the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> picking off like sitting ducks, another attack on and made no convoy in pakistan. the sixth attack since they closed a border crossing into afghanistan. a bbc reporter has a lucky

escape as the firestorm spreads. welcome to "gmt." also in the program, a senior british diplomat attacks in the yemeni capital. new questions are raised in the campaign against al qaeda militants. clearing up the toxic sludge in hungary. it will take at least one year and tens of millions of dollars. it is midday in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington, 4:00 in the afternoon in pakistan. the scene of a attack on a nato convoy. the sixth attack in as many days.

those attacks have occurred inside of their border crossings in afghanistan. hundreds of trucks with crucial supplies have been left stranded. >> dense black smoke fills the sky after another attack on nato fuel tankers. the target this time is a depot on the outskirts, said the blaze by one dozen gunmen. >> this morning our people came under fire. some of our men went to the tankers. these are all oil tankers. >> the bbc correspondent had a lucky escape when a tanker exploded right behind him. the taliban says that they carry

out the attack and threatened further strikes. saying that the more they are hit by u.s. drones, the more they will hit the convoy is. 6000 lorries have been at a standstill since last week when pakistan closed the main access road. following a nato airstrike that killed 3 pakistani troops. since then, of vital supplies have been going up in smoke around the country and relations between pakistan and nato have been strained. nato says that its operations have not been affected but they want the trucks back on the road as soon as possible. nato has already expressed regret over the killing of the pakistani soldiers and officials have suggested that the convoys could be on the move again in a couple of days. the results are due to be released later today.

>> as we were just saying, there has been a marked escalation of attacks on nato convoys, which in turn was retaliation for an attack on a pakistani territory. how deep is the rift in this crucial alliance? in this alliance between america and pakistan, how significant is this problem? >> there have been ups and downs over the years, it is definitely getting more complicated. both sides need each other but are rubbing up against each other particularly over u.s. operations in afghanistan, moving over the border in pakistan, becoming quite aggressive. this reflec pakistan, in

their view, not having done enough to deal with the militancy. meanwhile pakistan feels that it has been infringing on their sovereignty with these cross border moves, not sympathetic to the problems that pakistan faces. both sides know that they need each other and that they need to work out. >> in that case, how will this be solved? we have seen what happens when there is a rift. >> the trucks are a visible sign of tension in the relationship. we are expecting some kind of joint statement from the forces in afghanistan, which will then open up the border crossing. the more underlying problem is the lack of trust, if you like,

between both sides about what their attention -- what their intentions are. it will be crucial to the stability of pakistan and afghanistan. >> these latest attacks, the latest strikes over the past couple of months, many of them linked to this plot centered on north was era stand in the u.s. responding with brown stripes. pakistan formally protests about those strikes but they understand that they have been quite effective at dealing with the militants. pakistan is another sign of the tension and the rift in that relationship. >> let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world today. militants in yemen have fired

rocket-propelled grenades at the british embassy car. one of the diplomats was struck -- slightly injured in the attack. our world affairs correspondent reports. >> the aftermath of attacks, rocket-propelled grenades fired at the embassy. vehicles were hit with shrapnel, one staff member was slightly injured and bystanders were hurt. william hague said that all diplomats in yemen were remaining at home, describing the country as a difficult and dangerous place to work. >> this is a reminder of the danger. where we are taking an international lead to bring a -- reports from outside and inside of the fragile state. >> the militants are known as al

qaeda in the arabian peninsula. the attack that has caused most damage in recent years was the double car bombing outside of the u.s. embassy in september of 2008. al qaeda in the arabian peninsula also claimed it was behind failed attacks on a u.s. airliner, christmas day, 2009. april of this year to the ambassador escaped unharmed. yemen is vulnerable, one of the poorest countries in the arab world, its authoritarian government has failed to win the trust of its own population. intelligence agencies describe yemen as an emerging theater in the war on terror.

>> the first ever civilian trial of a former detainee in guantanamo bay will begin in new york today. accused of helping al qaeda killed 224 people during the bombings of u.s. embassies in tanzania and kenya. three people were killed after an explosion in an apartment complex in bangkok, the less likely confirmed -- conferred by a large bomb. this is by far the largest attack in the city this year. an american in two japanese scientists have won the nobel prize for chemistry. they have invented a pill that makes it easier to manufacture organic chemicals, including those that can be used against cancer. hungary is in the midst of an

ecological crisis as a torrent of toxic red sludge covers towns and villages. the sludge bursts from a reservoir where residue from aluminum plant was stored. >> a torrent of thick, toxic, red mud, authorities are scrambling to limit the damage. the thick sludge released, claiming schools, cars, and lives. dozens of villages -- villagers suffered from calico burns. the prime minister has declared a state of emergency across three counties. >> i want to express my condolences to those who have died, for those who lost their homes or were hurt in any way.

>> only now, the day after, can the full force be appreciated. in some of the affected towns and villages, many residents took matters into their own hands. >> these issues are the only thing that i have left. i have lost everything and they will not even let me get into my house. >> it has already been called an ecological disaster, but their fears they could get worse, that the million meters of toxic mud could reach the danube, just 75 kilometers away. >> coming up with our live in chile for the latest on the trapped miners. >> as we drill, we are getting tantalizingly close. we will visit a private mine to talk to the men there who risk

their lives in the hunt for gold. >> david cameron will deliver his annual speech to the conservative party conference later today. he is expected to make the case for tough spending cuts. >> david cameron's politics are rooted in the ideas of family. lately his family has gotten a bit bigger. but at this conservative party conference he has had to break some difficult news, family benefits are to be cut. the prime minister argues that it is a necessity. >> we must make sure that as we deal with this deficit we protect the neediest in our society, asking those that are better off to make a contribution. it is difficult. i wish i did not have to do

this. but we have to deal with the problems in front of us. >> spreading the burden of budget cuts is much more easier said than done, but there are good historical reasons, such as a feeling the need to be seen as spreading the pain across society. >> right or wrong, thatcher loved cutting public spending. they did not care about the loss of jobs or the effects on low- income communities. they felt it was important and that they enjoy doing it. david cameron has got to move away from that stereotype. >> david cameron feels the need to be honest with the people about the scale of the task needed. the problem now is in the benefit cuts making for gloomy news, later he will have to

inject a bit of optimism into the government's message. >> this is tnt from -- "gmt" from "bbc world news." gunman released fire on fuel tankers in pakistan, the sixth attack in as many days. and it rocket-propelled grenade in yemen was fired as a diplomat. aaron is here with business news. quite a report out there today? >> we have seen the global economy slowing down. as governments try to reduce their debt burden in spending, growth may suffer. but by how much?

the international monetary fund publishes its outlook on wednesday. they may remember that the global financial system remains the weak link in the economic recovery. >> in europe the dire state of government finances combined with weak banks have brought protesters onto the streets. in washington it has drawn a warning from the international monetary fund. >> the key message of this global financial stability report is -- the financial system remains the achilles' heel of the economic recovery. much work still needs to be done to ensure global financial stability. >> the imf has trimmed from $3.30 trillion to $3.20 trillion, making note that more

bank debt needs to be rolled over to keep banks financed. the issue of debts was foremost on the line to ben bernanke. this week he told a group of students that something needs to be done to reduce the deficit. >> the threat to our economy is real and growing, which should be sufficient reason for fiscal policy makers to put in place a credible plan for bringing down deficits to sustainable levels. >> with america's top banker worried about the national debt, the international monetary fund has published its latest outlook. one of the things that we will be looking at is whether growth has been sacrificed as governments rushed to slash spending. >> let's talk about the big football, soccer story of the day.

the liverpool team is set to be sold to the owner of the boston red sox. the deal is subject to approval and a dispute between board members has yet to be resolved. liverpool was taken over in 2007, put up for sale this year with debts mounting to the tune of $550 million. the owners will be keen to cover their own cost in the sale. but the dean of the btp business school says that they could face losing out on whichever way it goes. >> if this deal is just to pay off debts, the owners will probably walk away losing money and i cannot see them keen on doing that. unfortunately for them they only have until the 15th of october when the debt is called. if the debt is called on that day, technically are bs could take over the club and they would go into ministration, and

the owners would not want that as they would lose even more money. >> you can find more in the background on this story at the bbc news website, where you can find more on this story, from the commonwealth games the television rights and plenty of the takeover. >> let's move on, the chinese premier is addressing business and political leaders today, coming under immense pressure from european leaders about the weakness of the chinese yuan against the euro. critics are saying that it has led to a trade imbalance and that over the first seven months of this year the european union has exported $100 billion to china, less than half the amount that went in the opposite

direction, $240 billion worth of trade. the european policy center was declared as likely to not address that issue during his speech. >> key is shaking generous statements about how important trade is booming. german exporters are really relying on the chinese market for their economic recovery. germany is doing quite strongly, they have told us clearly that it is because of the chinese market. all of the euro zone pressing -- countries have been pressing and i think the general impression being given is that it will probably become true, the yuan will rise, but china will do so at its own pace. >> investors are remaining very

hopeful that the u.s. fed will introduce more monetary stimulus measures next month, even as economic data suggests that the economy is not heading back into recession, led by the bank of japan, the first to do so. many believe that other central banks will follow suit. >> it is day 62 underground for the trapped chilean miners but there are indications that it may soon be over for them. let's join our correspondent now for the latest at the mine. tim, over to you. >> is about a 13, but i have actually lost count. the drills here at the mine are tantalizingly close, but yesterday was a day of frustration.

having made such good progress, they have now hit a scheme of very hard rock in have had to narrow the diameter to get through that. the trapped men work for the mine, a big company. they work shifts of eight hours. there are many miners in this area that choose not to work for the big companies, but to work for themselves. they rented the mines out and take huge risks as well to try to make their fortune to strike it rich. >> high into the desert, south of the mine, the views are breathtaking, the working conditions brutal. it is here that workmates of the trapped miners labor long and hard in their hunt for gold.

these two men work for themselves in small, rented mines. thoughts are never far from the 33 still underground. when they first found them after 17 days, it was so emotional, according to one of the men. he had worked with those who were trapped. >> i do not know how to explain it, it was as if i was down there with them. just as the rescue teams are finding that the rock is hard and difficult to break through, at least here they can use explosives. they have put their explosives into the hole and you can see that the fuse will give us about

five minutes to get outside of the mind. these two are licensed. it is worth pointing out that accidents to happen, men have lost a finger is doing similar. >> a good start, striking a seam. >> 1 gram of this is worth about 26 pounds, $40. it will not make them rich yet, but the dream of striking a big always outweighs the risk to their lives. >> that was fascinating. i gather, by the way, that the mining minister will be back today. is it the general feeling that the government has handled this rather well? >> as you said the other day,

they have invested huge political capital in this issue and it is interesting to see that the polls on their presidents have gone from 35 to 45. the mining minister is the most popular member of the government in chile for his handling of this rescue operation. also pointing out that the president is due to travel to europe on the 17th. there is a feeling that they are keen to get this all done with a satisfactory and happy ending before leaving for europe. >> should pregnant women drink any alcohol? fresh research shows that drinking one or two units of alcohol during the week during pregnancy does not harm the child development. >> most of the moms here did not touch a drop of alcohol during

pregnancy. >> i just chose not to drink. >> the first time you just said yourself well, i will go with what the guidelines say. >> research today suggests that light drinking does not harm young children. >> the first few months are key, i did not drink then. following that, everything in moderation. doing what is right. >> what exactly is light drinking? each of these contains between one unit and two units of alcohol. today's report suggests that having one of these per week does nothing to harm a young child's behavior or development, of which seems to be confusing some mothers, who often it buys not to touch any alcohol.

>> what i had the first one i had no alcohol at all, on the second one i was more clear. >> officials advise does vary across the uk. scottish authorities advised no drinking at all during pregnancy. >> bringing us to the end of this edition of "gmt." stay with us here on "bbc world news "world news today," there is plenty more to come. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by

the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> there is one stage that is the met and carnegie hall. >> o, that this too, too solid flesh -- >> it is the kennedy center. >> check, one, two.

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