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." >> the river danube, central europe's major waterway, is now threatened by hungary's tactics sludge. it has already beached -- reached the major tributary of the danube. six countries are on alert.

>> it is simply terrible. >> welcome to gmt. i'm george alagiah, with a world of news and opinion. also, downplaying a disaster -- criticism of the obama administration pause initial response to the gulf of mexico oil spill. the police have provided armed security for cocaine traffickers. 100 per rican officers are arrested on drug charges. it is midday in london, early evening in delhi, and 1:00 in the afternoon in hungary, where the national disaster unit has warned that the mighty danube, europe's second largest river, is now threatened by the toxic sludge that seek out of an industrial plant earlier this week. the sticky, read come up with in this mud has reached a branch of the danube that reads -- it

reaches six countries. prime minister said the worst affected area might have to be abandoned altogether. this report from nick thorpe in hungary. out after the deluge, the cleanup. hungary is throwing everything it has at this operation. the fire brigade and police from many counties and many volunteers -- coordinating that effort is not easy. the governor -- the government has ordered a criminal investigation. prime minister says everything possible will be done to help the victims and find those responsible. >> the pollution is the most serious thing after the loss of human life because we do not know exactly what the size is, not physically, but in terms of the depth and the seriousness of the material. it is a serious ecological catastrophe. >> in the ruins of villages like kolontar, people are still searching for anything that can

be salvaged from the ruins of their homes, when the three elderly people still missing. hope for finding them alive is almost zero. the new threat is of pollution entering the river danube and endangering the water supply on the whole of hungary and countries downstream. the first traces were found in a major tributary. clay has been dumped in the rivers to try to neutralize the toxins. monitoring is taking place continually. nick thorpe, bbc news, kolontar, western hungary. >> julian joins me from central london from the world science center preet i know you have been looking at this and talking about it. what is the worst-case scenario if one comes into contact with this?" >> the main problem for people is that it can cause chemical burns. it is highly alkali. we think of acids as being able to burn you, but if you think of something like oven cleaner, that can be bad if it gets on

your hand. it can burn. that is the problem we have with this. >> there has been some talk -- i was reading that in animals there is some kind of link to cancer. are you saying that would not be the case with humans quacks' >> that has not been totally shown in humans, but we are talking about long-term exposure to some of the queen in -- the ingredients of this sludge, like titanium oxide, shown to produce cancers in tests on laboratory animals. what happens when it gets into the river and how it might affect fish. the particles are quite small, metallic particles and this sludge, that they clog up the gills in the fish and stop them breathing. >> correct me if i am wrong -- once this enters the river streams, it is getting diluted all the time, isn't it? >> is being diluted, and it is a bit like drain cleaner. it gets diluted in the sewage

systems. of course, in the short term, it is a huge load of the chemical coming straight into the river, so it could have a -- an effect in the low class areas. >> thank you very much, julianne. let's take a look at other headlines m. when president obama commissioned a report into the bp oil spill -- his administration now i can stand accused of failing to disclose the true scale of the disaster and has been overly optimistic in the assessment of its clean- up operation. our washington correspondent reports. >> the commission draft report says government scientists' underestimate the amount of oil leaking from the deep water horizon had overstated the amount that evaporated or have otherwise been removed from the gulf. it adds that the white house blocked a coastguard request to

make public its estimates of the worst-case scenario. the report says the federal government created the impression that it was either not fully competent to create -- to handle this bill or not fully candid with the american people about the scope of the problem. the most personal criticism is directed at the president's adviser, carol browner, who in august gave this upbeat assessment. >> the good news is that the vast majority of the oil appears to be gone. that is the initial assessment that our scientists are telling us. >> but that was wrong, say commission officials. the oil is dissolving or dispersing, but is not gone. white house officials say that they acted on the best information available, and denied claims that overcompensating and bp kept them from reporting po.

this is four weeks before midterm elections. >> and dennis sarkozy says he will inject 3.4 million euros into his retirement bill. the amendments were announced a day after the french union calls for an open-ended strike against reform, which will raise the standard retirement dates from 60 to 62. flash floods in indonesia have padua.ated west alach landslides destroyed hundreds of homes as well as a school and hospital. a navy warship has arrived at the area, carrying medical supplies and food. the kenyan government has said that 1000 teachers have been banned for engaging in sexual

abuse with students. in one of the fbi's it is police investigations, one of pop -- more than 100 porter rican officials have been arrested on drug charges. andy gallagher reports. >> this is operation guard shack, one of the biggest police corruption cases and the fbi's history. during a series of predawn raids around 130 people, most of the police officers, were arrested across pr. many of the officers are charged with providing armed security to cocaine dealers in return for cash. >> we are faced with the disturbing reality that it has invaded the sanctity of our state and our police department. honor was compromised for drug money. many times during this investigation. out of the operation described a

seamless pipe -- >> the operation, described as seamless by the fbi, almost 1000 federal agents were flown in to arrest the suspects, including u.s. military personnel, prison guards, and civilians. >> this law enforcement at its best. you had investigation that lasted over two years, he moved 750 fbi agents from various parts of this country to pr. there was not one leak. there was not one disclosure during the course of that investigation. >> it is a dark day for puerto rico's police force that was suffering a tarnished reputation before the arrest. any gallagher, bbc news. >> the authorities have detained 40 police officers after the revolt against

president corerrea. as soon as the high drama in ecuador was over, the president warned the officers involved that he would neither forgive nor forget their actions. he is now acting swiftly on that promise. a total of 46 police officers have been detained for their alleged role in the insurrection. while some observers believe the police protests simply got out of hand, mr. correa has no doubt it was a coordinated attempt to remove him from power. >> i believe they use the labour sector to destabilize the country. we have ample evidence it was not just one and then -- one event of was orchestrated. -- we have ample evidence it was not just one event, but was orchestrated.

that is the biggest challenge of his career. as police protesters planned cuts to their bonuses, the socialist leader came out on the streets to give a defiant address. a siege followed, which was resolved after the military correa.president ray ih now as well as the 46 arrests, three police kernels are under investigation for alleged in a mutiny. with mr. correa warning that another new to me as possible, repercussions of last week's events are only now becoming clear. >> almost 10 months after the earthquake that devastated haiti, the reporters painted a disturbing picture of life for survivors there. the u.s.-based organization

refugees international says refugee camps are being run by gangs in an atmosphere close to anarchy. yesterday on a visit to the island, bill clinton expressed his frustration about the slow delivery of eight. i am joined by the bbc cost international development correspondent, mark doyle. this is an extremely troubling report coming given that we were both there 10 months ago in haiti. you think even now is in such a stage. >> yes, there are a lot of humanitarian stories in this report, which are absolutely terrible. talk of an increase in domestic violence, an increase in rates, the lack of privacy people have in these camps, is camps that were put up after the buildings fell down. it is criticizing the united nations very clearly and saying that united nations human rights commission, which was responsible for issues of protections of these camps,

looking at the women's rights and the rights of homeless people, is a dysfunctional organization and does not have the experience how to run and manage these camps. so there is very clear criticism of the united nations commission for human rights from this independent agency. >> doesn't it make the problem -- not to make the problems seem less than it is, but was in haiti a dysfunctional country in many ways anyway, and that partly explains why things are so bad now? >> of course that is a major factor, and there are a lot of politics as well. haiti is about to have presidential elections in about a month and a half, and no one thinks they are ready and no one thinks politicians are addressing the issues facing homeless people. international taxpayers' money is going to united nations' effort and very specific criticisms of people who are

professional aid workers are not managing the camps properly. the un police is said in this report do not patrol the captain of, and they almost incredibly do not have translators, -- not. the cap enough, and they almost incredibly do not have the translators. >> still to come on gmt, questions over cleanliness at the commonwealth games as a number of swimmers fall ill. the u.n. is holding talks in the chinese city of tianjin. criticism to cut the plans for shipping. minimum efficiency scandalous would have been on all new vessels. the minimum efficiency standards would have been imposed on all new vessel.

shipping accounts for about 3% of world emissions, more than the uk where germany. the un is seeking a global deal to clean up the ships. in tientsin, environmentalists anjin --y -- in tients china, another dutch and other big developing nations said note the new regulations. china's shipping delegate said that china would not accept any universally binding rules, that the fundamental rules are for rich companies that rich countries to cut emissions first. the mighty as delmar claims to save 25% of its fuel.

in the future, a giant kite might even help ships along. campaigners say it is essential that shipping does not escape the drive for a emissions cuts. >> a global shipping emissions are not is very essential that regulation in this area is not included in any global deal. >> china refuses to allow any mandatory worldwide standard on ships, even if they would benefit its own ship owners. some environmentalists are beginning to despair of ever getting a global deal. >> this is gmt from bbc world news. i'm george alagiah. the headlines -- hungary's toxic sludge reaches a tributary of the danube. the prime minister called it a serious ecological catastrophe.

draft report's firmly criticized the white house's initial response to the gulf of mexico oil spill. time now for a look at business news. >> hi. we're talking about central banks all around the world, as expected, the bank of england has left at that record low of 1%. it is the 20th month in a row that the bank of england has kept that low. on one hand, inflation in the uk as high and there have been called to fight it with raising interest rates. yet others have said there is a need for more money, cheap money, to be pumped back into the economy to stimulate the economy, give it a zap, if you will. allan clarke is an economist. good to have you with us. perhaps no surprises, but, boy, it must have been a tough battle in the room where they made the

decision because the dilemma is huge. you have a split with policy makers, high inflation, others calling for more cheap money to be pumped into the economy, right quacks' >> i cannot remember a bitter split than this. two%, we are at more than a percentage point from that. yet at the other extreme, -- actually, more likely, we would like you to step back to the recession. he thinks we should lose some not -- loosen monetary policy. >> let's talk first about our european friends because the european central bank makes its decision in just a half an hour 's time. you have germany's soaring, and at the back and you have ireland, greece, and spain. that is a tough one. >> it is. germany is doing very well

indeed. manufacturing doing up, exports are doing well. the club med countries are reliereally feeling the pain. thank god we're not down in southern europe. it is a lot worse their print ironically, the ecb is making -- it is a lot worse there. >> we saw japan making its move earlier this week. many people believe the bank of japan was the first, and we will see other central banks make more measures, more cheap money. the west the fed is expected to make a decision possibly tomorrow. do you think we will see more federal bank's push the money into the market corrects >> i do. with the u.s. said, it is the case of when, not if. the bank of england's meeting

comes a day after that. if you want to get more bang for your but, in the case of the uk, it is when, not if. i think we will see a lot more of the stimulus in the not too distant future. >> thanks very much. allan clarke. let's talk about other stories making headlines around a row. bp has announced a 30-year deal to search for oil in the caspian sea. sokolov has joint exploration in that region. this is the latest move by bp in finding fresh opportunities under the new leadership of chief executive bob deadly grey the allied irish bank is selling its stake in the u.s. group -- bob dudley. the allied irish banks is 19% tax owned by the taxpayer, has

been bailed out by the irish government, and has been ordered to shore up by $14.5 billion. it has already sold a stake in the polish bank. you can see that the markets are steady after hitting that two- year high, and capping the weakness is the tech sector. the u.s. dollar fell, and the big story to keep our eyes on his u.s. jobs. numbers are out tomorrow, and the u.s. jobs numbers are very important for the global economy. that is it for now, george. >> it would be fair to say that things have not exactly gone to plan for the organizers of the commonwealth games in delhi, and even before the competition started, athletes and officials were grumbling about the accommodations and the quality of the athletics stadiums. to compound the misery, it seems a number of swimmers have to come to sickness.

sandra, do we know yet what exactly caused this? >> no, george, it is not quite clear. you are looking at the water in the swimming pool at the swimming venues. what the athletes have got is a summer budget. anyone knows that when you come in here in the summer, it happens when you eat something that does not sit very well. 40 swimmers from mostly u.k. and a couple of australian swimmers have all been affected. if you have had to pull out of the event. look into the quality of water to see if that is what is causing this. >> this is the latest problem,

and they seem to be wondering why they started up with this at all. >> it is more of the same as far as the organizers are concerned. on the flip side, they're pleased with some of the things that have gone right. they had crowd spilling into the stadium, whereas on monday they had rows and rows of empty seats. something certainly has gone according to plan, but any more of this end they will really be tearing their hair out. >> thanks so much. well, within the last few has been the peruvian announced as the nobel prize winner for literature. is this a surprise quacks' you never find out, that is this a surprise? >> no, he is a very, very substantial writer, most of

the well is that about one of the most well-established writers. the last won a thing -- and the last one, i think, was from 1982. it is always quite amusing to hear the citation. his penchant images of the individual resistance -- >> do you want to translate that collects >> what it means is that he is politically engaged. he has been known for running up against the leader of venezuela, hugo chavez. his work has maintained his political engagement, and we are seeing a little bit more of him next week. i just wonder if we are seeing a movement now towards awards

being given to artists in the broadest sense, which are much more involved -- >> some people are going to say that is not merely a nobel prize for literature, that literature should be divorced from politics and dsucceed on its own merits. >> there is no art without politics. he is a 74 year-old man, writing since the 60's. some of his books have been turned into films, and he has done substantial work with the end of the world, "the feast of ."e goat he has written comedies, her historical novels. >> this is hot off the presses. thank you very much for taking us through that. that is almost it for this edition of gmt. a reminder of our top story.

pollution has reached a tribute of the danube. the prime minister has called a serious ecological catastrophe. let's take a look at what is coming up later on bbc world news america. a special report from cuba where jazz great wynton marsalis is collaborating with some of the island's great artists. you should be seeing this on your screen, but you are not. goodbye, and stay well. >> 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. >> and a club in austin.

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