop the spread of swine flu. the parliament proceeded even though there was no sign of infection within the pigs. most were owned by the minority christian population. especially the rubbish collectors from the slums. the slaughter of pigs has and deprive them of a vital source of income. and it threatens the city of the

service that they depend upon. >> he has eco his meager living recycling the waste from cairo. 14 hours per day for 30 years. his life just got even tougher. they are vital to the city's trash collection. 84% of that they receive is sorted, recycled, and so. it is a fragile existence and which the pigs played a crucial role. each month they went through 6000 tons of the rotten food collected the fact and pigs. magdi says that the the money was vital to his family's welfare. >> i sold pigs twice per year to pay for fixing the car and school fees for our children.

i cannot replace what i have lost. >> as the pandemics spread, the majority muslim parliament decided to kill all the pigs, over 300,000 animals, even though there were not infected. in the christian some there were riots. >> until three months ago, this was full of pigs here in this sector. the government paid them only a fraction of what the animals were worth. >> the critics of the garment said there was little thought is given to the effect it would have on this poor minority. >> without prior research, what are we doing? what are the implications of this on the economy of the people who are growing the pigs? >> for the most poor families it

was the only affordable source of protein. no health workers see the first cases of malnutrition and anemia. but the government makes no apology. they said it was necessary to clean up and modernize the pig industry. >> you cannot base our policies on the short term. of course, you have to do something and the people will suffer. the issue is how to minimize the suffering. >> with no pigs, they are paying the extra costs of moving organic waste to the outskirts of the city. much of it has been left behind. that means more food for hungry vermin. that is implications for everyone. christian for bbc news in cairo. >> now with the latest sports news here is amelia. >> one year without a major cut would normally be unthinkable for tiger woods.

but into a dozen and he says he is prepared to relax his goals just a little. the invitational in ohio with four titles since his comeback in figure eight -- his book about how improving his physical condition after his reassertion of his knee has been his first priority. >> if you with us meet the beginning of the year before i played if i would have four wins by no, i could not see it. walking 18 holes would be a task. looking back on it now, with the match play, where i was physically been and where i am now was night and day. it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. to not only win, be as consistent as i have been the entire year, it is one of the things i am the most proud of. >> the heavyweight championship

issued a come and get it title from the american boxer. the ukrainian tongue will put his belt on the line at the stables center in los angeles on november 26. his career has seen 37 wins, 36 knockouts and only two defeats. he was scheduled to fight david, but the englishmen pulled out with a back injury. he is hoping to become the first mexican-american fighter to win the title. he has an impressive record so far. he is 10 years older than the other and will be his second title defense. now, sherry has been cleared to compete at the world's athletic championships all of this month. the sprinter was one of five jamaicans to be tested positive for banned stimulant back into. they were unable to impose any sanctions on her because there was an irregularity with the

testing of the samples. an athlete must give their permission before the sample can be tested, but it is understood that the consent was not sought. >> as a summary of our top story -- and authority in afghanistan says that two roadside bombs have killed 26 people, most civilians. that was in the southern province. there is more on our website, bbc.com. >> "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 a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and judith stiles, i'm kevin bacon, and public broadcasting is my source for news about the world for intelligent conversation, for election coverage you can count on, for conversations beyond a sound bite, for commitment to journalism. i am carol washington and public broadcasting is my source for an intelligent connection to my community. "bbc world news"