and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> it is midday in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington, and 2:00 in the afternoon in athens. experts have detected new al qaeda bonds.

u.s. officials say the unexploded bomb represents a chance for their intelligence agencies, a covert operation in yemen. our security correspondent has more. >> this was the device that an al qaeda offer to try to detonate on a u.s.-bound plane in 2009. washington has said it stopped another attempt to use a so- called underwear bomb. this demonstration shows the power of the explosive. in 2009, it failed to detonate. this time, it's said to have been improved. the device is now in american hands. it is not clear what happened to the american bomber. >> the plot itself indicates that the terrorists keep trying to devise more and more perverse and terrible ways to try to kill innocent people. a reminder as to why we have to

remain vigilant at home and abroad in protecting our nation. >> umar farouk abdulmutallab is the bomb maker believed to be out of yemen, including these devices found in printer cartridges. one was on its way to the u.s. the al qaeda branch in yemen, seen here training in the desert, has become a concern to political officials. the political chaos in the country has made it easy for al qaeda to operate. >> if any affiliate -- it would definitely be al qaeda in yemen. they're very much creatures of osama bin laden. they are trying to reorient jihad. >> it is nothing new device does not include any metal, making it

possible to evade detectors at airports. in recent years, body scanners have been introduced. it is not clear if these will be picked up. u.s. officials will study the device carefully. they are glad no tickets have been purchased, no target selected, and the bomb was stopped before it reached the air. >> now to some of the other stories making headlines around the world. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has called off early elections after agreeing to form a new national unity government with the main opposition, and the kadima party. police in moscow have arrested dozens of protesters who were demonstrating against the inauguration of president putin. it comes after the protests over the weekend in which several opposition leaders were

obtained. the chinese activist under house arrest has said chinese officials have vowed -- he was held under house arrest for months. let's stay with china. a foreign journalist has criticized the government's decision to expel the english- language journalists, ms. chan from the country. martin patients' reports. >> melissa chan was the beijing correspondent for five years. her expulsion from china is the first case since 1998. in a statement, the foreign correspondent's club of china says it was a decision of the chinese government. it is added that this is the most extreme example of using a

journalist visas in an attempt to sensor and intimidate foreign correspondents. at a briefing at the chinese foreign ministry, it was not made clear which regulation the journalist had broken enhance. >> [speaking foreign language] >> foreign journalists should abide by chinese laws and regulations. we have been dealing with foreign journalists in accordance with the log. >> china's foreign ministry has refused to say exactly why the al jazeera correspondent was expelled. for whatever reason, this will be seen as an attempt by the authorities to intimidate foreign correspondents. >> in recent days, journalists, including the bbc, have been harassed by chinese authorities. when it comes to sensitive

stories, beijing's he is willing use force.lling to >> due to meet the president as he tries to put together a government of anti-austerity partners. for the growing likelihood that an agreement would be reached, it does seem that greece will face new elections in june. that will create, of course, more uncertainty on the financial markets because of the country's multi-billion dollar bailout. meanwhile, germany's finance minister that those against austerity in france and greece over the weekend will not change commitments. even under present a let francois hollande, -- president- elect, francois hollande. he says germany's track record shows you cannot have sustainable growth without cutting.

we have steven evans. what should we make of what the german finance minister has said? a bit more hope. >> i think his it is -- it almost sounds like this is the way it will be. let me read you the quotes from the interview. he is a very important man. he is the man who made some great deals in the eurozone. he is a finance minister and absolutely pivotal to the process. "the commitments on deficit reduction that every country in europe will be upheld, including france." "there is no sustainable growth without deficit reduction." he is at going chancellor merkel as saying the deal is being done and will not slip. we now understand that mr. hollande, president hollande, as you will be, will visit berlin

party will immediately from his installation as president -- president hollande, as he will be, will visit berlin almost immediately from his installation as president. he will be greeted with open arms, but also with lots of questions and a conundrum. this is the with the tabloid puts it tomorrow. that is the tone. you can see her gesture in front of the media. we live with this situation. we might not like it. we are going to press on. the recognition of difficulties yet to be addressed in berlin here. >> what are the options open to germany on this? >> sure. on agrees, it is a difficult one -- on greece, it is a difficult

one. i can imagine how things might unfold with france. certainly, more talk of growth. you may get an assertion -- you will definitely get an assertion that the deals done on austerity will stick and they will not be renegotiated. in a way, that's the only way they can do it. renegotiating the whole thing will set the market's a light, as you might expect. a little bit more free with its money. a little bit more money available for big projects. a lot more talk about growth. will that be a change of policy? i suspect it will not add up to a complete tearing up of the old policy, but it might be a trimming of the policy. a little bit more reflation of the german economy. that is the way in my be charted pragmatically. of course, if mr. hollande comes here and says that it will be

renegotiated, then there will be a clash. >> and that what? >> then, we look at the market's going all kinds of bad ways than we really do look at, i think, a serious crisis i am the euro with all kinds of questions -- a serious crisis in the euro with all kinds of questions. sarkozy and merkel forced to the agreement with all the difficulty. if altwo pillars of the eurozone are leaning in different directions, the structure is clearly under threat. but having said all that, president hollande needs of the eurozone. he does not want it to collapse either. there may be some of brinksmanship. president sarkozy also indicated

to the french people that there were things he did not want from the agreement. at the end of it all, chancellor angela merkel got her way. she is the person with the economic power behind her. >> thank you very much for your honesty. thanks. results from the parliamentary elections in syria are expected later. amid continuing reports of violence, opposition anders says they are a sham. >> the turnout for the election was pretty scared across the areas that have been a stronghold of the -- the turnout for the election was pretty scant. across the areas where there has been a stronghold, there were large strikes. deraa in the south, reports that most people decided to stay at

home. even it in damascus, where there are some foreign journalists at the moment -- one said that in a 40-minute period, only three people came to vote. the government claims that the turnout was high do not appear to be credible. there was sporadic fighting yesterday, according to the opposition to it seems to be relatively quiet day in syria. reports of up to 14 people killed during the election day yesterday. the gives you an idea. even though this was supposed to be the most peaceful day, there were still fights going on and people getting killed. we have to remind you that this comes against the backdrop of more than a year of government violence in which, according to the u.n., 9000 people have now been killed. >> still to come on gmt -- israel'plans is for a rael'sversial -- is

controversial plans. months before, but time is running out for those in another fierce competition. limited hotel supplies and aboutedented thidemand means accommodation in the capital is more expensive than ever this summer. some people in east london are blaming the olympics for being asked to leave their home. andshe is still i packing. her landlord monster out so she can rent the property during the -- landlord wants her out so she can run the properties during the olympics. >> we got two weeks notice.

the rumor is that they're thinking about 5,000 pounds per week per room. >> some landlords clearly see which is due to the games. properties have been marketed for up to 20 times the usual rental amount over the summer. the desire to cash in on the olympics is perhaps understandable. the danger for landlords is that all these flats will become available at the same time, potentially flooding the market and dramatically reducing the amount of rent they can charge. the national landlord association says it's better to have a longtime tenant in a property. >> we've already seen a number of families come to us. we worry that will come up. we will see more examples of when wars raising the red -- of more landlords raising the rent s. >> just weeks ago, another

unintended consequence of the games has become apparent. bbc news, east london up. >> hello. you are watching gmt from "bbc world news." the u.s. says a western intelligence has foiled a plot by al qaeda to blow up an airliner using an upgraded version of the so-called underwear bomb. greece's far left has been given a chance to form a government, but new elections are looking increasingly likely. aaron heslehurst is here with all the business today and news of a mass sick day for air india. >> a very interesting story. around 100 pilots called in sick. it is all to do with a training program for the new boeing 787.

in 2007, there was in airliner called india airlines. they emerged. air india pilots are upset that some of these pilots are chosen to train on the 787. that is it in a bit of a nut shell. this day has caused some international flights to be canceled. this is a lasting the industry needs. it is in a real mess at the moment. >> over the course of the year, it is has been a tough time for india's aviation industry. also, because there are so many in such a competitive market. some airlines are operating at

losses. it's a tough time for india's airlines. >> i should also say that possibly 150 new pilots could go on this strike tomorrow. also, air india has fired 10 of the pilots were taking this action. >> some better news for the economy. >> it is official. australia is the first major developed economy in the world to put its budget back into the black. it is a small one. the treasurer said, "the deficit years of the global recession are behind us. the surplus years are here." last week, we saw the central bank make an interest-rate cut. the surprise everybody with the size of the cut, half of 1%. they said they did that because

inflation is easing. more importantly, the global economic slowdown toward the end of last year is now trying to get at the australian economy. that's making many experts question the timing. let's have a listen to this one. >> more uncertainty around that. some sectors of the economy are doing very well. others are doing less well. as well, we do not know what will take place in europe and what impact that will takhave. as why we question whether this was the best time to really be aggressive on fiscal policy. >> a lot of questions about that. many will also say this is just political. the labor government at the moment with very low ratings. some say they're trying to prove to the australian public that they can balance a budget and it's not all about spending.

>> speaking of spending and austerity, thank you very much. the leader of the far left try to form a party, failed to assemble a coalition . to get some analysis from athens -- the greek public sector trade union has been urging protests for much of the last two years. will you be calling for more protest at this stage? >> [inaudible] >> your analysis of the current situation? >> [inaudible] they said they do not want a imf in theemorandum or the country. the politicians could not hear us. they heard us loudly on sunday.

>> what is next? >> what is next? we are waiting to see what happens with the government. if they are trying to make another government, a coalition government, we will be out on the streets. we will not let them do something like that. we want a government -- not only government, but we want everyone to understand in the whole of europe that the imf policies and the eu cuts not lead to anywhere. they just lead to crisis and more help for rich people. not only people of greece. it is italy. it is spain. it will be england tomorrow. it is the same thing.

people have to rise up and say "stop." >> what can actually happen? denny's to be a coalition -- you support a coalition? >> he our country is bankrupt -- our country is bankrupt. we do not believe this bailout program will lead us out of the bankruptcy. we have to stop this kind of policy. you cannot solve it by taking money from the market. you need to give money to real economy. the of works of people to support health and education and culture our previous government was promising us that they would cut

more of our salaries. we cannot live anymore. and give everything that this for some euros. this is not what the people want. this is not the future. we have to get rid of the bailout programs. we're voting for government, not for people of the market's. >> thank you very much for joining us. thank you. israel is being urged to reroute its controversial separation barrier. israel says the 400 kilometer long barrier saves lives. a report from the west bank village which lies in the path of the separation carrier. >> water everywhere.

in a region where the supply and the availability of water is a major logistical and political concern, the palestinian village has it in abundance. >> the same system used by the romans, we're also using right now. >> 7 natural springs have given life to the village and its field. the assemble irrigation system used today is as it was in ancient times -- the simple irrigation system used today is as it was in ancient times. fruit and vegetables from these small plots are renowned for their freshness and quality. built on the side of this steep hill, one of the last living examples of traditional agriculture. the landscape is under threat from israel's controversial separation barrier.

it has not yet been finalized, but if the barrier is built year, it would cut the ancient village off from about 35% of the ancestral land. because of the unique way in which the irrigation system works, villages say those plans will be lost forever -- those lands will be lost forever. >> it is the most important thing in our life. for us palestinians, because we do not have resources, we just have land. >> not far from here, it is 's there is being built. village lands cut off on the other side of a huge concrete wall. so special is this area that some anthropologist want to give it protected status. >> a good example where you can

still appreciate the integrity of this way and perhaps. -- integrity of this land. this is the viotti. it is something extremely old. it is still used with the same function. it is something unique. >> much of land lies on the israeli side of the so-called green line. in a statement, the israeli defense ministry says the routine of the barrier is based purely on security in reasons and the damage to the area would be minimized. >> that is it for now. stay with us on behal"bbc world news." >> the weather continues to track east across north america at the moment. heavy rain to come across canada, the states of pennsylvania and kentucky, and

it will continue to push further east toward new york tuesday night into wednesday. now to the caribbean, a quiet of haiti.cuba and some pretty intense wet weather in the northern half of south america at the moment. things are quiet in brazil. isolated showers and some clouds around. largely foreine. >> 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. >> at union bank, our relationship managers use their expertise in global finance to guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our extended, global network to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.

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