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>> at shell, we believe the world needs a broader mix of energies. that's why we're supplying cleaner burning natural gas to generate electricity. and it's also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol, a biofuel made from renewable sugar cane. >> a minute, mom! >> let's broaden the world's energy mix. let's go. >> and now, "bbc world news." >> can the european union looks forward to a new and better partnership with russia now that vladimir putin is back as president? at a summit in st. petersburg, european union leaders hold their first talks with him since his reelection, but no breakthrough on syria.

hello and welcome to gmt with me, zeinab badawi. chinese government tightens its squeeze on political and human rights activists fought on the anniversary of the tiananmen square protests. crowds in london shift to outside buckingham palace where a diamond jubilee concert will take place later today with the royal band. it's midday in london, 7:00 in the morning in washington, 3:00 in the afternoon in st. petersburg in russia. that is where leaders from the european union have been meeting president vladimir putin. it is their first summit since he was reelected as the russian president and they took the opportunity to press him on the subject of syria. all parties agree the peace plan proposed by the envoy kofi annan was the best way to avoid civil war. it's not to say they see eye to

eye on how to resolve the conflict. gordon has the latest. >> the european union top officials arrived over the weekend to be welcomed by vladimir putin. a first meeting with him since he returned as president of russia. at today's talks, the violence in syria is on the agenda, with european officials stressing that russia's role is critical in persuading its allies to stem the violence and make kofi annan's cease-fire plan work. >> the opinion and russia might have some diverging assessments, but we fully agree that the kofi annan plan provides the best opportunity to break the cycle of violence in syria, avoiding civil war, and finding a peaceful, lasting solution. but while european and western officials laid the blame for the violence largely on the syrian government, russian officials argue responsibility for events including recent massacres is

shared with rebels fighting to topple president assad. observers fear the bloodshed is looking more and more like civil war, with a sectarian focused. that raises concerns for neighboring lebanon. residents in the northern city of tripoli went on strike to protest clashes in recent days between pro and anti-syrian troops in the city. if sectarian violence spread into lebanon, it could destabilize a country that still bears the scars of its own destructive civil war. russia will be a diplomatic for any -- russia will be vital for any diplomatic pressure on syria. >> we all have to intensify our efforts to achieve a political transition and russia has to be at the table helping that to occur. >> of our at today's summit in think petersburg, if the signs

are that russia does not want syria high on the agenda. and there's little sign of moscow. shifting its moscow there's little sign of moscow's shifting its position. >> let's go to our correspondent, steve. >> we had not expected any change in the russian position or any major breakthrough on any of the other issues in russia /european union negotiations. this was a getting to know you to allow european union leaders and the russian leadership to sit down and work out how to move things fort relation. 7 stuck in the mud in recent years. this was an attempt to have a look at things and work out how they would move forward. did hear talk about cooperation, about deepening cooperation, but it was clear there are many differences between the two sides, not only in the way they

look at the syrian situation but in terms of trade, economic cooperation, energy, and on the question of visa-free travel. that is something russians have been working hard for so that russians can travel freely to europe >> . how has the syrian conflict been portrayed inside russia among expedia and not only what the politicians say? >> there's a different take on what's happening. it is less in people's minds here. it dominates news bulletins in the west, but less so in russia. parliamentary elections have been occurring as well as presidential elections, but russians have other things to think about and talk about. >> there were strong economic

trade links between russia and the european union. what is in it for the russians and what is in it for the european union? >> russia and the european union our neighbors. both sides need cooperation. russia sells oil and gas to the european union. the european union relies on russian energy. both sides have to find a way to and move their partnership's fort. >> thanks very much indeed on the summit between the european union and the russians in st. petersburg. china has detained political activists and placed others on observation on the anniversary of the tan and men's wear -- enanmen square

protest. this was a rare public display against the government in the southwestern city. such protests hardly ever happen in china. we went to visit the protester, but the police had gotten him first. his son showed us how officers had ransacked the flat, taken computers, and detained his parents. his father, a fruit cellar, had witnessed the events pointy three years ago. -- fruit seller. after keeping silent for years, he has begun to speak. >> china is like an apple that is rotten inside. on the surface you see little.

people think the apple is still edible, but. it is but our whole system needs changing or we will never have human- rights. husband wason's detained last week. the police demanded that she hand over her film of the protest, but she hit. -- hid it. >> we want change. we believe people can lead a better life with freedom and democracy. >> today china is preparing for its once in a decade shuffle of its top leader. among those retiring are the last ones who were there when the massacre happened decades ago. there's a question of whether chinese people should have a greater say in how their country is run. will the new generation of leaders think differently? 19 was killed was

-- this woman's son was 19 when he was killed. >> i hope things will change. >> chinese leaders continue suppressing even the memory of the massacre. it is a watchword, preserving a sense of calm. >> that report was by damian grammaticas. later in the program we will speak with a protester from 23 years ago. let's look at some other stories making headlines around. the around gunman in mexico have killed 11 people in an attack on a drug rehabilitation center. several other people were wounded in the attack in the northern city. mexico is suffering badly from drug-related violence. 13 people were killed last year at another rehab clinic.

in no way, mass killer anders breivik will and explain to a court how he became politically radicalized. witnesses are due to testify for the defense. several other defense witnesses have dropped out. 77 people died when the bomber went on a shooting rampage in july of last year. a car bomb exploded outside government offices in central baghdad. at least 18 people have been killed and more than 60 wounded. police say the explosives were in the car parked outside office for religious affairs. three days of mourning have begun in nigeria for more than 150 people killed when a plane crashed in the main city of lagos. rescue workers have been at the scene throughout the night. the airliner operated by a lagos-based company had flown in from the capital abuja when it crashed and burst into flames.

let's get the latest from lagos. tommy, tell us how the rescue and salvage operation is going? the airplane came down in a residential area. >> yes, and now a security officials have sealed off the area. the rest operation is ongoing. there have been cranes' brought in to sift through the rubble and emergency workers have been working. through the working they were short of lighting equipment and all of that, so it's not clear how they were able to go get through the night. we're getting reports that emergency personnel have been able to get some of the bodies out of the wreckage. " basically, we have said its 150 people dead because that's the number of people on board the aircraft, but we really don't know what the death toll on the ground is, presumably that as duty list could be pretty high. >> it could be pretty high, that's right. there are about two apartment

blocks that were brought down by the plane as well as a building holding a printing press. this is a very densely populated part of. of it's very likely that there is a much higher number of people killed or injured as well in the crash. it's not quite clear. -- this is a very densely populated area of lagos. there's an investigation going on. it takes quite a while before official reports and official lagos.s come out in like >> there's been a word that this plane may have not been fit to fly. >> definitely, nigeria has a very poor safety record. a lot of people are asking why this airplane was allowed to

fly? in gone and there was a similar incident that occurred on saturday -- in ghana. >> thank you, tommy. evil to come, the wvi bubbling slime that might save the planet. extracting lithium for electric cars from seawater. a conflict is back on the international agenda. armenia had a bloody civil war years ago. the cease-fire is looking increasingly fragile. damien is in neighboring georgia and he told us about the

purpose of hillary clinton's visit. >> one of the main problems facing armenia is the conflict with azerbaijan, which comes from the war in the early 1990's that killed 30,000 people and left 1 million displaced. there are real hopes that hillary clinton will talk the leaders of armenia and azerbaijan on wednesday and get them back to the negotiating table. peace talks have failed. there are constant cease-fire violations along the border between the two countries. there are real worries that if fighting breaks out, it could be worse than ever because of of this parishes. neither side has been willing to compromise so far. it is hoped that if hillary clinton can get them to talk about peace or at least to tone down the rhetoric, which is making things worse. what's vietnam has agreed to open three new sites to american teams searching for the remains of servicemen missing since the

vietnam war. the u.s. defense secretary leon panetta said the two countries have taken important steps to improve their relationship during talks in hanoi. he became the first senior officials from the u.s. on sunday to visit the former u.s. base which will be used to support american naval operations in the region. in the u.s., the neighborhood watch volunteer accused of murdering an unarmed black teenager in florida in february is back in jail after having his bail revoked. you're watching "bbc world news." i am zeinab badawi. these are the headlines. trade and the economy have dominated your opinion in talks with the russian president vladimir putin, but syria did not get much of the mansion and they agreed that the kofi annan plan is the best chance to avoid war. china has detained political

activists and placed others under surveillance to prevent the marking the anniversary of the pro-democracy protests from 23 years ago. i have been joined for business news with aaron. you are the man who deals with all the turbulence. >> i am just the messenger. >> a lot of turbulence is expected markets because of worries about the global economy. >> it's a very nerve wracking week. we are seeing more evidence of another global slowdown. this kids around here are the big worry. a slowdown in the major power houses of the developing economies, the ones that we relied on for growth during the financial crisis. they are starting to take a hit. chinese factories are making less. the world's largest economy on friday, we got less than half of what we were expecting in the

jobs numbers. this is what an expert told me today, it's a totally different animal that we have never seen before. he said we have thrown everything including the kitchen sink at the economy but nothing seems to be working. this is a problem. we seem to be running out of the tools to fight the crisis. the question is, what will work? >> the effectiveness of quantitative easing is wearing out very visibly. we are talking about weeks rather than months that the market would be helped to stay steady with another round of quantitative easing. in europe, the spanish government would prefer direct aid being provided from the rescue funds to its banks without the country having to have a package imposed by the troika.

there's no easy. . >> euro zone leaders have a lot on their plates. george soros, the billionaire investor, came out and gave them a stark warning. he said you have three months to save the euro. he says they have not understood the crisis while leaders have been trying to solve the debt problem. he said the actual problem was a banking problem and a competitiveness problem. he says they have been using the wrong tools or the wrong remedy. >> people listen to what he says. in 2010 there was a french trader found guilty, the rogue trader, is appealing. >> he is indeed. scapegoats or criminal, that is the question? we're talking about the french role trader. jerome became the poster boy during a financial crisis after he lost the french bank's 4.9

billion euros on trades that went very wrong. he starts the appeal today. how did the bank in 2008 cope with this big loss? >> on the day it was announced, there is a lot of money from their shareholders to plug the hole left by the rogue trading loss. that put them in reasonably good shape for the crisis that came later. in fact, what happened later in 2008 across the banking sector due to a legitimate trading losses was much worse than the rope trading that this man left behind. >> his appeal is expected to last until june 28. we will keep an eye on that. >> thanks very much for business news. now the queen's diamond jubilee celebrations are into their second day. the major event is a concert at buckingham palace later on. if this comes after the pomp and pageantry on sunday during which a huge flotilla of boats

sailed down the river thames. the concert tonight will include performances by elton john and paul mccartney and tim wilcox is there. among sprouts, what is going on? people have been camping out for this big day, i've heard. >> some people have been camping out two nights in atrocious whether. but they have been cheered up. stevie wonder was doing his rehearsal 30 minutes ago. everybody was singing and dancing along. gary barlow has been organizing this concert for two years going around the commonwealth trying to find bans. -- bands. people have been putting down blankets on the mall. you are from -- >> brazil. >> have you come to see this because you love the royal family or just interesting to see? but this is historical.

i could not miss it. >> where are you from? >> sau paulo. >> is there much interest involving the royal family back home? " it's not really. everybody here is very excited about this event. i will try to stay this evening for the concert. but where are you from? >> from oxfordshire. we had tickets for the last one in 2002 which was lovely. >> keeping dry is fantastic. >> yes. >> us all some people from venezuela and colombia. some people from venezuela and colombia. where are you from? >> columbia.

>> but you live here? >> yes. >> what is so special about today? >> it's a great city, a celebration. >> where are you from? >> venezuela. but do you follow the royal family? >> i follow every single thing from the queen. i went to the royal wedding. i went to the pageant yesterday. >> even though you got soaking wet? " i don't mind. this experience will only happen once. >> you are from? south from >> yes, 12 years ago, now in london. i am very british. >> what are you looking forward to tonight? >> just being here, having a wonderful festive atmosphere.

>> the weather is looking up after yesterday's deluge, the sun is breaking through the clouds. people really getting into a party atmosphere. quite a long ways before the party starts. it will and with the national begin being led by the queen at about 10:30 this evening. back to you. >> i'm glad it's not raining. thanks. that shows how popular the royal family is. electric cars may be the future, but they're not selling in huge numbers. the big problem is the batteries. they need to be lighter and lasts longer while still being affordable. that may be about to change in silicon valley in california. some of the finest brains in the country have found a way to get minerals from a very unlikely source. t does this have to do with this?

the answer is science. batteries and the cars of the future. it starts here in a valley on the san andreas fault where geothermal energy is getting a new lease on life. it is green power and keep power. the hot brine from the earth's crust has become a new source of minerals to make better batteries. >> there's an electrical vehicle revolution that's underway. we take the grinded comes from deep underground, processed by geothermal plant, we run it through the extraction process, and we end up with something that is the key ingredient in the battery material. >> here is where that lithium and other minerals are being put to good use. this silicon valley startup has just seven record for a battery's power and price. >> what we have made has

captured a lot more energy in a battery. those batteries will make the cars cheaper and safer and will increase the range of these cars. our dependency on gas, for oil will go down dramatically. what the race is on to develop the materials and the technology to develop a battery that is lighter, cheaper, and long-lasting to fuel the car the future. there are some electric cars out there sexy enough and practical enough to sell. justin bieber, leonardo dicaprio, and ashton kutcher all have one of these. but you need a huge salary to afford it. cheaper batteries might make electric cars affordable to all of us. bbc news, california. " that's line did not look very promising. a reminder of our main story,

leading figures in the european union have met with vladimir putin for the first time since he was reelected as russia oppose the president of and their pressing him to take a stronger ninth on the syrian conflict. the european foreign policy chief said that russia's role is crucial to the success of peace efforts in syria. that's all for the moment from me and the team. stay watching, but good bye for now. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. foundation, union bank, and shell. >> at shell, we believe the world needs a broader mix of energies. that's why we're supplying cleaner burning natural gas to generate electricity.

and it's also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol, a biofuel made from renewable sugar cane. made from renewable sugar cane.