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>> 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 trapped miners of chile could be less than one day from freedom. final test are under way as they work on the capsule that will bring them to the surface. >> the capsule is 22 inches. each minor may spend one hour traveling to the surface through it. >> welcome to "gmt." unions in france have faced another nationwide day of protest to raise the retirement

age. man against beast, animals saddling close to humans with deadly consequences for both. it is midday here in london, 8:00 in the morning in chile, where the 33 trapped miners must be counting the hours until their journey to freedom begins. final tests have been completed and the men have been told who will be first and will be less. the journey from the underground prison to the surface is expected to start at midnight, local time. roger has the report on these agonizing hours of waiting. >> a crucial moment in final preparations, the first human test of the rescue capsule. it will be a long journey from 2,000 feet underground. after a few seconds they are

satisfied that it works. on wednesday. the work done, the drill that created the shaft was driven away. we found leftover steel tubes that used -- were used to line the escape routes. this is the closest we can get to the steel pipe. you get a real sense of just how tight it will be. the capsule is 22 inches, each minor might spend one hour traveling to the surface through these pipes. >> even the flying to the hospital has been rehearsed. in the town where many of the miners lived, they are getting ready, putting on the big screen for what they hope will be a blissful homecoming. >> god willing, we are only hours away from these miners

being back with their families. their children, grandchildren, mothers, wives, and neighbors. >> there is excitement, quiet confidence, and a real longing for the rescue to get under way. >> gideon joins us from just outside of the mine. all the tests, everything has been done, i suppose now it is this business of waiting and praying? >> that is right. just 16 hours to go until this operation should be under way. still there are a last minute preparations to be done. engineers are assembling the winch, making sure it is secure. the concrete, making sure that it is dry before they start the operation. they will want to test the

capsule with them. we do expect everything to start at 16 hours' time. 33 men to be brought out of the ground, over one hour for each man. we are expecting the operation to finish some time on thursday. >> as i understand, we will not necessarily see them right away? they will be taken out for medical tests? >> that is right. when they arrive at the surface, they will be given immediate first aid, reintroduced to a few members of their family, but only a few. then they will be flown by helicopter to the city for medical treatment. we will likely not see a great deal of the process. these miners will have to be kept in the dark. they have not seen some light for two months, so they must be

rescue plan? >> there is a plan b. the game is still continuing on the third tunnel here. as you remember, there were three drills by an operation. the third drill is only a few days from reaching the men. if they could not use this escape tunnel for whatever reason, there should be another finished in the next day or so that could be used as a backup plan. >> thank-you very much. let's take a look at the other stories making headlines around the world. the other son of kim jong il says that he opposes the plan to transfer power to his younger half-brother. he said that he does not agree with the idea of dynastic

succession following the huge parade on sunday. he did the interview in beijing and our correspondent joins us from the chinese capital. chris, i know that you just returned from north korea. how significant is this that he has spoken? >> i do not think it is that important at all. some people are presenting this as a rift, but more important is that he said he would support his youngest brother if he was to become leader. support him from abroad in any way that he could. when asked his opinion on dynastic succession, he seemed to be saying that he was not keen on it. remember, there was a time when it seemed that he would be the next leader of north korea, but he seemed to be relinquishing

that opportunity when he was found attempting to enter japan on a false passport years ago. >> nothing more than sour grapes from a jilted brother? >> perhaps. the reality is that he is not part of the inner circle anymore. he lives in china. he is, of course, part of a ruling family, but i do not think that he has much power when it comes to moving the country. the impression that i got from the people that i was speaking to in pyongyang was that a deal was done over the succession months ago. some months ago we saw kim jong il appearing on a platform with the thought that we could live with the man that would one day

be their next leader. the impression was that the deal was done with the military, that deal has been done. that question, the deal will be successful in smooth, but no one knows and it depends on how long the ailing leader will stay alive. >> thank you. the hungarian prime minister has blamed human negligence for the sludge that killed people and the company itself is being temporarily nationalized. workers are trying to prevent another deluge. 37 people have been killed and 12 injured in the collision between a train and a small bus in eastern ukraine. reports say that the bus but attempted to cross the track, ignoring the warning of an approaching train.

meanwhile, the collision between a minivan and a truck has killed 16 people, 80 kilometers south of warsaw. a tank and container ship have collided, leaking jet fuel into the coast, no one was injured in the incident. rail services have been heavily disrupted in france as they forestall their protests. opposing the reform of the state pension system, strikes went ahead even though key elements have already been passed by both houses of parliament. the minimum retirement age is due to be raised from 6062 and complete tensions will not be paid until people are 67. later today some of the unions will vote on the roving strike

action. joining me from paris is our correspondent, christian frazier. the people of paris must be getting used to the strikes by now. >> the fourth major protest in just over one month, it seems that they will be splitting up in a short while. following hundreds, possibly thousands of people, unions are expecting perhaps over 3 million people to take to the streets around france. can they build up enough momentum forced the government into a u-turn? it seems unlikely at this point in time. last night the senate voted for one of the key elements, raising the age for people in a full attention. >> has president sarkozy not given a concession for more money into the bill?

>> he has, presumably that is what the unions are looking for. we might have 24 rolling strikes. in particular there are sectors with rolling strikes in the energy sector that is fairly clear with oil refineries and a long winded process that is going on. going into the third week, one of the biggest oil companies here is saying that its operations will continue with major oil refineries ramping down, so the pressure is starting to ramp up. from what i have seen here, different from the other protests in the past month, lots of students. of course, if you look back in history, other french governments have retreated. >> what about the union as a

whole? are these united fronts? are there divisions that all within the movement? >> some of them are wavering, given that the back part of this bill has gone to the senate already. traditionally carrying the weight of the demonstration, they wonder why they should go without pay when the government does not look like it will turnaround. i think that unions are struggling to build momentum. they certainly do have public, 69% of the french people are still in favor of the strikes, but the question is if they would be in favor if there was a disrupting services. >> christian, thank you very much. still to come, a big day for the buffer pool football club. -- liverpool football club. a court case could decide its future.

british research behind a new body scanner that measures obesity say that it could help to save lives. following three years of trials, body volume index is much more effective than the current measure in identifying those at risk from high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. >> your way it goes up and down. working out is supposed to burn off the fat, but if you lift weights, chances are the current system says that you are overweight. the body mass index has been the way to measure obesity for years. a simple calculus -- a simple calculation based on height and weight. many of the people, according to body mass index, many of the people in this gym or obese.

>> my body mass index its higher because of the muscle i'm building. >> this scanner uses white light technology to measure the precise, three-dimensional map of access fat. >> body mass index is outdated and it is not particularly useful. we have been doing use it -- research for years with our body scanner and we can identify individuals with increased risks of heart attacks and strokes. >> the full results are being made available today. the scanners may show that bdi is the future. >> the bolivian government has backtracked on a new law designed to cut the sales of coca leaves to cut cocaine production. there were widespread --

widespread protests among cocoa growers. this is gm t -- "gmt." the rescue 33 july and miners that have been trapped underground for two months is expected to start in less than 24 hours. unions in france say that another nationwide day of protests will go forward against raising the retirement age. we have the latest business news and a new offer for the liverpool football club. >> just to complicate matters even more, if you will, details have emerged. the singapore billionaire is offering 25 billion pounds, and he is promising to provide

significant cash to the club for current players. the court will decide if a deal can go ahead. the lee university of liverpool group explained why there is so much takeover interest in liverpool. >> you must understand that there are not very many global clubs. it is not as though there is a bus with global football written on it. we know that there are two in spain, three in italy, two in england. manchester united and liverpool are the only clubs that you can buy. all of the others are protected. meaning that those who are looking to make values and profits out of a great football club are focused on the english the in particular.

of course, liverpool and manchester in particular. >> crucial talks at dodging a huge increase in the islands begins later on today. european union officials say that they have a clear mandate to stop what they regard as blatant overfishing. they were frozen out of previous negotiations over what they called more plentiful stocks in the water. >> fish stocks are fragile according to the government's in boats like this. today the staff is negotiating to stop what it sees as irresponsible fishing by its neighbors. one third of all of the fish in scotland have the industry at future stocks with jobs at risk, though there is not an agreement. the problem began with both --

boats that were catching twice as many macro as before. having been left out of a manageable plan, iceland felt forced to set its own limits. in the islands they were quoted way above the previous 35,000 tons. the trouble is that fish species have moved out of line with current agreements, with new limits on able to be agreed upon there is a danger that more countries will make up their own quotas just to maintain their existing catch. >> those that used to enjoy a large slice of cake obviously want to keep it. the negotiation is extremely hard. in iceland it is a problem. i think it will probably make them reluctant to give up their claim for this increase.

>> mackerel are not the only fish wanted as migration patterns are changing. the danger is that if there is no agreement today, the fishing grounds could lose their more sustainable status. >> some of the other business stories making headlines around the world, the fast retailing in asia fell dramatically on the tokyo stock exchange after forecasting a seven -- 17% drop in profits with shares declining at its largest amount since april. other markets are tending to reduce its hold on japan. weakening the nation's currency in thailand, a 15% tax income break on searchers that have driven up the bond, making life very tough for business. regulators have told the biggest

banks that they have set aside new reserves to control lending according to news reports and efforts to control inflation and housing prices. china's top lenders were ordered to increase reserves to 17.5% of their deposits. taking a quick look at the markets, not a great day. markets have fallen over the reports that china has raised the reserve requirements for banks to cool lending. oil prices dropped below $82 per barrel, the dollar dropped against the yen but gained against the euro. trade is once again dominating the market and this story that the u.s. in november will pump billions into its economy. >> the american talk-show host, oprah winfrey, said that she is disappointed that the acquittal of a woman accused of abusing

students at the school she set up in south africa. she opened an academy in 2007 in johannesburg, but within months a major and had been accused of abusing girls there. >> it began with such high hopes. an american television star determined to help underprivileged girls in south africa. oprah winfrey's school bristled with pristine facilities, but soon it was plunged into scandal. one of the school's matron's was accused of sexually assaulting several girls. >> this has been one of the most devastating experiences of my life. like as many experiences, there is a lot to be gained and learned >>.

>> more than two years after her trial began, she was found not guilty of charges. for the prosecutors is the end of the process. >> they have failed to prove beyond a question of a doubt that she was guilty. we have no intention of repealing that judgment as we believe that there are fewer prospects of success. >> in a statement in which she declared she was profoundly disappointed, oprah winfrey said she was proud of the nine girls that testified. the accused of left the court as a free woman, but the school has suffered lasting damage to its reputation. >> tree -- it is home to one of the world's most majestic -- sri lanka is home one of the world's

most majestic animals, the elephant. but for years there has been a clash between elephants and humans over the land. people are now looking new ways to keep the elephant at bay. >> north of the rugged highlands, this is a man that the sea and view the. but it is not a wilderness. elephants are never far away. even though shrek monica has only 4000, they need their living space and there can be tell -- terrible results. elephants want to get at their crops and people and the elephants regularly died as a result. >> living in conflict, more and more they are seen as public enemy number one by the majority

of people. this is an unfortunate situation. >> down the quiet lanes around here, lush with crops on either side, you do not have to go far to hear major drama. marauding elephants have killed several people here. 78, he no longer dares to cultivate had eased after a horrifying and counter the few years ago out door at night. >> the elephant started pushing me in my back until i fell, unconscious. i realize that the elephant had struck me and i was injured. >> one solution is to build a shelter from a tree. technology has helped as well, thanks to the wildlife conservation society.

this electric fence runs around the city, giving a shot that is not strong enough to kill or wound an elephant, but there is enough to scare it away. elephants are large beasts that need to be able to roam freely. >> this village has a new system where if an elephant breaches the fence is send to key villagers. with villagers closed in electricity, the people no longer live in fear, but others still struggle with this conflict. each is the other tormentor. yet the people still cheer the mess of element for its powers of survival. >> a reminder of our top story, the trapped miners in chile could be hours away from freedom. bbc america will be watching

intently. that is all for this edition of gm t. stay with us, 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.

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