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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. >> this is world news today. a call for unity from morocco, but he insists his plan for health care reform -- from barack obama, but he insists his plan for health-care reform is

workable. >> now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together and show the american eagle that we can still do what we were sent here to do. now on health care. >> hamid karzai's main rival in the afghan elections accuses the president of manipulating the vote. five girls killed, 30 injured in a stampede. fighting over religion, controversy within the israeli army over the rise of right-wing military rabbis. it is midday here in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington. that is where barack obama has called for an end to partisan bickering in a bid to push through his plan to reform health care in america. in a speech to congress, he called for a system that benefited those with insurance and without.

has the speech reignited his flagging presidency? has he done enough to sway lawmakers of the need for reform. first, this from our correspondent, jonathan beale. >> madam speaker, the president of the united states. >> the popularity may have taken a tumble, a rock obama still has the status and authority to -- barack obama still has the status and authority. >> the time for bickering is over. the time for games has passed. now is the season for action. >> this was his opportunity to seize the initiative and spell out his plan. >> it will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. it will provide insurance for those who do not. and it will slow the growth of health-care costs for families,

our businesses, and our government. >> he also wanted to dismiss what he called the scare tactics by his opponents. >> the reforms i am proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. >> the republican shout of it is a lie clearly shocked. chief among republican concerns is talk of a government-run health insurance scheme. on that committee president said he was open to compromise. >> to my republican friends, rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have. >> in the end, he clearly thought he had done enough. this was another powerful speech by barack obama, but opinions have become more deeply entrenched. leaving his supporters were reading that his intervention this time -- worrying that his

intervention this time may have come to that. >> let's go to washington and joined adam brooks. is there a general consensus as you listen to the television, the radio, read the papers? >> people think it is a very effective speech. it is certainly that obama's supporters came to life during the campaign. it looked like he had fire in his belly, steel in his spine, on any other political message you would like to use. what is important here are two questions. did he persuade anybody out there in the center or the right of american politics that his health care reform is a good idea? probably not. he has probably not changed the minds of skeptics. has he galvanize those that he needs to galvanize in order to get this new legislation through? probably yes. i think people have probably got

a little bit of a spring in their step this morning, and the tire surprise of health care reform, which, make no mistake, is vital to his presidency, probably looks more likely to succeed this morning. >> it is difficult sometimes for people looking from afar, this notion of universal health care should be so controversial. why is there so much opposition to it amongst people in the united states? >> it comes from a number of things. to start with, the republican party, shattered in last year's elections, has found the cause to rally around and come alive around, so they are looking for an opportunity to bloody president obama early in his presidency, and some are taking it out on this health care issue. the second, there are a small number of lobbyists industry pressure groups who have been very ingenious in grabbing headlines concerning the debate to their own advantage.

lastly, there are real concerns, and genuine concerns on the part of many americans that at this moment of acute economic anxiety, the government is about to start fiddling with the health-care system, something fundamental to american life. even if it means bringing in universal health care, people are still very concerned about what it will mean to use -- to the average american if you are happy with what you have done already. do you really want to see very new, unpredictable, and expensive measures brought in in the middle of a huge recession? it is about uncertainty in the end. that is why people are concerned about it. >> thank you for joining us from washington. the first images of the self- proclaimed mastermind behind 9/11 attacks have emerged on the internet, prompting fears they are being used by terrorist groups to inspire other attacks against the u.s. khalid sheikh mohammad has been in guantanamo bay since 2006 after he admitted to being

responsible for the new york and washington attacked. these images were room originally taken as part of a mission to monitor prisoners held in detention. they have previously been used by al qaeda sympathizers to communicate with each other. at least 20 people have been killed in two separate bomb attacks in iraq. a bomb exploded next to a police patrol in central baghdad. earlier, 19 people were killed and more than 13 injured after a bomb exploded in the kurdish village of wardek in the north. nine women including a 15 year- old girl had been freed after spending two months in a turkish village believing they were taking part in a reality television show. turkish military police raided the property and free the woman after complaints from family members who were prevented from making any contact. images had been sold of the women on the internet.

a man has been arrested. the main challenger in the afghan presidential election has accused president hamid karzai of manipulating the commission counting the votes. he was speaking at an interview with our correspondent. >> days after the anniversary of 9/11 always mark and afghanistan by commemoration for the leader, ahmad shah masood. killed in the attacks before 2001. all soldiers bearing winds -- bearing wounds before the war, gathered to remember. this year they have a new hero, dr. abdallah. but he does not want to fight the old afghan weapon, he wants to win an election. he claims that the president, hamid karzai, controls the election commission who are counting the votes. >> it is not independent at all.

it has been corrupt, and the practice is now widespread. i think it is for -- i think it is not good for the country that someone has committed fraud. i wanted to do something for the country, and that is not possible with this sort of mafia-type act. >> do you think the election has been stolen from you? >> it has been stolen from the nation because i think it is a disservice to the people. i am not just talking about my own supporters. those who cast their vote for mr. karzai, one person, one vote, there botas also part of it -- their vote is also part of it. the outcome of the elections is decided by a clean vote, to the

extent that we can get it. that is important because otherwise the a corrupt system, a corrupt regime, administration, will continue. on top of that, for leeland outcomes. >> within a couple of days -- fraudulent outcomes. >> within a couple of days, the votes will have been counted, but a recount could take several months. david owen, bbc news, couple. >> in the past few moments, we have had news from the afp news agency in cobblkabul. fit for the first time, ballots have been ordered within -- ballots have been ordered to be invalidated. that is the latest from kabul from asd. to india where they stampede in a school in delhi has killed five girls and injured 30 other

people. five of the injured are in critical condition as humphrey oxley reports. >> injured, several seriously hurt, were rushed to a hospital after investigation began into exactly what caused the tragic school stampede. reports say the school had been flooded in a downpour and was being evacuated. rumors spread about the electoral short circuit running through the water, and panic broke out. -- the electrical short circuit running through the water, and panic broke out. this is the narrow staircase where the stampede occurred. the chief minister said she did not have an explanation of but any necessary act would be taken once the investigation took place. the school is in a crowded neighborhood in the eastern part of delhi, run by the government. this news of the -- as news of the stampede spread, so did anger against the authorities.

a bus was pelted with stones. crowds gathered around the school. parents demanded explanations, and riot police were called in to keep people back. humphrey hawksley, bbc news. >> let's get the latest. we can see the angry parents they're wanting answers. is it any clearer what the cause of the stampede was? >> no, it is not to lucy. they're trying to piece together what happened. in that report you heard that there was some kind of a rumor about an electrical short circuit which caused panic and forced students to clamber down the narrow staircase. another version which the police are putting forward is that there were two groups of students, a group of girls in the upper story in a classroom and another group of boys in a lower story, and the reports are that they were going up and down the staircase at the same time.

there were 5000 students in all, and several hundred crammed together in this narrow four and a half staircase. that may have caused this as well. the number of versions, no clarity as yet. >> reports will come out about the structure and how safe it was. is it typical of a school of this size in delhi? ? >> it is. it is a government-run school, and it is something we have seen across the country because there are farm to many students. the students often -- there are far too many students. the students often study in shifts. they were taking an examination, and in the past we have also seen that the school structures are not very safe, and there is very few staff around to manage this number of students, particularly in an emergency situation as we had this morning.

>> is there still a police presence down at the school? is there angry parents there, or has it calmed down? >> it has calmed down a bit, but there is still a heavy police presence because there are a few people still looking for their children. there has been such an amount of chaos that they have not been able to locate their children, so there is anxious parents as well. >> terrible times for parents. thank you for updating us from delhi. for market -- full market analysis in 25 minutes time. >> how long have we been waiting for this? we're only talking about speculation at the moment, but the head of the opel workers union, he expected decision today in about two or three hours' time. in july, general motors went into bankruptcy, essentially,

and part of the restructuring is that it wants to put european arms up for sale. various bidders, i have to say, smart money now has got -- actually it general motors might hold on to opel. if it does that, though, very interesting because the german government has given opel 1.5 billion euro loan, which would have to be paid back. so still, nothing confirmed by any of the major parties. >> we will be having that stedman live here on bbc world news. >> it is ick -- we will be having that statement live here on bbc world news. >> if it comes. >> working through the reception -- working through the recession. and then climbing to be acting on a mission from god, briefly holding a plane full of hostages

in mexico. he threatened to blow up more than 100 passengers before he was detained by the authorities. this is all because he wanted to warn the world of an impending earthquake. police originally thought they were dealing with as many as eight hijackers on board the aircraft. >> aeromexico flight 576, isolated at the end of the runway. on board, 112 passengers -- french, american, mexican, and, it was believed, at eight hijackers. the plane was on route from the holiday resort from cancun. once it landed at mexico city, played out live on television, the mexican authorities took action. >> [speaking spanish]

>> the situation seemed so under control, passengers were able to take their hand luggage with them as they left. where the hijackers bolivia, colombia and, or venezuelan? initially police took at least seven people away in handcuffs, but it later emerged that the drama was carried out by one man claiming to be on a religious mission, saying he hijacked the plane after receiving a divine revelation predicting an earthquake. no explosives were found either. the bomb he said he had on board, detonated on the tarmac, was no bomb at all. this was a drama that unfolded live and concluded without a single shot fired. > >> this is "world news today"

from bbc world news. pettitte and obama called for -- president obama called for health care reform, saying the time for bickering is over. the main challenger in afghanistan's presidential election has accused president karzai of manipulating the presidential commission overseeing the count. let's get more on that dramatic obama speech. i'm joined now by stryker mcguire, the continue -- the editor at "newsweek" magazine. this is a democratic president with a huge majority. why is this not a done deal? >> well, it is complicated, but to simplify, his problem is not just republicans, who of course are reposed -- are opposed to him on most aspects of what he walked into the problem is people in his party, on the left especially, who want more government involvement in health

care in the united states than obama is proposing. so he is sort of in the middle, and he has got the republicans all against him and he has some people in his party on his side. >> do you think he might have turned the tide with the soaring rhetoric that we saw from him? >> in the end, his party will rally behind him, and certainly last night was a big step along the way. there are people saying it was his best speech since the one he gave famously at the democratic national convention in 2004, a great speech. he needs to move very quickly while the optimism and all the euphoria of that speech is still around. >> he said this is a moral stain, 47 million people in the richest nation on the " with no health care. why these fundamental ideological differences in health care? that is basically about the government role in people's lives -- >> is basically about the

government's role in people's lives, that is why you hear this talk about socialized medicine health care plan. the plan that he is talking about, the plan that might actually go into place in america is as far from socialized medicine as you can imagine. there would be, even in the most sort of liberal of plans, there would be very little government involvement. it would basically be, in the form of subsidies, discounts, helping people who are uninsured today, get health care. but it basically is this old american thing about we do not want the government running our lives. >> what about the role, briefly, of the pharmaceutical companies and the health insurance companies? >> the health insurance companies have done very well recently, but everybody recognizes the big health-care industry in the united states, the insurers, they recognize that the costs are going out of control. at some point is all going to

fall down, and there is a sense that they are simply trying to hang on to what they have for as long as they can. >> two countries has been hit hard hard by the recession. japan pause economy declined at the fastest rate since the sec -- japan's economy declined at the fastest rate since the second world war. the japan correspondence -- are japan cars but it has more. >> it did not take long for the economic crisis to reach osaka. the morning begins as it always did, in front of the flag. there is an entry to work hard and a rush to get it done.

he owns the company who wears the same uniform as the men on the factory floor. he takes seriously the idea of everyone sharing the good times and bad. the recession, he is determined not to lay off anyone. the japanese way of business and the american way of business are completely different, he says. when there is no work, american companies sacked employees. it is a usual practice. but japanese companies do things differently. japan has cut everyone's hours and pay. he has used his own spare time to write a book about work sharing. but it was not enough. the market for the factory product had collapsed. the striking thing about this

factory is how many machines are lying idle. it is a picture that is repeated across japan. the economy is running dramatically below full capacity. there seem to be a lot of machines here compared to the number of people. finally in june he had to lay off 10 of his 60 employees to save his company. we used to make 100 million yen worth of parts, he says. now it is just 38 million. many of those still working at the factory have had to take second jobs to make ends meet. but for him, after struggling for a year to stay afloat, there is a bright side. he expects many of his rivals will go bankrupt in the coming months. >> you will find lots of detailed coverage of the economic downturn.

go to bbc.com/aftershock. it will explain the roots of the credit crunch. just how key events of the past year unfolded. also, we want you to share your experiences by in mailing us at bbc.com/have your say. now and the sports report. football, mike. >> the sixth successive world cup finals. usa, mexico, and honduras occupy the three automatic qualifying places. a narrow win against mexico by the u.s. said. the hosts were -- by the usa. the u.s. won it with a goal from clark in the 62nd minute.

it leaves the u.s. with four more wins to secure their place. defending champion roger federer has reached -- has won over robin soderling. he won the first two sets against the swiss maestro, against the man he beat earlier this year. the man who lost against federal rally in the third set. that made it two sets to one. this time it was fairer that prevail -- this time it was roger federer who prevailed. >> i was quite worried going into the match, seeing how much wind there was on the court,

that i was going to hit a good ball, and all of a sudden i am up 6-love-1. it was good that i had maybe a bit of a test. i hoped that i could close it out in three. i should have, but -- >> that is all for now. >> mike, thanks very much. a summary of our top story for you. president obama has challenged his opponents to put aside their bickering and work towards health care in the united states universally. you are watching "world news today." thank you for being with us. >> 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 kerri washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my cnity.

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