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>> and now "bbc world news." >> a huge earthquake sends fears of a tsunami from indonesia to india. warnings are sounded around the region, but the president of indonesia does not expect a tsunami to follow. welcome to g.m.t. i'm david eades. also coming up on the program, what hope now a cease-fire in syria as the architect of the plan turns to today for support. and how did south sudanese take control of an oil field in south sudan? it's midday here in london and 7:00 a.m. in london and 6:00 p.m. in indonesia where a

massive earthquake has triggered a tsunami alert across the wider indian ocean. the agency said the 8.7 magnitude quake was one of the biggest to be recorded in the country. in countries including thailand and singapore and malaysia, warnings have been set out. but the president says there's no evidence to suggest a major tsunami is likely. there's fear having born the brunt of the tsunami of 2004. we'll go live to the region in a moment. but first this report. >> there's panic in aceh. they are all rushing to get to higher ground, and the authorities are trying to manage the evacuation as best as they can. it's no wonder they are terrified, this is a place where 170,000 people were killed in the 2004 tsunami. experts say they may escape the

worst. this earthquake is different. >> this far offshore, it reduces the shaking hazzard. it reduces the shaking to buildings on land and also because the motion is horizontal, it's not moving the sea floor or water column as much as a vertical or thrust or normal fault-type mechanism. >> the british prime minister, david cameron was in jakarta where there were reports. >> i'm hugely concerned about the reports in the aceh region. our thoughts should be with those who are affected. britain stands ready to help as help is required, and we will stand with you and your government and your people at this time of worry. >> and there is worry and confusion. some people don't even know where to go or what will happen next.

>> let's get a sense as to how it's being viewed across the region. in delhi. give us reaction. >> well, david, the tremors from the earthquake were felt here in india in cities like calcutta where people felt the tremors and ran out of their homes or offices in panic. similar scenes in the capital where people felt the tremors in the commercial areas. people evacuated buildings quickly once they felt the tremors. in the south they have issued a tsunami alert warning of the possibility of a six-meter-high tsunami striking in the islands and foote east just off the coast of thailand. and also a warning issued for the states on the opposite

coast along the west, here in india. similar warnings are also coming in from sri lanka. so a general sense of alert. >> considerably more so than the word we're getting from indonesia itself where they are certainly not talking about six-meter waves at this point. >> and the response from the people in that area is this >> yes. here the authorities are scaling down their initial assessments listening to what's happening out there in indonesia but at the same time very concerned, because there's a lot of people living along the coast here in india. so effort has gone into place to make sure they are better prepared along the beaches. the beaches were evacuated very quickly. and the main minority gentleman ney was shut down and they were asked to cast their moorings

and go to where the sea level is considerably higher in level. and the people living along the coast of sri lanka was asked to evacuate. so a general sense of alert across the region quite simply because many people here still have very fresh memories of the last tsunami that hit here in 2004. >> thank you very much, indeed. let's get the latest now from bangkok. rachel harvey is there. of course you have your own memories of the tsunami in aceh in 2004. give us a feeling of how the response is going. >> six provinces all along the west coast of thailand, precisely the same areas that were badly affected in 2004. but the preparation and warnings ran this time are clearly much better.

the sirens were sounded and people knew where to back to, because they were told to go to higher ground. there were signs all along that coast. the areas that were very badly affected in 2004. but they now have clear tsunami warning signs prominently displayed. there were blue symbols of a waive and people running, in other words, if you hear a tsunami warning, run in this direction, and that direction is towards higher ground. our sense is people are responding to that warning. and the airport has been closed in precaution and we're told that tsunami warning will stay in place for the teem. >> pretty dramatic scenes including people coming out of hospitals and the like in search for security and safety. little wonder, as you say,

that is the response. however, much improved, the whole system of dealing with quakes sort of is now. >> exactly. i mean, it is absolutely understandable that people would be extremely anxious and to some degree there would be panic. the idea so get through to people in a timely fashion so people can respond as soon as the information comes through. that appears to be happening. but 2004 is not that long ago in history, and there will be very vivid memories for some people. those who survived will still have clear pictures in their mind of what they saw and those they lost. so there will be horrible echoes of what happened in 2004. but the preparation from the authorities and the accumulated knowledge among the individuals makes absolutely the difference. >> thank you for that. i should add we're getting word in from a.p. news agency out of

gentleman carta saying indonesia is issuing a new tsunami warning after a powerful aftershock. so while the president has said there's no suggestion of a major tsunami at the moment, that is now being followed by a further tsunami warning after a powerful after shock. of course we'll keep right across this story for you. efforts to bring about some sort of cease-fire in syria, kofi annan's mission to bring peace to syria. most countries appear to have given up on his proposal as the cessation of fighting was due to stop on thursday. there's still the syrian authorities that told him they will pull back troops and cease-fire. teheran is looking to play a key part in the cease-fire and

peace in syria. >> is this the prelude to a cease-fire? the continued badgering of firing. their continued emergence is evident. there's no letup and no chance the government will observe a cease-fire. while there's growing international gloom the kofi annan peace plan will even begin to take place. the man himself has been in teheran. the voice of support for the peace plan. mr. annan said it was important regional governments help solve the crisis and resolutely pressed home the message that there's still time and that he received assurances from both sides. >> if everyone respects it, then by 6:00 a.m. thursday morning the 12th, we should see a much improved situation on the ground. >> but among the swelling

numbers of refugees that fled into turkey, people seem to have already given up. thousands of people including children have been killed. we know the world is stacked against the syrian people. >> i don't think the issue a will fulfill the timeline given by kofi annan. we feel like all these timelines are just a play. >> under the annan proposals the got to the military withdrawal from urban areas should be well under way. it says it's doing just that, but this according to a man fisming says this is a new check point. there's no sense from outside governments that a concerted withdrawal has been taking place. so the protests go on, too. here in the area calling for more arms from the free syrian army. they have been contemplating

just such a move. the west is wary, and kofi annan himself says it would be a disaster. >> so what snope we can speak to the spokesman for the syrian foreign ministry. thank you very much for joining us. what have you told kofi annan? because he still thinks or seems to believe there will be a sesation of violence and withdrawal of troops by tomorrow morning. is that right? >> what i can tell you is that syria is fully committed to commence with its part of kofi annan's plan. you have to know according to which plan, it is required by kofi annan to seek adviseation of violence by all parties, not only the syrian government. so at least from our side we are looking forward to reaching this. that would -- so someone would be on the ground to say syria has committed or not to this

sesation of violence. >> do you say the dominant force of syria, should act first? >> do you accept the syrian forces should be first to act in the sesation because you are by some distance the most powerful force? >> that's why syria has already received several withdrawal and pullbacks from the cities where it went back to normality, and we have briefed mr. annan that we have pulled back from these several parts of syria. but what your viewers should know is 40% of the solution is in the hands of the syrian government but the rest of the 60% are in the hands of the regional countries and armed groups who are refusing to abide by the terms of this

town. so we are hearing foreign ministers saying publicly that they are financing and sending support to the rebels. so if they want mr. annan to achieve his mission, 15 states voteling for the security council that they should as i sure they will not finance the rebels of syria. >> of course the kofi annan is stepped. what needs to happen at the start is a cease-fire and withdrawal of troops and there are plenty of people feeling the syrian government is just moving pieces around not putting them back in barracks. >> this is not true. you have to tons plan of mr. annan in order to judge our attitude.

it says at the same time in his letter exchange with my foreign minister, he acknowledged the right of syria to respond to armed groups in a logical way. saying is that the syrian army is on the defensive mode. we are seeing countries harboring and destabilizing our country. this has nothing to do with -- >> if i could just ask you this, then, about, sir, the deadline which even coffee scofe now referring to at 6:00, are you confident syrian forces will play their part and stop the fighting and withdraw pat that point? >> i am confident that my government fully committed to mr. annan's plan of six points, but at the same time the violence is mutual, i can only guarantee our side. i cannot guarantee the side that the violence initiated

from the armed groups and those countries harboring, so mr. annan has a real job to do with the rest of the countries instigating also in the media against syria. so he should assemble the rest of the puzzle outside of syria before coming outside syria. this is a recipe for success for mr. annan's plan. >> thank you very much for speaking to us. >> well, thank you for being with us here on g.m.t. plenty more to come including big business on board. lining up for souvenirs of the titanic memorial cruise. >> mitt romney has all but secured the republican nomination for the u.s. presidential race. rick santorum defended his race. he said he came to the decision after his daughter, who suffers

from a rare genetic condition, had to go into the hospital over the weekend. >> rick santorum's exit effectively ends the republican race. under funded, he was nevertheless the darling of the conservative wing of the party. but that didn't translate into broader support or the votes he needed to beat his closest rival, mitt prom any. >> when he made the decision that while this presidential run is over for me, we are not done fighting. >> mitt romney's nomination is now almost certain and he can turn his attention to beating president obama in november's general election, but he's accused by the double-teams and some in his own party of being

disconnected to those common people. >> he's the governor of massachusetts, a relatively rich state and his religion controversial is mor mono. he's likely to need rick santorum's support to move on. >> we both have a great deal of interest in seeing the country taken on a different path. >> this is already shaking up to be a bitterly decisive election, and the main battle hasn't even started. jane o'brien, "bbc news," washington. >> this is gmt from "bbc world news." i'm david eades. the headlines. a tsunami warning was issued across the indian ocean following an 8.7 earthquake off

the island of sumatra. and kofi annan said he received assurances by syria that it will abide by a cease-fire deadline. news of very unhappy markets. >> yes. there's a big riff 2012 could be a carbon copy of 2011. that's where the markets started with a spring in their step and a few months on the investors go, hmm. they are referring to the u.s., the recent jobs numbers out. very disappointed and looking at china and saying is china's growth slowing? there's evidence that's happenal. inflation is higher and the euro zone worries are back on the table and back with a bit of a vengeance, because the yield is up across the board in

spain, portugal, even france. but spain hammering 6%. that's what it's paying. that's an unsustainable level and the level the others were forced to go down. before the bailout. >> clearly they are just as current as they were last year. we don't know how spain and italy are going to grow fast enough to pay off their debt and really how they are going to rebuild their finances. but there are differences, some reasons for optimism. the european central exchange is still buying the bonds of spain and italy and the hope is they will buy enough to prevent the countries from needing a bailout. >> but italy was forced to pay double the interest rate it was paying only a month ago. >> and the presidential election on our doorstep. and tax and spend plans now. >> there's a lot going on, but

i think it's fair to say france's wheels are turning. it's the only european nation that is has just avoided that all, but for the past 30 years it's spent more than it's raised in taxes. we know it was punished when it lost its triple-a credit rating. and it's become a heated election issue. we're going to hear about the tax and spending to balance the budget. let's have a listen to some of the government's measures they have on mind. >> one of its measure sincere it has to reduce a working tax credit and plans to reduce some areas of government spendture as well. whether the alternative government would stick to that plan is difficult to say. it certainly wouldn't stick to the exact same measures. so far the leader of the socialist party plans to truce

budget deficit to zero just one year later. attention has been on france as recently as last year. got to the borrowing costs are rising. that's certainly something the french government would need to avoid happen. >> need to avoid although the interest rates are slightly creeping up. >> thank you. heavy fighting is continuing for the second day on the border of the areas in sudan. south sudanese forces are taken control of an oil field which officially belongs to sudan. they say it's in response to ground and air attacks from the north. in khartoum, our correspondent. >> his troops lost a battle

outside agriculturely on tuesday afternoon. and he said that it simply wasn't possible to say his forces were in control of the oil fields anymore. that was now in south sudan's hands. the south sudanese are saying they were attacked by sudan and repulsed that attack back and wouldn't confirm initially whether they are in control of the oil fields, but independent sources within the oil industry suggest that is the case and this south sudanese troops are in and around the oil fields. >> the cruise ship which is retracing the route of the titanic, onboard passengers are lining up to buy collector's items and now we report on the fascination of the titanic memorabilia. >> when the seas are rough and the wind is high, passengers on

the memorial cruise go shopping. >> come on, people. let's go. >> make up your mind. >> for any kind of titanic memorabilia they can find on board. >> a cup of tea? >> yes. >> the souvenirs made news. >> and they are all titanic teddy bears. ok. >> here onboard people are queuing for up to half an hour to get in the shop and buy titanic memorabilia. and it was like this even 100 years ago. >> within days autograph hunters queued for survivor's signatures. at south hampton's new titanic museum they collected some of the items. this commemorative batch then the bod erin day stuff. titanic's story has spawned an entire industry, boosted of

course by the movies. >> very strange phenom. when i find things sometimes it's quite distasteful, but it's become a myth of our times and people perhaps want to be part of that myth. >> this auction house has become one of the the world's biggest dealers, in their latest sail, keys from the ship, a first class men knew, letters sent from onboard. they sell for tens of how the st.s of pounds. >> how do you define stpwheered >> people collect items from the first world war and second world war. it covers elements throughout time. >> they won't sell anything that comes from the wreck itself. they say it's a mas grave and shouldn't be touched, but a

huge collection of art facts from the sea bed will. some say the items just teach us more about the past and critics say it's a titanic memorabilia sale too far. >> and time to remind you of our top story on gmt. a number of asian countries issued tsunami warnings after an earthquake registering an 8.7 in the area off aceh. and an evacuation off the west coast. the indonesian president did say there was no fear of a tsunami at the moment, but that was a couple of hours ago and since then the indonesian authorities have warned again of a tsunami following powerful aftershocks. and we've heard from people around the region from sri lanka, india, malaysia, thailand and bangladesh.

that's it for now. stay with us. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, and union bank. and shell. >> this is kim. about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell we're developing more efficient fuels in countries

like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy -- let's help use energy more efficiently. let's go. >> "bbc world news" was