>> this is "bbc world news." funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. ourt union bank, relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives.

we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> how low. you're watching gmt on bbc world news. i'm george alagiah. one of the world's biggest hostage crises unfolding right now in algeria. we will be asking if it is payback for the french military intervention in mali. europeans, japanese, and americans held at the gas facility in the sahara. the algerian government says this islamist militant is behind the raid. jakarta under water. one of asia's biggest capitals brought to a halt as torrential rains caused flooding.

>> officials have warned that over the next few days the rain will continue to increase. that could mean floodwaters around jakarta will continue to rise. >> ♪ >> behind closed doors, how russian rulers have enjoyed the treasures of the kremlin. the bpc has exclusive access. -- the bbc. and things just got tougher for boeing. >> the dreamliner is now grounded globally from washington to tokyo. boeing is the world's biggest plane maker.

>> its new and in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington, 1:00 p.m. in algeria. interest extremists --- islamic extremists are holding dozens of workers hostage deep in the sahara desert. the algerian army has surrounded a gas complex and will doubt any negotiations. this is the man they think is behind one of the most serious hostage crises in decades. mokhtar belmokhtar issued a statement calling for an end to the french military intervention against islamist rebels in neighboring mali. we will be asking if that's really the reason. >> the complex and deep in the algerian desert that is the focus of the international hostage standoff, now supposedly surrounded by the algerian army. there were clashes overnight between algerian troops and the heavily armed hostage-takers.

with americans, japanese, algeriansand held hostage. >> i would like to say these kind of acts are absolutely unforgivable. after hearing the news last night, i gave out three orders. act with a party to the lives of people. gather as much information as possible. third, coordinate and closely as possible with the relevant nations. >> on a visit to rome, the u.s. defense secretary leon panetta told reporters the united states will take all necessary and proper steps to deal with the crisis, without specifying what those steps might be. the besieged plant is in the east of algeria close to the libyan border. to the southwest is mali, where the government has been battling islamist insurgents. now the french have stepped in with military assistance, to of its loan into algerian air

space. the group that says it is behind the kidnappings has declared that's why it did it. exactly what the demands are of its leaderarewho has made millions from kidnappings in the past, remains unclear. as the british government holds a merger of the meetings, the foreign secretary has condemned the killing of one briton. >> it's cold blooded murder. there's no excuse, whether it was connected to libya, mali, or anywhere else. >> 30 local workers have managed to escape from the complex. the algerian authorities continue seeking a solution to this high-stakes incident. bbc news reporting. >> the hostage crisis in algeria comes amid threats of reprisals following french military intervention to flush out islamists from northern mali. now the european union has agreed to send hundreds of military personnel to mali for training. they will join 3000 troops from

across west africa who are preparing to enjoin the military operation. now this report from northern nigeria. >> you can see nigerian forces are in high spirits. these troops will be going to molly over the next few days. about 900 in total. they will form the bulk of the forces from across west africa that are going to help out army as wellalian as the french troops. there is harsh terrain. nigerians say they have plenty of experience with that as they have been fighting in darfur, keeping the peace for number of years. they also have experience in sierra leone and liberia. an issue for nigeria, in the north of the country they have been fighting against an islamist insurgency for the past

few months. it's been a very difficult fight. they say that has given them relevant experience. what's clear is this conflict in mali is becoming international. >> that was from the north of nigeria. our security correspondent is with me now. gordon, we erred from the japanese prime minister earlier talking about all the things that he wants done. there are crisis meetings going on all over the planet. what options do leaders have? >> very few good options. this is one of the most complicated hostage crises you can imagine. an incredibly remote location in algeria, a gas facility, heavily armed militants have been pretty good weaponry and potentially having explosives around or even .n some of the hostages, apar and you have britain, norway, japan, america, algeria, all

these countries trying to negotiate a response. the algerian is likely will be in the lead, because they are the ones on the ground. it is a fluid situation. things have been going on even today. >> let's. who could be behind us. the algerian say that mokhtar belmokhtar is behind this. >> he's a veteran jihadist. he's been on the scene a couple decades. he trained in afghanistan. he's been very active in algeria. he split from al qaeda and the islamic maghrib last year and formed his own offshoots. this could be part of him trying to build his reputation, potentially for fund-raising. there have been statements linking this to the intervention in mali but also statement calling for the release of prisoners held in algeria, also the possibility of economic kidnapping. but this is on a different scale

from the kind of kidnap-for- ransom that has been seen in north africa in recent years where one or two tourists have been taken. is is far more ambitious. >> the french are saying what has happened in algeria is? but they were right to move into mali with their troops. -- is proof that they were right to move into mali. is this a reprisal? >> it would be equipped to be able to do the reconnaissance to be able to get people. remember, this is 600 miles from mali. the french only interv andvened -- only intervened on friday. but some will say that this is a response to algeria allowing its airspace to be used by the french.

and then the french will say that this is proof they needed to intervene in mali. >> thank you. a state of the emergency declared in the indonesian capital of jakarta after heavy seasonal rains brought widespread flooding. parts of the city under two meters of water. authorities say at least four people have been killed while more than 20,000 people evacuated the area. now this report from jakarta. >> jakarta, the capital of southeast asia's largest economy. today, brought to its knees because of rising floodwaters. karzai broken-down. motorcycles have been left stranded on the roads that have turned into rivers. jakartans are used to dealing with floods. this happens every year because of the parental reins. but this time, even the usually

immune central business district has been affected. this is the central business district. this part of the city is not usually so badly affected by the heavy flooding that accompanies the seasonal rains. but this time around you can see for yourself that this city has been paralyzed as many other parts of jakarta, of also been because of the rain. officials have warned over the next few days the trains will continue to increase. that could mean floodwaters year end around jakarta will continue to rise. security staff are preparing for the worst, lining up entrances other buildings with sandbags. the floods are also affecting business in the capital city. many have struggled to get to work and offices and schools have been forced to close. >> i'm really sad. i'm trying to get to my store, but there is no transport. i'm feeling lost. but i will keep going until i get to my destination.

gregg mccrart is no stranger to natural disasters. in 2007, dozens died because of heavy flooding. more than 300,000 people were evacuated from their homes. people here complain the government has not done enough to upgrade the infrastructure in the city's and protect its citizens from what could be an avoidable calamity. bbc news, jakarta. >> leapt catch up with business news. aaron, boeing is in even deeper trouble than it was yesterday at this time. plane's cabin grounded. >> pretty much globally. rather astonishing. there have been lots of problems with this airplane. two relatively small batteries, lithium ion batteries that contain flammable liquids. that has resulted in nearly 50 these jets stuck on the tarmac. let me explain. a terrible week for boeing with

more of its jets grounded than in the air. the plane makers facing a tough spell. now the grounding of the dreamliner has pretty much gone global. air safety regulators in the u.s., japan, india, europe, qatar, officially grounded their. 787 their there 787 jet. an all nippon airliner on friday had an issue. reported record deliveries in 2012. it has been knocked off the top spot by boeing, which is now the world's largest plane maker. the boss of airbus said the u.s. regulators were right to

ground the dreamliner buddy says it's not his place to give boeing lessons especially after all the problems they faced with the a-380. >> both boeing and airbus to give the same priority to safety. this is paramount. 2012 was excellent for both companies. there was a decision by the faa. this decision confirms that the air transport is probably one of the safest transports around world. when there's a doubt, yes, it's better at to look at things very carefully. >> that was the boss of airbus. let's talk about the great greek divide. there's been a reminder of the deep divide within the society. ordinary people are suffering of austerity. a few people involved in a tax

scandal. whether to investigate top politicians including two former prime ministers and the former finance minister or canceling a list of suspected tax evaders with the names of thousands of greeks on it. the former finance minister in greece has denied responsibility. >> he denies any involvement. he said he did not dr. the list and and he's being made a scapegoat. ordinary greeks have latched on to this affair, captivated by every twist and turn. it confirms for them better in quality gap between the wealthy and poor has grown, that corruption still eats up the heart of this troubled country. they are desperate to find somebody to blame, somebody to punish for the mess that this country is in. top story. he grounding of boeing's

dreamliner is grounded pretty much globally accept for ethiopia. it is inevitable that they will follow suit. >> stay with us. we have errantry coming up here on gmt -- a rare treat. what it was really like to be a russian czar. we will step inside the kremlin. thousands of natives in canada have staged protests over a treaty disputes and things that weaken environmental oversight. hundreds of people slowed traffic on a bridge linking ontario province with the united states. demonstrations have been held in at least six provinces. now this report. >> native protesters marched and

danced peaceful in the canadian capital ottawa and all across canada, supporters talked to the streets. one of the largest demonstrations was at the ambassador bridge which links the city of windsor with detroit, michigan. protesters slowdown traffic between canada and the united states on its busiest border crossing. the goods that trouble over this bridge represent about a quarter of all trade between the two countries. the demonstrations under the banner of idle no more began two months ago to protest living conditions on reservations and to defend treaty rights signed with the british crown in the 19th century. crowds stopped traffic in toronto, canada's largest city and the financial center. protesters blocked railway lines in several parts of the country. the relatively small demonstrations did not bring

economic activity to a standstill as some had feared. some native chiefs have just held a meeting with canadian prime minister steven harper, who has vowed to make progress on aboriginal grievances. but divisions between the leaders became apparent as some refused to join the talks. meanwhile, the grass roots movement promises to step up its protests. the next one is planned before the end of the month. bbc news, toronto. >> don't forget. you can always visit us online and read special reports and watch reports from our global stories we are working on . i'm george alagiah. the top stories, one of the most serious issues in the algerian desert where islamist militants are holding dozens of

foreign workers at a gas plant. a state of emergency declared in jakarta as floods have submerged parts of the indonesian capital and officials warned the situation could get worse. here's a story i've been waiting to bring to you. bbc has been given access to the kremlin in the heart of moscow, often considered a symbol of power. the old fortress is home to the president, monuments, and hidden secrets. lakota our correspondent steve rosenberg, behind the kremlin walls. -- let's go to. to correspondents >> the o our correspondent. >> the archangel cathedral, this

is where princes and russian tsars were laid to rest. the western wall is the most prestigious place to be buried. you can see amazing frescoes depicted paradise, the idea being that these pictures would give a nice sendoff to have an for the russian rulers. it's not just the cathedral's which remind you of the imperial past, there's a lot more, as i have discovered. there's one place in the kremlin where you really get appeal for what it must of been like to be a russian czar. it's here in the armory. this museum is a treasure trove of imperial artifacts, packed with things the russians used to it from, put on, and sit on.

-- used to eat from. this is a thrown from the only time in history where there were two bazaaczars. a 15-year-old and his 10-year- old brother. their older sister sophia used to hide in a secret compartment where she could whisper instructions to them. you need a crown if you have a throne. the imperial crown were beautiful. the sparkling one in the corner is the coronation crown of empress an a decorated with thousand diamonds.

this is catherine the great. her wedding dress. of all the wonderful objects in this museum, these are my favorites, the imperial carriages, especially this one. this luxurious one that carried the empress elizabeth from st. petersburg to moscow for her coronation. it was pulled by 23 horses. these over here are toy carriages used by it the children of the czars. and this one is 400 years old and a gift from james the first of england in the name of anglo- russian friendship. we will get a quick peek inside. take it away, please. >> very luxurious. i cannot imagine david cameron

giving vladimir putin wannabes today. can you? >> incredible progressions voted for new president last year. orthodox church favored vladimir putin, who was reelected for a third term. steve rosenberg has asked one of the most senior figures in the care about its controversial relationship with the state. >> the state does not influence the election of the patriarch or the appointment of the bishops or anything related to the internal life of the cherished. the church, in its turn, is not involved in politics. >> use a the church is not involved in politics, but ahead of the presidential election, the patriarch said that the last haveears of putin's rule

been a miracle from god. there's a sense that the orthodox church has been supporting them. but i would say there was no official endorsement of one candidate against another candidate. but people from the church and not only from the russian orthodox church, but from other traditional churches, they met with mr. putin as a presidential candidate. each of them was able to say what they think. craig moe buttered always support vladimir putin? will the church always support vladimir putin? >> it depends on how they act. the official position of the church says that there are actions that are contrary to a

good christian morality, and the church can call for various forms of civil disobedience. >> now, a beijing photographer snapped pictures occur of the chinese capital's skyline for years and created a visual representation of the extent of air pollution. here is the result. these are the photographs from july of last year. 31 daily for grabs taken. 20 of them show smog. pollution is an ongoing problem for china's capital. latest wave of pollution peaked on saturday with off the chart levels shrouding beijing skyscrapers. city residents have become increasingly vocal in their anger over the environment. an amateur prospector in the australian state of victoria has honored a gold nugget

weighing 5.5 kilograms. it was found by an unidentified person on wednesday using a hand-held metal detector near the town of ballarat, west of melbourne. the value has been estimated at $300,000. the owner of beantown's mining exchange gold shop says a find of this size is unheard of. -- the owner of the town's mining exchange. it looks like a gold filling for a dinosaur. let me give you a reminder of our top stories on gmt. dozens of foreign nationals are being held hostage at a facility in the algerian desert. the oil complex is now surrounded by algerian troops. the man apparently behind the attack is mokhtar belmokhtar. he is said to have issued a statement calling for an end to

the french military intervention against islamist rebels in mali. reports say some of the hostages have escaped from the besieged compound, but it is still a very serious standoff in the sahara desert. there's plenty more on gmt. do stay with us. news at bbc.com/news. >> funding for this presentation is 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 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