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>> 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? >> he was a dreamer. >> i was floating above the trees. >> or they my lips? but she was a realist. with every word he wrote -- >> a thing of beauty is a joy forever. >> inspired romance that would live forever. >> i must warn you of the trap you are walking into. >> you know i do anything. >> "bright star," from jane campion. >> and now, bbc world news. >> this is world news today. race in the states rears its head again. that the carter says it -- jimmy carter says opposition to barack obama is driven by racism. new government come up old

problems. can the democratic party said japan's economy. china did his finger into iraq's oil. why many iraqis are not happy. in the u.s. box office has not been hit by recession, but what about something for future movies? it is midday here in london, 8:00 p.m. in tokyo, 7:00 a.m. in atlanta, in the seven u.s. state of georgia. that is where jimmy carter has said many white americans across the states still did not think an african-american is qualified to lead the country. the backdrop of his coming, the opposition to barack obama's health care reform. president carter said the republicans who recently disrupted president obama's speech by shutting you lie is part of a disturbing trend.

>> this is the man at the center of the storm in the u.s. house of weapon that it is. last week joe wilson heckled president obama during his health care reform speech and what a shock it was. >> the reforms i am proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. >> you lie. >> you lie is what he shouted. he later apologized for the operas. but in tuesday's vote, -- for the outburst. now the former u.s. president, jimmy carter, says much of the vitriolic as president barack obama's health reform and spending plan is based on racism. >> a feeling among many in this country that an african-american ought not to be president. he ought to be given the same respect as if he were white. this has permeated politics ever since i have been involved since

back in the 1960's. >> but republicans have called a reaction to mr. wilson's comments a witch hunt and denies the allegation that racism is involved. during his address to congress, the president said the times of bickering are over and called for a united front, but his message has yet to convince the americans people, who are so far divided over his health care reform. >> our correspondent joins me now. your reaction to jimmy carter's comments? >> i think to a large extent he is right. there is racism that still exists, in spite of the great distance we have come. i cannot say that congressman wilson is racist, but he has become a local hero with some of his white constituents. i believe it has not helped him, it has not heard him in raising campaign funds in the last 24 hours. -- it has not hurt him in raising campaign funds in the

last 24 hours. it is fair, and racism has been brought to the surface like nothing else so far. >> it is now out in the open well and truly. is it a good or bad thing? >> he did run as a post-racial person, and many civil rights leaders and african american politicians did not want to make waves about racism during the election. i think that as a conversation that the united states has got to have. we must talk about it, and in the long run, it may be a good thing that it has been brought out in the open. >> this is serious vitriol that is brought out against the president, accusing him of tyranny, promising to reclaim america. have you seen scenes like this before? >> no, that really took my breath away. comparing my president to hitler -- the irony apparently escapes those who are making the comparison that really goes beyond the pale, even during the

1960's and the problems of vietnam, the vitriol never got quite that bad. the political divide now is almost unbridgeable in some ways, and ironically, president obama was supposed to be the healer, the great healer, the one that would bring together both sides of the aisle. >> it is not just health care dividing americans? >> no, health care is the lightning rod. it is really more of the same left-right, and now, black- white. >> republicans are saying that the democrats are using race as a political plight as a way of silencing people. you accuse someone of being racist, you cause them to shut up. >> they would say that. you cannot accuse the republicans of being racist, certainly not all of them.

but is interesting that the vote to censure afterwards was strictly on party lines. that tells you something about the poison is atmosphere in which all this is taking place. >> what caused the vote to come all that way? >> the congress had to do something because this was outrageous. calling our president a liar not only in congress but in a broadcast that was seen nationwide and in fact worldwide, that went beyond the pale. >> thank you very much for your thoughts. japan now -- they have a good bit -- they have a new government, in a half century of almost unbroken rule by the liberal democratic party. yukio hatoyama and vowed to deliver quick economic improvements and frank but trusting ties with washington. >> to the victor, the applause.

yukio hatoyama was voted prime minister of japan. members have lined up to cast their ballots one by one. for generations, the liberal democratic party held sway in the chamber. now mr. hatoyama's democratic party of japan has 308 of the 480 seats. he pledged to break the power of the old order -- bureaucrats, big business, and the ldp. >> i think people have become tired of the old system pit it was important in developing the nation, but it has reached its limits. the trouble is, now it is time for reform. everyone agrees that reform is good, but where does one go next? where is the new model? >> the university of tokyo is where japan's elite are educated.

the new prime minister got his first degree here, too. he has already got a diplomat position lined up. >> i would like him to show us a vision of japan. we're faced with great problems with the world's fastest aging society, global warming, and piling national debt. i think these problems need to be addressed. >> the new government is promising to increase social security, and by challenging the bureaucracy, change the way japan is run. so far -- one has to turn policies into action. in defeating the liberal democratic party of, yukio hatoyama has achieved what many people for years thought was impossible. but now the difficult part begins -- governing japan.

roland park, bbc news, tokyo. >> let's go live now to tokyo. rowland, mr. hatoyama has promised to be more in touch with the people. what does he mean by that? >> to try to shift the focus of government away from supporting big business toward giving more to consumers, reducing taxes, and increasing the social safety net in japan. he says his victory was not just for him but for the people of japan, and the people of japan should take more interest and be more involved in their government because for too long japan has been dominated by big business, the liberal democratic party, and their bureaucracy, and that is what he wants change. >> he is due to meet president obama and has talked about charting a more independent course in japan's religious with the u.s.

>> he is going to the united states within days, also a meeting with president obama. he is going to want to reassure president obama that the alliance with the united states remains a cornerstone of japan's security policy. at the same time, his party has pledged to adopt a less supine, more proactive attitude, at a more productive diplomacy toward the united states, and also to have closer ties with the near neighbors here in asia. >> everyone is watching to see how they are going to do this, how they are going to deliver on this big promise when japan has so much public debt. but there is a new man in charge of the finance ministry, and he has the experience, it seems, to chart that course. >> he is one of the few members of the new cabinet that does have experience. he is hirohisa fujii, and he was in fact the prime minister before in the 1990. he wants to cut japan's massive

debt, but how is he going to swear that with the party pledges to spend far more on social security? it is one of the unanswered questions about this new government. >> thank you for joining us from tokyo. the u.s. middle east envoy george mitchell is holding talks with israel's prime minister in jerusalem in an attempt to freeze settlement activity in the west bank. benjamin netanyahu has rejected the course, saying israel may limit construction, but will not halt settlement activity. this comes after mr. mitchell met palestinian leaders to discuss plans to restart peace negotiations. the european commission president barraso, who has led the commission since 2004, was the only candidate in the european parliament vote. he will start choosing the rest of the commission. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton says iran must be prepared to answer direct questions about its nuclear

program. mrs. clinton said the nuclear issue could not be ignored. it was the main reason why american had agreed to participate in the talks. firefighters have found six bodies inside a burning car in tijuana, mexico. 10 people were also killed in separate shootings in another mexican town, besieged by drug violence. tijuana has recently seen a wave of violence between warring gangs. afghans are preparing for a long wait before any clear declaration on the presidential election. the votes will have to be recounted on the orders of the electoral complaints commission, which has invalidated around 10% of the results on the grounds of suspected fraud. david lloyd has been in the afghan countryside to find out how the continuing uncertainty is being received there. >> planting democracy in the unrelenting soil of one of the

poorest countries in the world has proved to be a hard task. the procedural quagmire that the election is now stuck in could lead to weeks more of waiting, and the whole process is leaving voters looking for other solutions. no matter how hard they try democracy, it cannot work in afghanistan, and he says is the law of the infidel. mohammed shah way, once a power- sharing deal with the talent. -- once a power-sharing deal with the taliban. much of rural afghanistan still lies in ruins it in the 30 years since the russian invasion. there is not in a year of peace, and democracy has not brought stability. the air to afghan kings of the past now heads an initiative to keep the voice of traditional

tribal leaders alive. he says the international community has to ensure that a democratic leader emerges strongly from the election, otherwise there could be civil war. >> they are beginning to compare the nato forces here to the soviet forces of the past. this is a very dangerous thing because if this thing is allowed to fester in the minds of the people and a completely lose respect -- and a completely lose respect for this young -- and they completely lose respect for this young democracy, there will be ddot. -- there will be jihad. he says if they put an end to corruption, that will be an end to all the problems in afghanistan, but at the moment you cannot ask for anything without paying a government official.

i liked or fraud, corruption in government, and a high level of -- electoral fraud, corruption in government, and a high level of troops. >> this is world news today. stay with us. coming up to the irish government wants to create a so- called toxic bank of bad debt, but will it get the green light from parliament. why some local people are opposed to foreign companies taking control of the oil fields in iraq. a qatari prince's plan that has been rocked by -- that has been blocked by a french court. >> and mentioned fit for a prince, but the 17th century -- a mansion fit for a prince, but

the mention -- the qatari prince has hired out restoration experts to -- the renovation is up against it in court. >> we object to very strongly installing air-conditioning, and making the external wall 50 centimeters higher, as well as changes to the facade to return them supposedly to the state they were in in the 17th century. >> chopin composed some of his music right here. this room is the centerpiece of the mansion, and it is called the gallery of hercules, and many of the paintings here are by a painter whose works are also found in the hall of

mirrors. after the second world war, the building was divided into apartments its new owner says all he wants to do is return it to its former splendor. >> the very purpose of this project is to preserve the building, to preserve all of its elements that have historic, cultural, architectural, artistic value. to restore this monument to its past glory. >> he has already had to prop up part of the building with a timber frame that is running. but until the court case is wondering, this region wonder is uncertain -- this parisian wonder is uncertain. >> this is world news today from bbc world news. i am lucy hocking's. former u.s. president jimmy carter says many of the attacks against barack obama's health reform are based on racism. japan's parliament has elected yukio hatoyama as the new prime minister, bringing to power an untested government. they have promised sweeping

reforms. breaking news for you on formal one. the managing director and executive director of engineering have left the formula one team. we're hearing that he has decided not to see the recent allegation made by the team. we're just hearing that from the team coming through on all the sports wires for you now. we will bring you more on that in the sports news. to iron and now, where the parliament is debating controversial proposals -- to ireland now, when the parliament is debating controversial proposals. the government wants to buy $130 billion in bad debt and transfer it to a national agency. opponents say they are creating a toxic bank that will saddle taxpayers with huge debt. >> can you hear? >> protests over the state of the irish economy have reached the streets. the unemployment is in double

figures. many businesses are struggling to survive, and cash flow has dried up. >> it is absolutely catastrophic at the moment. there are no funds at all, and it is in gridlock. he cannot pay me because i cannot pay him because he cannot pay somebody else. >> across ireland there is a realization that something radical has to be done to save the country's economy. the problem is there is no agreement on what that something is. >> signed a petition here saying no way. >> nama is a national asset management agency, the key part of the rescue plan. these people do not like it, but today the legislation starts going to the irish parliament. the plan is for the government to buy the banks' bad debt to

enable them to start lending again. >> the objective is to free them of some of these assets which are clogging up the banking system at the moment so that when economic recovery does come -- and we're not quite there yet, but things look to be stabilizing -- we will be in a position to ensure that the recovery can take hold. >> it is a risky strategy, but the irish prime minister says to do nothing would be worse. >> were that not to happen, it would be condemning ireland to a period of stagnation or worse, and it is the role of government to provide a transparent mechanism that enables us to get money into the system. >> it is an important time for ireland. last year they rejected the eu reforms, but that was before the recession, and some feel ireland now need europe more than ever. mark simpson, bbc news, dublin.

>> a year ago, the national oil company of china became the sole provider of a production deal with the iraqi government. the project is being seen as a test bed has prepared -- that has prepared iraqis. many iraqis have remained opposed. >> they called it america's war for oil, but this, the first new well since the u.s. invasion, is chinese. just a year after signing the deal, they are already pumping oil. it may not look like it, but this could be the beginning of a new oil rush in iraq, with the chinese as pioneers. but as the oil starts to flow, it is also becoming a source of tension. just outside is the home of this man, who complains the chinese company is drilling on his land.

>> they did not ask permission. they brought their equipment and put it on my land. when i protested, they said they would pay compensation, but i have received nothing. >> in this forgotten corner of iraq, expectations were high when the chinese arrived. with no electricity, most of the day, ice has to be delivered to keep food fresh. so far, a handful of villagers have been taken on as guards. >it could be trouble, says this man, if the villagers do not see more benefits. those who do not find jobs could become thieves and looters. the chinese would not let us inside, but one of their managers came out to talk to us. local people do not have the right skills to get jobs here, he says. >> they cannot speak english, they do not know exactly what is going on, so if we employ them,

it comes to nothing. >> do you worry about your security here? >> yes. we do not go outside. >> you do not go outside? security has recently been tightened for the chinese after reports of equipment being sabotaged. but iraq's oil minister says local people will not be forgotten. >> the expectations were not realistic. however, we have -- the oil companies are keen to do so, not just because we demand it. they also appreciate the importance of developing the infrastructure -- building roads, bridges, helping with irrigation, and so on -- so that people could really feel that these companies are there to develop their region and not just to produce the oil and take it away. >> if iraq's creaking oil industry is to boost production, it is essential but

controversial. no one wants to be left out. the real battle for iraq's oil may only just have begun. andrew north, bbc news, baghdad. >> huge news in formula one appeared that breaking -- a huge news informal one. that breaking news. >> two people have paid the price that serviced a few weeks ago he was dismissed by the formula one team late in july. he alleged that some senior people -- and i should not necessarily repeat their names because they might be liable -- some senior people at reynault ordered him to crash his car. today, fabliarioeau and pat

simmons have broken with the company pared pressure has been put on these two, i would guess. bernie ecclestone is mr. formula one. now those have paid the price for those allegations. >> what does it mean, that reynnault has done this? is it an invasion of guilt? >> they say they do not contest it, and surely it means that they have something to do with these allegations, because otherwise it is the worst possible thing that could happen in professional sports, and it is quite incredible that they should not contest these allegations. they could well be thrown out a formula one print sales of -- they could sell -- they could well be thrown out of formula one.

sales of renault automobiles have fallen in europe. >> our top story this hour -- the former u.s. president, jimmy carter, has said much of the vitriol against president barack obama's health reforms and spending plans is based on racism. he told a public meeting there was an inherent feeling among many in this country that an african-american should not be printed. republican lawmaker joe wilson was rebuked on tuesday. he shouted, " -- he shouted, "you lie," during the president's speech. john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union

bank. , and bright star, a new film by jane campion. financial strength to work for a wide range of companies from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> he was a dreamer. >> i was floating above the trees with my lips connected. >> where they my lips? >> she was a realist. but every word he wrote it -- >> beauty is a joy forever. >> inspired the romance that would live forever. >> i must warn you of the trap you are walking into. >> you know i would do anything. >> "bright star. from jane campion. from jane campion.